FrameOS
Devices

Waveshare 13.3" (E) e-Paper

1600×1200 Spectra 6 full-color 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
13.3" (E) e-Paper
Technology
E-ink
Colors
6 colors (Spectra 6)
Resolution
1600×1200 px
Size
13.3″ diagonal
Interface
SPI
Platforms
Raspberry Pi · ESP32-S3
Status
🟢 Confirmed working
FrameOS driver
waveshare.EPD_13in3e

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 13.3" (E) e-Paper is a 13.3″ e-ink panel with a resolution of 1600×1200 pixels showing six Spectra 6 ink colors. Spectra 6 is the current generation of color e-ink: six vivid ink colors with much better saturation than the older 7-color ACeP panels. A full refresh takes roughly 15-30 seconds. Like all e-paper, it keeps the last image with zero power - the frame only wakes up to render.

See the Spectra 6 build video for a side-by-side look at color e-ink generations.

How it works

FrameOS ships a native Nim driver (waveshare.EPD_13in3e) 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 13.3" (E) 1600x1200 Spectra 6 Color 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

🟢 Confirmed working - tested on real hardware by the maintainers or the community.

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