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Getting Started with reTerminal E1003

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Introduction​

reTerminal E1003 is a 10.3 inch touch-supported, open-source monochrome ePaper display featuring 16 levels of grayscale and a high-resolution of 1404×1872 pixels, with up to 6-month battery life. Powered by ESP32-S3, it natively supports our SenseCraft HMI no-code UI platform for effortless dashboard creation. Whether for smart home dashboard visualization and control, office information displays, or educational projects, this ready-to-use touch-enabled device delivers stunning visuals and flexible customization to meet all your needs.

tip

Touch interaction for reTerminal E1003 is supported starting from SenseCraft HMI firmware v1.1.2. Touch-related library support is planned for future open-source release, providing greater flexibility to customize panels. More updates will be shared soon.

ESPHome support for reTerminal E1003 is under development and will be available in a future release.

Features​

  • 3-Second Full Refresh for Faster ePaper Responsive Dashboards
  • Build Interactive Interfaces Easily with SenseCraft HMI and Touch Support
  • Crisp Visuals with 16-Level Grayscale and High-Resolution ePaper Display
  • 6-Month Battery Life for Truly Cable-Free Placement
  • Flexible Hardware & Software Customization

Specification​

ItemDescription
Product NamereTerminal E1003
ProcessorESP32-S3 with 8MB PSRAM
Storage32MB Flash, support Micro SD card
Display10.3" Monochrome / 16-level Grayscale
Resolution1404 x 1872 Pixels
Micro SD CardMaximum support 32GB SD card, FAT32 format
Wireless Connectivity2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
SensorsTemperature, humidity sensors
MicrophoneReserved for voice interaction application
AudioBuzzer for sound alert
Battery3000mAh
Power InputUSB-C 5V/1A
Working Temperature0-40°C
Dimensions224mm x 187mm x 18.6mm

Hardware Overview​

  1. ePaper Display: 10.3" 16-level grayscale ePaper display with capacitive touch support.
  2. Buttons: Located at the top of the device for manual screen usage
  3. Microphone: Reserved for voice interaction applications.
  4. MicroSD Card / TF Card Slot: For expandable storage (FAT32, up to 32GB).
  5. Power Switch: To turn the device on or off.
  6. Red Charging LED: Indicates the battery charging status.
  7. Green Status LED: Indicates the current operational or system status.
  8. USB-C Data and Charge Port: For charging the device and data transmission.
  9. Expansion Port: Pin header providing VDD, GND, UART, I2C, and GPIO connections for external sensors, modules, or peripherals.
  10. Buzzer: Audio output holes for sound alerts.
  11. Stand Mounting Inserts: Embedded nuts (screw holes) on the back of the device for attaching the 3D-printed support stand.

Applications​

  • 3-Second Full Refresh for Faster ePaper Responsive Dashboards
  • Build Interactive Interfaces Easily with SenseCraft HMI and Touch Support
  • Crisp Visuals with 16-Level Grayscale and High-Resolution ePaper Display
  • 6-Month Battery Life for Truly Cable-Free Placement
  • Flexible Hardware & Software Customization

Getting Started​

The reTerminal E1003 comes pre-loaded with firmware that supports SenseCraft HMI, a no-code platform that allows you to design and deploy personalized dashboards effortlessly.

Preliminary​

Step 1. Unbox your reTerminal E1003 and ensure all components are included:

  • reTerminal E1003 device
  • USB-C cable
  • Quick start guide
  • long screwdriver
  • screws
  • 3D-printed support stand

Step 2. (Optional) Install the 3D-printed support stand to place the device upright:

Locate the 3D-printed support stand included in the package. Position the support stand against the designated mounting area on the back of the reTerminal E1003 where the embedded nuts are located. Use a long screwdriver to secure the stand to the device by tightening the screws into the embedded nuts on the back of the reTerminal E1003. Once securely attached, place the reTerminal E1003 on a flat surface where the stand will support it in an upright position.

note

The stand provides a fixed viewing angle and cannot be adjusted. This fixed positioning is designed to offer optimal visibility in most usage scenarios.

Step 3. (Optional) Insert a microSD card if you plan to use the device as a digital photo frame or need additional storage.

note

The reTerminal E Series ePaper Display only supports MicroSD cards up to 32GB in Fat32 format.
The 32GB SD card is formatted as exFAT by default. After formatting it to FAT32, it can be successfully mounted and used to store images.

Step 4. (Optional) Install USB drivers if needed:

Depending on your operating system, you may need to install USB drivers to ensure proper communication with your reTerminal E1003:

  • Windows 11 systems typically include the driver by default
  • For Windows 10 and earlier versions, you may need to download and install the CH341 driver from WCH official website

Power On​

Step 1. Power on the device by sliding the power switch to the ON position. The power switch is located on the back of the unit.

Step 2. On first boot, the device will display product information and network setup instructions.


Step 3. The green user LED will light up for approximately 30 seconds, indicating the device is powered on and initializing. 30 seconds of no operation of the device, in order to ensure the power, the device will automatically enter the sleep mode, the LED light will automatically turn off.

tip

So, we need to complete the next steps of configuring the network during this time. When the device goes to sleep, you will not be able to find the device's hotspot. If this is the case, you can wake up the device by pressing the Refresh button on the top of the unit.

Network Setup​

Step 1. Connect to the device's Wi-Fi access point from your smartphone or computer. The AP name will appear on the screen (no password required). The network credentials are reTerminal E1003-{MAC Address}.


Step 2. Once connected, your phone should automatically redirect to the Wi-Fi configuration page. If not, open a browser and navigate to 192.168.4.1.


Step 3. Select your local Wi-Fi network and enter the password, then click "Connect".

note

The reTerminal E Series ePaper Display only supports 2.4GHz WiFi networks, not 5GHz or other bands.

Step 4. Upon successful connection, the device will emit a confirmation beep and display a pairing code screen.

Connecting to SenseCraft Platform​

Step 1. Visit SenseCraft HMI in your web browser and create an account or sign in.

SenseCraft HMI 🖱️

Step 2. In the left sidebar, click Device to enter the Device page, then click the + New Device button in the upper-left corner.

Step 3. Name your device and enter the pairing code displayed on your device's screen and click Create.

Step 4. Once paired, the device will display a message prompting you to create your first dashboard.

Firmware Update​

After the device is successfully added to your SenseCraft account, the platform will automatically check the firmware version. If a newer firmware is available, you will be prompted to update.

You can also check the firmware version manually at any time:

Step 1. On the Device page, find your reTerminal E1003 to view its details, and note the current firmware version.

Step 2. In the left sidebar, click Tools and open the Firmware Flasher tab to see the latest firmware version available for this device.

Step 3. If the current version is older than the latest one, follow the 3-step flow on the Firmware Flasher page to update:

  1. Select your device — plug the reTerminal E1003 into your computer via the USB-C cable, make sure the power switch is ON, then click Select and choose your device from the list.

  2. Select firmware — choose the latest firmware from the release options dropdown.

  3. Flash — click Flash and wait for the update to complete. Enable Full Flash only if you want to reset the device to factory state (all data, settings, and designs will be wiped).

note

  1. Updating the firmware ensures optimal performance and access to the latest features. Touch interaction for reTerminal E1003 requires firmware v1.1.2 or later.

  2. It is not possible to flash the firmware properly when the device is in the shutdown or sleep state. If you select the correct port for your device but never see the flash firmware progress, you may need to wake up the device by pressing the Refresh button on the top of the unit and try again.

  3. Do a standard Flash to keep your setup: Wi-Fi, deployed designs, and pictures are preserved. Do a Full Flash to start fresh: all data, settings, and designs are wiped (factory state).

Display Content on Your reTerminal E1003​

Once your device is paired, you can start using it to display whatever you like. We recommend SenseCraft HMI — a no-code cloud platform that lets you design and deploy content to your reTerminal E1003 in just a few clicks.

SenseCraft HMI has its own dedicated Wiki with full tutorials and feature documentation. For in-depth guides (account setup, firmware flashing, advanced editor usage, deployment, etc.), please refer to:

Since this article is a product Getting Started, we will not repeat the same content here — the following only shows how to quickly display something on your reTerminal E1003.

Home — Start From a Community Template​

The fastest way to get something on your screen is to start from a ready-made template. On the Home page of SenseCraft HMI, you will find a large and continuously growing collection of templates contributed by the community — dashboards, clocks, weather panels, quote walls, calendars, photo frames, and more. Browse the gallery, pick whichever design you like, and deploy it to your reTerminal E1003 with one click.

Workspace — Manage and Design Your Own Content​

The Workspace page is where you manage all pages and content shown on the currently bound device. From here you can:

  • Create and arrange your own design pages from scratch
  • Upload images and organize them into slideshows
  • Combine text, widgets, shapes, data, RSS feeds, web content, and more in a single drag-and-drop editor
  • Deploy the final design wirelessly to your reTerminal E1003

Once your design is saved, click Deploy to Device, select your paired reTerminal E1003, and the content will be transmitted wirelessly to the device. The ePaper display will update to show your design. With firmware v1.1.2 or later, you can also tap directly on the ePaper screen to interact with touch-enabled pages.

For everything else — detailed editor operations, tips, and release notes — refer to the SenseCraft HMI Wiki.

Operating the Device​

Refresh Button​

The refresh button at the top of the device serves several functions:

  • Single Press: Manually refreshes the display and checks for new content from the SenseCraft platform. The buzzer will beep once to confirm the action. This button is also commonly used to wake up the device. You can use this button to wake up a device when it has gone to sleep and a dashboard refresh command is usually not immediately available to the device.

  • Long Press (future functionality): Will activate voice input mode.

The left and right buttons allow you to navigate between multiple pages if your dashboard contains more than one page:

  • Left Button: Navigate to the previous page

  • Right Button: Navigate to the next page

Network Reset​

If you need to connect to a different Wi-Fi network:

Step 1. Press and hold both navigation buttons (left and right) simultaneously for 2 seconds.

Step 2. The device will enter Wi-Fi configuration mode, and you can follow the Network Setup steps again to connect to a new network.

LED Indicators​

  • Red LED:

    • Off: Fully charged or not charging
    • Always on: charging

  • Green LED:

    • On for 30 seconds at boot: Device is powering on

Battery Operation​

When operating on battery power:

  • The device will automatically enter low-power mode between refreshes

  • Battery life depends on refresh frequency (typically 3-month on a full charge with default settings)

  • The device will display a low battery icon in the top-right corner when the battery level is below 20%

tip

If you want to write some code by yourself to read battery voltage, it will be more precise to add 10ms delay before analogRead() function.

Expansion Pins​

The reTerminal E1003 features an 8-pin expansion header (J2) that provides connectivity options for adding external sensors, modules, or other hardware to extend the functionality of your device. This expansion header exposes several ESP32-S3 GPIO pins and communication interfaces, making it a versatile connection point for your DIY projects.

Expansion Header Pinout​

The 8-pin expansion header (J2) has the following pinout:

Pin (from top to bottom)LabelESP32-S3 PinFunctionDescription
1HEADER_3V3-Power3.3V power supply for external devices
2GND-GroundCommon ground reference
3ESP_IO46GPIO46GPIO/ADCGeneral purpose I/O with analog input capability
4ESP_IO2/ADC1_CH4GPIO2GPIO/ADCGeneral purpose I/O with analog input capability (ADC1 channel 4)
5ESP_IO17/TX1GPIO17GPIO/UART TXGPIO or UART transmit (TX) signal
6ESP_IO18/RX1GPIO18GPIO/UART RXGPIO or UART receive (RX) signal
7ESP_IO20/I2C0_SCLGPIO20GPIO/I2C SCLGPIO or I2C clock signal
8ESP_IO19/I2C0_SDAGPIO19GPIO/I2C SDAGPIO or I2C data signal

Troubleshooting​

Q1: Device Won't Power On​

  • Ensure the power switch is in the ON position
  • Connect the USB-C cable to charge the device
  • Check if the red LED is always on (indicating charging)
  • If using battery power, ensure the battery is properly connected and charged

Q2: Can't Connect to Wi-Fi​

  • Verify you're entering the correct Wi-Fi password
  • Ensure your Wi-Fi network is operational
  • Check if your Wi-Fi router supports 2.4GHz networks (5GHz is not supported)
  • Try positioning the device closer to your Wi-Fi router

Q3: Display Not Updating​

  • Press the refresh button to manually trigger an update
  • Verify the device is connected to Wi-Fi (no disconnection icon in the corner)
  • Check your SenseCraft account to ensure the dashboard is properly deployed
  • If the problem persists, try restarting the device
  • If the device still does not respond after restarting, re-flash the corresponding firmware on the SenseCraft HMI platform and check whether the device can refresh normally

Q4: Network Connection Lost​

  • The device will automatically attempt to reconnect to known networks
  • When reconnected, the Wi-Fi disconnection icon will disappear
  • If unable to reconnect, follow the Network Reset procedure above

Q5: Cannot Find Serial Port (COM) on macOS​

If your Mac doesn't recognize the reTerminal via USB, follow this compact guide to install the CH340/CH340K driver:

Step 1. Download and Install the Driver Download the driver from the official WCH page and run CH34xVCPDriver.pkg.

tip

If macOS blocks the installation, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to find the blocked WCH software, and click Allow.

Step 2. Enable Driver Extension (Critical) Open the CH34xVCPDriver app from Launchpad, click Install, then go to System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Driver Extensions. Toggle CH34xVCPDriver Extensions to ON (blue).

Step 3. Connect and Verify Ensure the device power switch is ON and use a data USB-C cable (not charge-only). Open Terminal and run:

ls /dev/tty.wch*
# Expected output: /dev/tty.wchusbserialxxx

If you see the device path in the output, the driver is correctly installed and your reTerminal is ready for use!

Resources​

Tech Support & Product Discussion​

Thank you for choosing our products! We are here to provide you with different support to ensure that your experience with our products is as smooth as possible. We offer several communication channels to cater to different preferences and needs.

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