EkiBoard is live.
A small number of units are with alpha testers. Next stop: a beta with 20+ users.
How it got here.
The hardware, revision by revision, from the first working electronics to the unit alpha testers have today.
The electronics, working
The first working setup: e-ink panel, controller and battery wired up on the desk, rendering a real departure board.
The first case
A first enclosure, to get the electronics off the desk and into something you could actually pick up. Still no enclosures
Fleet and screen management backoffice
A back office for the devices themselves: pairing, firmware, battery and last check-in, plus the screen each board is currently showing and when it will fetch the next one.
The first 3D-printed case
The first enclosure designed and printed for the board itself.
User settings and stations data fetching
Stations, lines, train types, direction and active hours are stored per device. The timetables behind them come from several transit APIs, each in its own format, fetched on a schedule and normalised into a single shape.
Second revision
Tighter tolerances and a cleaner front bezel around the panel.
Third revision, with a magnet
A magnet in the back, so the board can hang on a fridge or any steel surface.
Where it is today
The current enclosure: magnet mount, plus a stand for a desk or a shelf.
Extended coverage and health check board for users
Coverage reached 28 operators and 112 lines. A public page lists every one of them with what it actually publishes (timetable, delay reporting, precise delay, live status) and the health of the feed behind it.
France won't wait.
Coverage has been extended to France lines. 37 French operators now sit alongside the Japanese ones, taking the table to 65 operators and 528 lines and routes.
Theming, and a new hardware design.
Feedback from the community shaped a new hardware design, and the board's screen can now be themed — the standard departure board, or a station-signage look — set per account, or overridden on a single device.
Beta
20+ users
The complete system
Live data & delivery
Timetables and service updates are collected from multiple APIs, each publishing in its own format, and merged into one. From there they are turned into clear boards and delivered as screenshots to each device.
Accounts & device fleet
User accounts and preferences are EkiBoard’s own. The device side (pairing, Wi-Fi, firmware and remote screen management) is handled in Terminus, the fleet server, driven by the same pipeline.
A complete product
A custom device UI, purpose-built 3D-printed enclosure, ecommerce website and landing page.
One product, built across software and hardware.
I designed and implemented the web apps, data pipelines, device software and physical product, using TypeScript, Next.js, APIs, automation, embedded systems and rapid prototyping.
Open to software engineering opportunities.
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