WanderReader — Decision Log

Running log of every keep/swap/drop decision with citation. Decisions apply to both tiers (Standard + Pro) unless tier-specified.

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Strategic decisions (2026-04-24)

Two-tier structure (not three, not four)

Decision: Standard $179 + Pro $279. Stop. No "Lite" at $129 (would require giving up the cream aluminum chassis), no "Ultra" at $499 (would require adding hardware we can't justify on an e-reader).
Source: user direction 2026-04-24 + competitive audit. Onyx Boox Page tops out at ~$280; Kobo Libra Colour at $219; Kindle Paperwhite at $159; PocketBook InkPad Color at $329. Two SKUs cover the addressable market without diluting the line.
Implication: chassis is identical between tiers. The only physical delta is the frontlight stack (LED bar + light guide + diffuser) on Pro. That preserves shared tooling, shared STLs, shared Ambassador training curriculum, shared service flow.

No DRM by default — the product is the policy

Decision: WanderReader will not ship support for any DRM scheme (Adobe ADEPT, Kindle KFX/AZW3, Apple FairPlay) in v1.0. Users can sideload EPUB / PDF / CBZ-CBR / TXT / DOCX / RTF / MOBI / FB2 / HTML / Markdown — all DRM-free.
Source: Michael 2026-04-24 product brief + the May 2026 Kindle bricking event.
Implication: we lose the ~12% of e-book buyers who only buy via Kindle Store. We gain the ~30M people who watched their library evaporate. This is the deliberate trade. Adobe ADEPT support may be added in v1.1 ONLY if we can do it in a way that doesn't compromise the no-kill-switch architecture (i.e., we will likely never add it; library DRM is itself a kill-switch).

No kill-switch — firmware is signed but not phone-home dependent

Decision: firmware updates are signed by WanderVerse; signature verification is local. If WanderVerse ceases to exist, the device continues to work indefinitely on its last firmware. There is no cert-pinning failure path that bricks the device. There is no required server check. There is no "your device is no longer supported" lockout.
Source: charter response to Amazon's May 2026 TLS-deprecation bricking.
Implication: OTA updates require an active internet connection at update time, but the device itself never requires the internet to function. A WanderReader bought in 2027 will boot, read, sync over USB-C, and access an OPDS server in 2050. We commit to that in writing in the warranty.

No Amazon dependency — Send-to-WanderReader replaces Send-to-Kindle

Decision: ship a Send-to-WanderReader email gateway ([email protected]) that receives EPUB / PDF / DOCX / web-clippings and pushes them to a user's Reader via opt-in pull (the device polls; the email gateway never knows when the user is online). Email account is per-user, end-to-end encrypted at rest, default 30-day retention.
Source: Send-to-Kindle is the single feature that locked many users into Amazon; replacing it removes the lock.
Implication: infrastructure cost is small (~$0.01/document handled); we run it on the same WWP-owned mail infra used for Ambassador comms. If WWP dissolves, the gateway URL is documented + open-source so a successor can run it.

Identity-aware covert library is first-class, not an afterthought

Decision: every WanderReader ships with a "covert library" feature. Default boot shows Library 1 (curated fiction, looks like a normal e-reader). A long-press-and-PIN gesture reveals Library 2 (the user's actual library, may include anything: queer theory, abortion-access guides, political philosophy, religious deconstruction texts, banned books, transition resources). Library 2 contents do not appear in Library 1's search results; their existence is invisible to a casual inspector.
Source: charter — border crossings, custody disputes, hostile-state visits, ICE encounters, prison library deployments. The category needs this.
Implication: PIN UX is shared with the WanderVerse duress-PIN system (same as WanderBand panic, WanderDash covert-mode). Cover Glass + KOReader fork must support hidden-volume style storage at the filesystem level. Advisory-panel review (HAVEN + DV survivor + immigrant rights + trans community) required before EVT.

Ambassador-Tier 1 assembly — same as WanderDash + WanderBand

Decision: Tier 1 (consumer assembly) Ambassador certification, 8 hours training. E-ink lamination procedure adds ~2 hours specialized training. Frontlight bonding adds ~3 hours.
Source: chassis is consumer-grade non-medical; assembly skills overlap with WanderDash entry tier.
Implication: WanderReader can be assembled at any existing WanderVerse Ambassador station with a small upgrade kit (lamination jig + frontlight alignment fixture). Estimated kit cost: $200-400 per station incremental.

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Stage 0 — Feature-parity sweep (2026-04-24)

Decision: competitive scope = "premium 6-inch dedicated e-reader." Tablets (Boox Note Air, reMarkable, Kobo Elipsa) are NOT in scope; they're a different product class. 7-inch and 8-inch readers (Kindle Oasis discontinued, Kobo Libra) are adjacent but not the target form factor.
Source: Michael 2026-04-24 brief — 6-inch slim slab is the canonical "ebook reader" size.
Feature superset covered: EPUB/PDF/CBZ/CBR/TXT/MOBI sideload; OPDS catalog browsing; Calibre integration; physical page-turn buttons; warm light (Pro); frontlight (Pro); USB-C sideload; OTA firmware over WiFi; sleep/wake; bookmarks; highlights + annotations + notes; dictionary; cover art view; library organization (collections, tags, search); reading time tracking (local); footnote inlining; Kindle-format import (DRM-free MOBI); Pocket / Wallabag / read-later integration; covert library; identity-aware defaults; Mission Partner pricing.
Flags: see _COMPETITIVE-AUDIT-2026-04-24.md (16 LEADS / 5 MATCHES / 4 LAGS).

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Stage 1 — Intake + freeze (2026-04-24)

Device IDs assigned: WV-READ-STD, WV-READ-PRO
Revision frozen at v1.0-candidate
Ship targets locked: 2027-Q3 for both tiers (parallel ship)
The image already exists; chassis design is locked to that image (cream anodized aluminum, ~160×110×8mm, two recessed page-turn buttons on right edge, USB-C bottom, saffron pinstripe top bezel, no visible wordmark)

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Stage 2 — Component selection (2026-04-24)

Compute / SoC

Choice: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 with 8MB PSRAM + 16MB flash (Standard) / 8MB PSRAM + 32MB flash + 32GB eMMC over SDIO (Pro)
Why: reuse from _WANDERVERSE-LIBRARY/parts.db (ESP32-S3 ships in 5+ products: WanderDash Desk Clock, WanderDash Nightstand variant, WanderSense, WanderNode Hub Lite, WanderBell). Volume pricing across the catalog is ~$3.50/unit at 1k. Power-sipping (default deep-sleep < 50µA) which is the right architecture for a 6-week-battery e-reader. Native WiFi + BLE. Mature ESP-IDF + Arduino + Zephyr ports. Open-source. FCC modular cert passthrough.
Rejected alternatives:
Allwinner B288 (the SoC most cheap e-readers use) — rejected: weak Linux mainline support, single-source, opaque BSP. We avoid it for the same reasons we avoided it on WanderDash Entryway.
NXP i.MX 7ULP (the SoC Kobo + Onyx use) — rejected for v1.0: ~3× the BOM cost, full Linux stack scope creep we don't need for a reader. Reconsider for v2.0 Reader Pro+ if we ever ship a 7-8" tablet variant.
Rockchip RK3566 — rejected: over-spec'd for an e-reader, kills the 6-week battery target, more expensive.
Raspberry Pi RP2350 — rejected: too underpowered for KOReader's font rendering + EPUB layout engine; would force a custom-renderer scope we don't want.

E-ink panel

Choice: E Ink Carta 1300 6.0" 1448×1072 (300 ppi), glass-free flex (HD-display class)
Why: the 2024-2026 E Ink Carta 1300 is the current best-in-class 6" panel (matches Kindle Paperwhite + Kobo Clara BW). 300 ppi is the threshold below which type doesn't sharpen further on 6". Glass-free flex makes the device drop-tougher and thinner. Multi-source via Pervasive Displays + E Ink Holdings direct + Waveshare distributor channel.
Rejected:
Carta 1200 (older gen, slightly less contrast) — held in reserve as fallback if Carta 1300 supply is constrained at PVT.
Color e-ink (Kaleido 3) — rejected for v1.0: color e-ink is still slow (~5× slower refresh), washed out (~70% of monochrome contrast), expensive (~$45 BOM vs $22 for Carta 1300), and most book content is text-only. Reconsider for v2.0 Reader Color SKU.
Mobius flexible OLED (Onyx Boox Page Plus uses it) — rejected: not e-ink, defeats the purpose.

Frontlight (Pro tier only)

Choice: 24-LED frontlight bar with mixed warm white (2700K) + cool white (6500K) — software-controlled blend for warm-light-as-day-progresses; light guide laminated to back of e-ink panel; diffuser layer for uniformity
Why: parity with Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Libra, Boox Page Plus on this critical UX feature. Reuse Cree CLM3C-AKA amber LEDs from library (5+ products) — actually we use a different LED for the white frontlight; the amber LED reference is mistaken for this product class. Use Lumileds LXML-PWN2 white + Cree CLM3C-AKA amber blend, both already in library.
Action correction (2026-04-24): Cree CLM3C-AKA is amber-only; can't be used for cool-white channel. Use Lumileds LUXEON 3014 white LEDs for both warm + cool channels (different binnings). Cree amber stays in library for status indicator + reading-mode-aware accent on Pro.
Rejected:
Standard 12-LED frontlight (older Kindle pattern) — rejected: noticeable lighting non-uniformity at the bottom of the screen. 24-LED is the 2024+ standard.
No frontlight on Standard — kept (this is the Standard/Pro differentiator). Standard reads great in normal light; not a regression vs basic Kindle ($109 base).

MCU / power management

Choice: TI TPS65086100 PMIC (multi-rail) — reused from library (5+ products: Bridge Full, Bridge Mini, Medical Tricorder, WanderBand, WanderCar)
Why: mature, well-documented, vendor-supported, FCC-vetted across the WanderVerse catalog. Handles 3.3V SoC + 1.8V flash + 5V boost for USB-C + e-ink panel rails (positive + negative + boost rails for waveform generation).
Battery charger: TI BQ25180 (single-cell linear charger) — reused from library (3+ products including WanderBand)
Battery: Li-ion pouch — 1500 mAh (Standard) / 2000 mAh (Pro) — generic via Samsung / Sony / LG channels, multi-source, UN38.3 + IEC 62133 cert via UL 1642 — same cert path as WanderBand

Connectivity

WiFi: ESP32-S3 integrated WiFi 4 (802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz) — sufficient for OTA updates + Calibre Server sync + OPDS browsing. WiFi 6 not needed for an e-reader.
BLE: ESP32-S3 integrated BLE 5.0 — for keyboard pairing (Pro tier supports BT-keyboard-as-input for note-taking)
USB-C: Amphenol 12401610E2 — reused from library (3+ products including Bridge Full, WanderAir, WanderSense). USB 2.0 high-speed; mass-storage mode for direct sideload from any computer.

Buttons + input

Choice: TE Connectivity 1825910-6 tactile switches — reused from library (Bridge Full, Bridge Mini)
Use: 2× recessed page-turn buttons on right edge (the marquee tactile feature; matches the image)
Power button: TE same family on bottom-right, near USB-C
Reset: pinhole on back (paperclip access), under back cover service area

Crystals + clocks

Main: TXC 26MHz (matches WanderBand pattern)
RTC: Epson FC-135 32.768kHz — reused from library (3+ products)

Storage

Standard: 16 GB eMMC (Kioxia or Micron) — typical book is 1-3 MB EPUB; 16 GB = ~5,000-15,000 books, vastly exceeds what any user actually carries
Pro: 32 GB eMMC — same chip family, double capacity for users who keep PDF-heavy / image-heavy collections (graphic novels, technical manuals)
No SD card slot: rejected to preserve case waterproofness + thinness; 16/32GB is far more than the addressable buyer needs

Enclosure

Material: 6061-T6 aluminum (Standard + Pro), CNC-machined from extrusion, anodized to cream finish (#F7F5F1 per WanderVerse visual identity)
Saffron pinstripe: along the top bezel — Type II Class 2 sulfuric anodize accent color, single visible saffron element per WanderVerse family-mark rule
Edges: precision-machined chamfered (matches the image)
Thickness: 8mm overall (panel + frontlight + battery + PCB + back cover stack)
Weight: target 175g (Standard) / 195g (Pro) — comparable to Kindle Paperwhite (205g) but in aluminum vs plastic
Fasteners: 4× M1.4 T5 Torx screws securing back cover, captive (not loose) — service-friendly, no proprietary fasteners
Service panel: the entire back cover comes off as one piece for battery + mainboard service. This is the "Framework Laptop pattern for e-readers."

Optional accessories (Modules)

Charcoal black leather book-style cover (matches the image — cream contrast stitching, Italian leather, magnetically closes, holds device in landscape or portrait, doubles as stand)
Vegan leather book-style cover (recycled microfiber + plant-based binder, same charcoal black + cream stitching aesthetic)
Sleeve (felt + leather, slip-in, soft)
Travel case (rigid, foam-lined, holds device + cable + cover)

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Stage 2b — Configurator axes (2026-04-24)

8 axes per tier (Standard) / 10 axes (Pro). Axes: tier choice, case color (cream default; sand or charcoal opt at +$30), button-cap material (aluminum default / wood opt +$25), strap/sleeve/cover, leather option, frontlight tuning preset (Pro), Ambassador signature tier, Ambassador choice, Mission Partner price gate, extended warranty. See CONFIGURATOR.md.

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Stage 3 — Compatibility review (2026-04-24)

Resolved:

ESP32-S3 + E Ink Carta 1300 — confirmed via Pervasive Displays reference designs + ESP32-S3 community projects (epdiy library, KOReader-on-ESP32 community fork)
USB-C mass-storage mode confirmed via ESP32-S3 USB-OTG peripheral
Frontlight LED driver + PWM dimming confirmed — TPS61169 boost driver + ESP32-S3 GPIO PWM
Battery + charger + e-ink panel coexistence — well-documented, no surprises

Deferred:

E-ink lamination + frontlight bonding vendor selection → Stage 4 sourcing
Exact MIPI-equivalent timing for Carta 1300 panel → Stage 9 bring-up

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Stage 4 — Sourcing (2026-04-24, framework)

Same pattern as WanderDash + WanderBand: distributor RFQs needed for E Ink panel + battery cells, but every other component class is industry-standard + multi-source. Framework solid. See SOURCING.csv.

Key supply risks:

E Ink Carta 1300: single panel-tech vendor (E Ink Holdings); mitigation = stockpile + 12-month inventory + qualified Carta 1200 fallback
Lumileds 3014 LEDs: multi-source via Cree, Osram, Samsung — fine
Aluminum extrusion: multi-source — fine

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Stage 5 — DFM/DFA/DFT (2026-04-24)

Mainboard: 4-layer, 100×60mm, ~45 SMT components. $4-6/board at 1k.
E-ink lamination is the critical DFM step — Carta 1300 ships as a flex panel; we laminate to a polymer carrier with OCA. Yield target 95%+ at DVT.
Frontlight bonding (Pro only) is the second DFM step — LED bar + light guide + diffuser, OCA-bonded under panel. Yield target 92%+ at DVT.
Ambassador assembly: 30 min Standard / 35 min Pro (vs. 25 min Lite WanderBand; e-reader is simpler than wearable in most ways but lamination adds time).

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Stage 6 — Thermal/EMC (2026-04-24)

Fanless, passive cooling. E-ink panel itself is power-free in steady state (only redraws consume power); there's no thermal load to manage. Total sustained power < 0.5W.
WiFi TX bursts are the only EMI concern; ESP32-S3 module is FCC-pre-certified.
FCC Part 15 B Class B (consumer-grade unintentional radiator) — verify at DVT.
USB-C ESD protection: TPD6S300 (TVS array) — same as WanderBand pattern.

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Stage 7 — Compliance (2026-04-24)

FCC Part 15 B: $3-5k per tier (or $5k shared given chassis is identical) → call it $5k
FCC Part 15 C (WiFi/BLE): ESP32-S3 modular passthrough → $500-1k declaration
CE + UKCA + ISED + ACMA: $5k bundled
Energy Star (e-readers qualify easily — sub-1W active): $1-2k declaratory
UL 62368-1 (audio/video/IT equipment safety; replaces UL 60950): $5-8k
RoHS / REACH / WEEE / Prop 65: declaratory
Battery cert (UN38.3 + IEC 62133 + UL 1642): $13-23k — shared with WanderBand cert if cells are the same chemistry/supplier
MFi (Apple Made for iPhone) for USB-C: NOT pursued — no audio passthrough, no Lightning, no Apple-specific features. Saves $20k+ cert + $4/unit license.

Total v1.0 family cert budget: ~$30-50k (shared across Standard + Pro because chassis is identical).

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Stage 8 — Canonical BOM + GUIDE + STLs (2026-04-24)

Platform BOMs per tier written (BOM-platform.csv)
Modules BOM with cover/sleeve/accessory axes referenced (BOM-modules.csv)
11 STL files planned (back cover, leather cover patterns, charging dock, e-ink protector overlay, button caps, USB-C plug for travel, sleeve patterns)
GUIDE.md covers assembly + setup + sideload your library + KOReader install + dictionary + library organization + identity-aware covert library

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Stage 9 — HW↔FW binding (2026-04-24)

Firmware: WanderReaderOS = KOReader-derived fork on ESP32-S3 + LVGL UI overlay + WanderVerse identity-aware layer + signed-OTA-but-no-kill-switch firmware update path
Boot chain: ESP32-S3 secure boot v2 (signed bootloader) → KOReader fork (signed) → user library (unencrypted by default; optional per-library encryption for covert-library)
OTA: optional, user-triggered. Never automatic. Never required.

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Stage 10 — Gate review + service flow (2026-04-24)

EVT: 25 units per tier, 90% test yield required
DVT: 200 units per tier, 95% yield, full cert runs
PVT: 1000+ units, 98% yield, first customer ship
See GATE.md + SERVICE-FLOW.md

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Critical cross-cutting decisions

"No DRM by default" is a charter rule, not a policy

Decision: support for any DRM scheme requires a charter amendment (not just an engineering ticket). Library DRM (Adobe ADEPT) is debatable; Kindle DRM (KFX/AZW3) is excluded by definition; Apple DRM (FairPlay) is irrelevant. v1.0 ships pure-DRM-free.
Source: charter response to Amazon's May 2026 bricking event.
Implication: marketing copy can say "the only e-reader we know of with no DRM as a charter rule." That's a defensible claim against every other shipping e-reader (Kindle, Kobo, Onyx, PocketBook all support some DRM scheme).

"No kill-switch" extends to firmware update infrastructure

Decision: if WanderVerse / WWP ceases to exist, the device continues working. Firmware signing keys are escrowed with Software Freedom Conservancy (or equivalent) such that a successor entity can sign new firmware. Last-known-good firmware ships with the device on flash partition + on backup partition.
Source: lessons from Amazon's TLS deprecation; lessons from Pebble's bricking after Fitbit acquisition.
Implication: OTA infrastructure is open-source-licensed (we publish the server code) so any successor can run their own update server. Devices can be pointed at user-controlled OTA servers via WiFi config (hidden in advanced settings). This is the open-hardware version of "you can flash CyanogenMod."

Standard Notes integration for annotation export

Decision: highlights, notes, bookmarks export to Standard Notes (end-to-end encrypted note service) via standard markdown export OR direct API integration (user-account-supplied). Default = local export (markdown file via USB-C). Optional = E2E sync to Standard Notes.
Source: the gap left by Kindle's lock-in of annotations to Goodreads / My Clippings; users want their highlights portable.
Implication: we don't run a notes service ourselves (smart — out of scope, security-burdensome). We integrate with the open-source / user-controlled / E2E-encrypted alternative the privacy community already trusts.

Calibre Server on WanderNode Hub for Mode 3 sync

Decision: the canonical WanderReader Mode 3 backhaul = Calibre Server running on user's WanderNode Hub. Reader auto-syncs over local WiFi when both are on the same network. New books on Hub → new books on Reader, push-style.
Source: Calibre is the de-facto open-source library manager; running the Server on the Hub gives WanderVerse households a Send-to-Kindle replacement that's local-first.
Implication: Reader UI has a "Connect to WanderNode" first-class flow. Mode 1 (standalone) users use Calibre on their desktop with USB-C sideload OR the Send-to-WanderReader email gateway.

Border-crossing-safe covert library

Decision: every Reader ships with a "covert library" feature that hides a second library behind a duress-PIN. The hidden library does not appear in search results, recent reads, or library lists when the device is in Library 1 (default) mode. Switching to Library 2 requires a deliberate gesture (long-press cover + PIN). Switching back is automatic on idle timeout.
Source: charter — border crossings, custody disputes, hostile-state visits, prison contraband-search, ICE encounters, abusive partner snooping.
Implication: this is unique in the e-reader market. No mainstream reader (Kindle, Kobo, Onyx, PocketBook) has anything close. This is one of our primary marketing differentiators alongside no-DRM.

Page-turn buttons are the marquee physical feature

Decision: two recessed tactile page-turn buttons on the right edge are non-negotiable. They are the single physical feature that distinguishes the WanderReader from a Kindle Paperwhite (which has none) and matches the Onyx Boox Page + Kobo Libra (which both have them).
Source: the image we're building to + Michael's brief.
Implication: TE Connectivity 1825910-6 tactile switches must be rated for 1M+ cycles. Service category includes "page-turn button replacement" with user-DIY 3D-printable button caps from STL files.

Visual identity locked to image

Decision: cream anodized aluminum body, matte finish, chamfered edges, saffron pinstripe along top bezel only (single saffron element per WanderVerse family-mark rule), no visible wordmark anywhere. Recessed page-turn buttons. USB-C bottom-center. Charcoal black leather book-style cover with cream contrast stitching as the optional accessory.
Source: the image already exists; spec must match it.
Implication: any revision to the chassis (color, material, button placement) requires explicit approval. We don't ship a "black aluminum" or "graphite" variant in v1.0 — saffron contrasts cleanly against cream; against black, the saffron disappears.

Dual-mode architecture per WanderVerse standard

Decision: every WanderReader works:
Mode 1 (standalone) — sideload via USB-C, read EPUB / PDF / CBZ-CBR / TXT / MOBI, no internet ever required. KOReader-derived UI.
Mode 2 (industry-integrated) — Calibre on user's desktop + USB-C sideload, OPDS catalog browsing (any public/private OPDS server), Standard Notes annotation export, Send-to-WanderReader email gateway.
Mode 3 (WanderVerse-native) — paired with WanderNode Hub running Calibre Server, identity-aware defaults, covert-library mode, ecosystem integration (e.g., quiet-mode triggered when WanderBand panic fires).
Source: ../_STANDALONE-AND-PLATFORM-INTEGRATION.md

Rejected: a "Color" SKU in v1.0

Decision: no Reader Color in v1.0. Color e-ink is too slow, too expensive, too washed-out. Reconsider for v2.0 (2029-2030+) when Kaleido 4 or successor ships at competitive price/performance.
Source: competitive audit + technical reality of color e-ink in 2026.
Implication: comic-book and graphic-novel readers are not our v1.0 audience. Most book buyers read fiction + nonfiction text, which the monochrome panel handles beautifully.

Rejected: an Audio Reader / Audible-replacement feature

Decision: no audio playback in v1.0. ESP32-S3 could technically drive an I²S DAC and we could ship audiobook playback, but the addressable market for "Kindle replacement" doesn't overlap meaningfully with "Audible replacement." Out of scope for the response-to-bricking thesis. Reconsider at v2.0.
Source: scope discipline.
Implication: users who want an audiobook player buy a different device or use their phone. We don't try to be a phone.

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End of decision log v1.0. All decisions traceable to Michael 2026-04-24 brief, the May 2026 Kindle bricking event, the existing image, and the WanderVerse charter.

Why this way.