Inkterface: E-Ink Faceplate for the Steam Machine (Seeed XIAO EE05)

Inkterface turns the front of your Steam Machine into a 5.83" e-ink status display. It snaps on with magnets, plugs into a USB port, and needs no soldering.

⚠ Beta. Inkterface is beta software and hardware. Expect bugs, rough edges and changes between releases. Firmware updates and screen layouts may change without notice.

Use at your own risk. This is a hobby project, provided as is, with no warranty of any kind. I am not responsible for any damage to your Steam Machine, the display, the EE05 board, USB ports or any other hardware, or for any data loss, that comes from printing, assembling, flashing or using it. Check your parts and your wiring, and handle the e-ink panel's flex cable with care.

What makes this design special

• No battery. The panel runs on USB power from the Steam Machine, so there is no battery to charge, wear out or swell, and no battery bay in the print.

• Hidden cable. The USB cable runs under the Steam Machine, so nothing shows from the front. It looks like part of the console.

• Always up to date. It is plugged in, so it shows live stats the moment you play, with no pairing or Bluetooth drop-outs.

• No soldering. The panel's flex cable plugs straight into the EE05. Assembly is screws and magnets.

What it shows

• While the Steam Machine runs: live screens from the Decky plugin. These are telemetry, thermals and power, the game you are playing, Steam stats and more. Only the parts that changed are redrawn, so updates are fast and don't flash.

• When the machine is off or asleep: the panel shows its own standby screens over Wi-Fi, such as a clock, weather or a picture. E-ink keeps the image with no power.

• Your own screens: a simple screen format, a PNG emulator for designing on your PC, and a community Screen Store you can install from inside the plugin.

• Updates: signed firmware updates straight from GitHub releases. The plugin checks the signature before it flashes anything.

Software (free, open source, MIT)

• Code, firmware, docs and full build guide: https://github.com/FliesWithWind/inkterface

• Screen Store: https://github.com/FliesWithWind/inkterface-screens

• Install the plugin with Decky Loader, flash the EE05 once over USB (see docs/flashing.md), and you're done.

Credit

This is a remix of Valve's enclosure from their original Inkterface project, shared under the MIT licence ("Copyright (c) 2026 Valve Software"): https://gitlab.steamos.cloud/SteamHardware/SteamMachine/inkterface Valve's design was made for an Adafruit Feather + eInk breakout stack.

Those Adafruit parts are hard to get in the EU, while the Seeed Studio XIAO ePaper board is easy to buy here, so I built this version around it. I modified the case to fit the Seeed XIAO ePaper Display Board EE05 (ESP32-S3), and replaced the Feather + Bluetooth electronics with the EE05 over USB. The new firmware, Decky plugin and screen system are mine. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve. "Steam" and "Steam Machine" are Valve's trademarks.

Parts you need

• 1 x Seeed XIAO ePaper Display Board EE05 (ESP32-S3)

• 1 x 5.83" monochrome ePaper, 648x480, UC8179, 24-pin FPC (Seeed / GooDisplay GDEY0583T81)

• 4 x Magnets 10 x 10 x 4 mm (block)

• 13 x M2.5 x 5 mm flat-head hex socket screws (304 stainless)

• 1 x USB-C to USB-A 2.0 data cable, 0.5 m (must carry data, not charge-only)

Buy links for every part are in the parts list:

https://github.com/FliesWithWind/inkterface/blob/main/docs/hardware.md#bill-of-materials (Most are affiliate links. They cost you nothing extra and help fund the project.)

Print settings (suggested, adjust for your printer)

• Material: PLA or PETG

• Layer height: 0.2 mm

• Infill: 20-30%

• Walls: 3+ perimeters, because the screws thread into the plastic

• Supports: no supports needed

Assembly

1. Plug the panel's flex cable into the EE05's FPC connector. The flex is fragile, so don't bend or fold it.

2. Put the panel into the faceplate recess.

3. Fit the midplate.

4. Press the 4 magnets into the corner recesses. Orientation doesn't matter, because they grab metal slugs in the Steam Machine.

5. Mount the EE05 in its spot on the board plate, run the USB cable.

6. Put the board plate on top and fasten it with the screws. Be very gentle: the screws cut their own threads and strip the plastic easily.

7. Flash the firmware.

Valve's original assembly video and PDF (Feather build, same mechanical steps):

https://gitlab.steamos.cloud/SteamHardware/SteamMachine/inkterface/-/tree/477563c/docs

Support the project

Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/inkterface