eenk is a custom firmware for Xteink ESP32-powered e-ink reader devices that turns them into dedicated interactive fiction players. Stories are written in inkle's Ink scripting language, compiled via the eenky IDE (a fork of Inky), and run on-device using the inkcpp C++ runtime. The project includes a browser-based web flasher for firmware installation and library management over USB with no drivers or WiFi required.
- Supports three hardware models: X3 (ESP32-C3, 792×528), X4 (ESP32-C3, 800×480, USB-C), and X4 Pro (ESP32-S3, 800×480, touchscreen, backlight)
- Uses Papyrix firmware's text layout and rendering pipeline for custom fonts that can be applied per story or globally
- Images (cover art, thumbnails, inlined) are bundled with stories using the same pattern as Inky's web export
- Supports three hardware models: X3 (ESP32-C3, 792×528), X4 (ESP32-C3, 800×480, USB-C), and X4 Pro (ESP32-S3, 800×480, touchscreen, backlight)
- Uses Papyrix firmware's text layout and rendering pipeline for custom fonts that can be applied per story or globally
- Images (cover art, thumbnails, inlined) are bundled with stories using the same pattern as Inky's web export
Tyler August writes about eenk, a project that brings long-form text adventures'' think Zork with several novels' worth of prose' 'to palm-sized Xteink e-ink readers. Built on the ESP32 microcontroller and the ink scripting language, it ships with its own IDE (eenky) for authoring choose-your-own-adventure books and is released under an MIT license on GitHub.
- The X3/X4 use an ESP32-C3 with no PSRAM, giving developers less memory than 1980s home computers
- The X4 Pro variant uses an ESP32-S3 for more RAM and adds a touchscreen
- Commenters note Xteink sells identical hardware through different channels with different software configurations (locked vs. unlockable)
- A commenter suggests packaging the project as a Crosspoint plugin rather than a standalone firmware to avoid repeated reflashing
- The X3/X4 use an ESP32-C3 with no PSRAM, giving developers less memory than 1980s home computers
- The X4 Pro variant uses an ESP32-S3 for more RAM and adds a touchscreen
- Commenters note Xteink sells identical hardware through different channels with different software configurations (locked vs. unlockable)
- A commenter suggests packaging the project as a Crosspoint plugin rather than a standalone firmware to avoid repeated reflashing
Hungarian journalist László Bíró revolutionized writing tools after observing that newspaper ink dried instantly while his fountain pen consistently left smudges. He realized that the thicker, more viscous ink used in newspapers could not flow through a traditional fountain pen, which requires thin ink to balance air and liquid. To solve this, he engineered a mechanical solution using a revolving ball mechanism to transfer thick ink onto paper smoothly.
