5 ms·

Kindles are fun devices to hack and play with. I can grab an old kindle for €15-20 on eBay. I did the same last year and had lots of fun in the process. https

Kindles are fun devices to hack and play with. I can grab an old kindle for €15-20 on eBay. I did the same last year and had lots of fun in the process. https://samkhawase.com/blog/hacking-kindle/ https://samkhawase.com/blog/hacking-kindle/

mengchengfeng 7mo ago
I love it! Always fun to see the route somebody else took to get to the same end product. Your post is making me want to try more Cloudflare Developer Platform stuff like Cloudflare Workers.
moffkalast 7mo ago
For the less reverse-engineering prone among us, there are also similarly sized e-ink displays that plug into Raspberry Pi DSI ports for maybe $5 more on Aliexpress. They might actually be salvaged kindle screens.
- slig 7mo ago
  Do you have a model number or link, please?
  - bartvk 7mo ago
    I seriously do not like people saying "it's on AliExpress". I'm sure it is, but the problem is quality control so a specific link is greatly helpful.
    - slig 7mo ago
      Yeah, there's a ton of e-ink displays, most of them do not come with the controller or are replacement for kindle (how to drive those?) or are tiny.
    - moffkalast 7mo ago
      I'm afraid I can't really vouch for any specific one, it's been years since I've messed around with one and suppliers change their stock constantly.
uyzstvqs 7mo ago
Can you start jailbreaking straight away, or does it require an internet connection and Amazon account first during setup?
- mengchengfeng 7mo ago
  I don't believe you need internet connection - IRRC jailbreaking steps were plug in the Kindle, drop the jailbreak folder into the root directory, then choose `Update` from the Settings screen. The hardest part was finding the `Update` menu item. It's only visible if you go to Settings, then press the menu button again while on the Settings page. Not sure if registering the Kindle was required.
- deleted 7mo ago
  [deleted]
- simonklitj 7mo ago
  Depends on the firmware of the device. Latest firmware (anything after version 5.18.5.01 - which released in October 2025) is currently not jailbreakable. Jailbreak of any firmware after version 5.16.2.1.1 (June 2023) requires the Kindle to be connected and registered. Anything prior to, and including this version, can be jailbroken with no registration.
- Havoc 7mo ago
  Don’t connect it. I bought one for this purpose and it updated to a version that didn’t have a known jailbreak
CTDOCodebases 7mo ago
There is also the Xteink4[0] that can be purchased on Aliexpress. It's just an ESP32 with an e-ink screen. It costs more and is smaller but when you are done playing around with it you can flash it with Crosspoint[1], carry it in your pocket and read books on an e-ink display wherever you are. [0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMoq17-1pJA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMoq17-1pJA [1] - https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader
- 0x38B 7mo ago
  I have the same Kindle as the OP and very nearly bought the Xteink4. However, they wanted $28 to ship to Alaska, which put me off buying it; my Kindle Touch still works fine after many years and one battery replacement, though it's slow compared to newer E Ink devices.
  - CTDOCodebases 7mo ago
    That sucks! Hopefully they start appearing on Amazon for similar prices. I too have an old kindle but I just wanted something non-smartphone to help me read more.

mengchengfeng 7mo ago

I love it! Always fun to see the route somebody else took to get to the same end product. Your post is making me want to try more Cloudflare Developer Platform stuff like Cloudflare Workers.

moffkalast 7mo ago

For the less reverse-engineering prone among us, there are also similarly sized e-ink displays that plug into Raspberry Pi DSI ports for maybe $5 more on Aliexpress. They might actually be salvaged kindle screens.

slig 7mo ago
Do you have a model number or link, please?
- bartvk 7mo ago
  I seriously do not like people saying "it's on AliExpress". I'm sure it is, but the problem is quality control so a specific link is greatly helpful.
  - slig 7mo ago
    Yeah, there's a ton of e-ink displays, most of them do not come with the controller or are replacement for kindle (how to drive those?) or are tiny.
  - moffkalast 7mo ago
    I'm afraid I can't really vouch for any specific one, it's been years since I've messed around with one and suppliers change their stock constantly.

uyzstvqs 7mo ago

Can you start jailbreaking straight away, or does it require an internet connection and Amazon account first during setup?

mengchengfeng 7mo ago
I don't believe you need internet connection - IRRC jailbreaking steps were plug in the Kindle, drop the jailbreak folder into the root directory, then choose `Update` from the Settings screen. The hardest part was finding the `Update` menu item. It's only visible if you go to Settings, then press the menu button again while on the Settings page. Not sure if registering the Kindle was required.
deleted 7mo ago
[deleted]
simonklitj 7mo ago
Depends on the firmware of the device. Latest firmware (anything after version 5.18.5.01 - which released in October 2025) is currently not jailbreakable. Jailbreak of any firmware after version 5.16.2.1.1 (June 2023) requires the Kindle to be connected and registered. Anything prior to, and including this version, can be jailbroken with no registration.
Havoc 7mo ago
Don’t connect it. I bought one for this purpose and it updated to a version that didn’t have a known jailbreak

CTDOCodebases 7mo ago

There is also the Xteink4[0] that can be purchased on Aliexpress. It's just an ESP32 with an e-ink screen. It costs more and is smaller but when you are done playing around with it you can flash it with Crosspoint[1], carry it in your pocket and read books on an e-ink display wherever you are. [0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMoq17-1pJA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMoq17-1pJA [1] - https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader

0x38B 7mo ago
I have the same Kindle as the OP and very nearly bought the Xteink4. However, they wanted $28 to ship to Alaska, which put me off buying it; my Kindle Touch still works fine after many years and one battery replacement, though it's slow compared to newer E Ink devices.
- CTDOCodebases 7mo ago
  That sucks! Hopefully they start appearing on Amazon for similar prices. I too have an old kindle but I just wanted something non-smartphone to help me read more.