FrameOS
Devices

Waveshare 12.48" e-Paper

1304×984 black & white e-ink display for FrameOS - specs, setup and driver details.

Official Waveshare store

Official store page for this device.

Buy from Waveshare
Vendor
Waveshare
Model
12.48" e-Paper
Technology
E-ink
Colors
Black / White
Resolution
1304×984 px
Size
12.48″ diagonal
Interface
SPI (dual driver boards)
Platforms
Raspberry Pi
Status
🟡 Should work
FrameOS driver
waveshare.EPD_12in48

Part of the FrameOS device database. Spotted an error, or tested this panel? Edit this page on GitHub - it's a markdown file.

The Waveshare 12.48" e-Paper is a 12.48″ e-ink panel with a resolution of 1304×984 pixels showing black and white. Two-tone e-ink has the fastest refresh of any e-paper type - a full update takes only a couple of seconds - and the high contrast works great for text, dashboards and dithered photos. Like all e-paper, it keeps the last image with zero power - the frame only wakes up to render.

The 12.48" panel uses two driver boards and its own wiring - follow the 12.48" build video for assembly.

How it works

FrameOS ships a native Nim driver (waveshare.EPD_12in48) compiled straight into the binary that runs on your Raspberry Pi - no Python, no vendor libraries. Each render pass draws your scene into a full-color image, dithers it to the panel's palette, and pushes the result to the display over SPI.

Setup

  1. Connect the panel to the Raspberry Pi - plug the HAT onto the GPIO header, or hook up the separate driver board with the bundled ribbon cable.
  2. Add a frame in the FrameOS backend and select the Waveshare 12.48" 1304x984 Black/White driver.
  3. Save & deploy. The panel blinks through a refresh cycle and shows your scene.

Make sure the letter suffix on your panel's ribbon cable matches the driver - Waveshare reuses product names across revisions. More tips in the Waveshare buying guide.

Status

🟡 Should work, not yet confirmed on real hardware. The driver shares its controller logic with panels that are confirmed working. If you have this display, report your results with a photo and we'll mark it confirmed.

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