Someone turned their reTerminal Sticky into a sleek e-ink Apple TV remote

Credit: frankynov Published Nov 15, 2026, 3:45 AM EST Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary Someone turned a Seeed reTerminal Sticky into an Apple TV‑style eInk remote using Home Assistant. The eInk screen has a long battery life and provides a tactile, touchscreen remote that feels just right. It's an early prototype, but you can demo it and flash it on your own device via the creator's website. The humble remote has come a long way. First, it was a brick with physical buttons on it, and now you can control the media around your house with your phone. But what if you want the best of both worlds: a device dedicated to adjusting what you're watching, with all the benefits of a touchscreen? Well, someone has made an Apple TV remote with an eInk display, and I think it fits the bill perfectly. This custom Apple TV remote puts an eInk display to good use You won't find many remotes that look fancier than this Over on the eInk subreddit, user frankynov showed off what they've been tinkering with. They had recently gotten their hands on a Seeed Studio reTerminal Sticky, and wanted a fun little project to put on it. So, they decided to give it a practical use and turn it into a remote that lets them adjust their media controls: "I wanted to experiment with it, even though I am not a professional developer, I wanted to try and get a nice Apple TV remote, with controls of my lights using partial refresh. Everything is done under Home Assistant. I have built a firmware, simulator and flash interface for it, with help of Claude." Frankynov says that this is very much a first experiment, and they'll need to take some time to adjust it and fix any issues that crop up. But for a first prototype, I'm very impressed. It looks like it'd make an excellent screen-based remote, and because it's using an eInk display, it won't run out of batteries after a day. If you have a Seeed Studio reTerminal Sticky sitting around doing nothing, you can head over to frankynov's website and flash it to your own device. There's also a demo you can try out that doesn't require a Sticky.