At the beginning of my training, I was shown a page with only straight
printed lines going across it, and we practiced getting me to track them.
You could easily make your own such page, perhaps numbering each line and
using the underline character to make the lines going across a page -
probably 50 characters per line would do it. With the numbers at the
beginning, you could know whether you are tracking each consecutive line and
not skipping or repeating a line.
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Carolyn Arnold
Sent: Wednesday, 13 September, 2017 6:24 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Visual Display
Definitely tracking is the hardest skill to develop. It might be a good idea
if you got a print book, maybe text book, to lay across the material you are
reading. Use it as your top for scrolling across the line. It is almost
impossible, in the beginning not to skew down. One does not realize it is
happening. Going straight across has to be developed. Once you are sure that
your Optacon is working, it would be good to spend a couple of hours a day,
at least, for several months. It should take about two years to get up to
your full capacity with it.
When Optacon training was given, 40 or 50 hours was required, which I took.
Then, at home every night, I would spend an hour or two reading a novel,
since that would be fairly easy and interesting. In the meantime, I was
using it at work, so that helped me acquire a better skill level. It was
something that I wanted really, really bad. We mortgaged our house to get it
for me.
Best from,
Carolyn
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Plumlee ;(Redacted
sender "knobman" for DMARC)
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 6:08 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Visual Display
Dan,
I wish you well as you do a career change. Based on what you told me, my
first suspicion is that one of the camera's two contacts carrying power to
the camera lamps is not making good contact. Have you tested for light when
the Optacon is turned on? Here's something else to check: Set the Optacon
to invert and turn it on with the camera's opening shielded from light.
Turn the threshold clockwise just to the point where the array stops
vibrating. Next, Expose the camera to light such as that coming from a
known light on an appliance or other light source. If the Optacon responds
to light while in the invert position, I would lean even more toward the
idea that you have either a contact or lamp issue in the camera. I Have on
one or two occasions had a case where one of the contacts in the camera was
the culprit, and the fix was quite simple.
I wish you well as you learn to use the Optacon. I believe that the hardest
skill to master is that of camera hand-tracking on lines of a printed page.
I assume that by now you know at least the uppercase print letters and
hopefully the lowercase letters as well. When I learned Optacon, I was
taught based on three skills:
hand-tracking, print character recognition, and print format (paragraphs,
columns, tables, etc. The hand-tracking was the most difficult skill for
me; my instructor told me that he had found that the hand-tracking was the
most difficult skill for most students. Take your time; practice diligently
but don't overdo that practice. If I had to give you only one word of
wisdom about Optacon learning, that word would be PATIENCE!!! You'll likely
need lot of it.
Best wishes in your endeavor and good luck in getting your Optacon working
properly.
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Dan Tevelde
Sent: Wednesday, 13 September, 2017 7:30 AM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Visual Display
Hi David,
Yes, the optacon is vibrating at the pitch you mentioned.
The threshhold and intensity buttons are working as expected. I think the
issue is probably the camera or the camera cable. Once I get the optacon
fixed, I will need to learn how to use it. I hope I am successful so I can
make some YouTube videos to promote the optacon. This may take me awhile
though as I have a web design course I need to complete.
I am primarily focusing on accessibility testing because that is what I need
to do to earn a living. My previous job of 26 years ended recently so I am
making a career change which is a challenge. I still am interested in the
optacon and other research projects I think would benefit the blind
community.
Thanks,
Dan
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 12, 2017, at 7:51 PM, David Plumlee (Redactedsender "knobman"
forDMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
received Optacon
I am an Optacon user since around 1980, and I have
service from Richard Oehm. He has been quite busy oflate, but he
does excellent work; I recommend that you check with himif you want
Optacon family repaired.display, I
His phone number is 408 971-6250.
Although I don't know anything about checking the visual
have a few remarks for you about the Optacon itself. Yousay that the
image on the array does not change as you move your cameraover a page
known to have print; but what happens as you rotate thethreshold knob
from its minimum to its maximum with the unit on? By theway, what
"note" is the Optacon producing? It should "play"something around
the pitch of the "B" just below Middle-C. If the note isvery far
removed from that pitch, the Optacon probably won't workwell, if at
all. If the normal/invert switch is in the Normalposition, the pins
would normally stop vibrating when the knob is turnedfully
counterclockwise, no matter where you had the intensitycontrol set (I
suggest setting that Intensity control somewhere aroundthe
1:00 position while checking as I am suggesting).array
Now, if rotation of the threshold control produces normal
behavior with respect to array vibration, I suggest thatyou find out
for sure whether the lights in the camera are working. Ifyou have
light-detection software on an iPhone or if you have oneof those
handy"light probes"
available from a few places selling items for the blind,test for
light when the Optacon is turned on. One problem whichsometimes
prevents an Optacon from working properly is that of thosetiny
contacts inside the camera failing to make good contactwith the two
"pins" on the retina. Great care is REQUIRED if you dowhat I am
suggesting next: With the Optacon turned on, press VERYGENTLY on the
retina as if you were trying to push It a tiny bit moreinto the
camera module. DON'T PUSH ON THE CABLE! PRESS ONLY ONTHE "FLAT"
PART OF THE RETINA CASE ABOVE THE CAMERA CABLE. If acontact in the
camera is not making good connection with the retina, thisslight
pressure might cause the Optacon's lights to turn on andhelp achieve
normal behavior. If one of those tiny contacts is notmaking a good
connection, that contact can sometimes be bent out towardthe retina's
pin. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DELICATE PROCEDURE, AND IHESITATE TO
MENTION IT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO EMBOLDEN A PERSON NOTSKILLED IN
DELICATE ELECTRONICS WORK TO DO A PROCEDURE THAT WOULD DOFURTHER
DAMAGE TO THE CAMERA! But if you have that skill and wantthe
associated risk, you should first turn off the Optacon,then remove
the retina as if you were going to turn it over. With the
