The Cat Screen

Every morning, an e-ink screen in our kitchen shows a new cat scene that reflects what’s happening that day. It’s based on an original project I’ve wanted to build for my partner for a while, and it’s one of the most fun things I’ve worked on in a long time.

I expanded on the original by integrating our calendar into the image. On days Liverpool are playing, a mouse in a footy top appears in the scene. On special events such as Valentine’s Day or Christmas, the scene represents them accordingly. Seeing a new image every morning is a great ongoing experience. I’d highly recommend making something like this.

I used an Inky Frame 7.3" and created a 3D printed frame, modified from a few I found on Printables. I need to redo this as I created the insert holes too small for the screws I had, but it works for now.

Previously, this kind of project meant understanding how to manipulate the screen, ensure deep sleep mode to save battery, work out voltage calculations for the battery level, etc. Discoverable knowledge, but not in my head as I don’t work with embedded software regularly. LLMs make it a relative breeze.