Shayne WinterSystems Integration

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Project 06 / functional prototype

Functional prototype

Multi-unit eInk Tags display prototype.

Multiple working e-ink units in varying display sizes, communicating through send-and-receive gateway channels with a Windows-based host.

Domain: Low-power displays and Windows host integrationRole: Product concept, prototype development, integration, failure modeling, and validationBoundary: Functional prototype; production deployment not claimed

Operational problem

Make changing information visible where the work happens.

A paper label is simple and dependable, but it cannot reflect changing information without manual replacement. An e-ink display can retain an image without continuous power, but a useful system still has to answer harder questions: who owns the intended state, how is an update confirmed, what happens when communication fails, and how does a person recognize stale information?

Users & constraints

Local visibility and honest delivery state.

  • A low-power display should retain useful information without continuous refresh.
  • Displayed information should not become an independent source of authority.
  • A sent update must not automatically be treated as a displayed update.
  • Stale, missing, and unverified states need visible handling.
  • Public documentation must omit internal terminology, source systems, data structures, integration paths, device-network design, and facility details.

How I framed the problem

Separate intended state from displayed state.

Privacy-sanitized conceptual lifecycle for an e-ink status display.

Windows-based host

The prototype host owns the intended information and coordinates communication without making the displays independent authorities.

Bidirectional gateway channels

Separate send-and-receive paths support updates and return communication at the prototype boundary.

Multiple e-ink units

Functional prototype units use varying display sizes while retaining the same high-level host-and-gateway model.

Failure handling

Unconfirmed or stale updates remain diagnosable rather than silently appearing successful.

Conceptual prototype view. Proprietary protocols, component models, data fields, detailed network design, and the regulated operating use are omitted.

What I owned

Developed the prototype, host relationship, and communication model.

Product conceptDefined the relationship between host information, gateway communication, display state, and verification.
Functional prototypeDeveloped multiple working e-ink units across varying display sizes.
Windows integrationConnected the prototype units to a Windows-based host through bidirectional gateway channels.
Failure behaviorKept attempted, confirmed, stale, and recoverable states distinct in the prototype model.

How I tested it

Failure behavior belongs in the prototype.

I exercised host-to-display updates and return communication through the gateway channels. An attempted update was kept distinct from a confirmed display state, which made stale or unconfirmed information visible and diagnosable rather than silently appearing successful.

Result & next step

A working multi-unit prototype with a clear production boundary.

The result is a fully developed functional prototype with multiple units, varying display sizes, a Windows host, and bidirectional gateway channels. The next step would be a bounded pilot with explicit environmental, recovery, serviceability, power, and reliability criteria.

Production deployment, employer adoption, proprietary protocol details, and measurable operating outcomes are outside the public evidence.
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