Hello Dan and list, Charles Pond still struggling to recover in Ottawa
here.?? Plateaued thus far.?? The actuators on the Orbit device (they were
desperate and silly enough to have snapped up me hapless annoying
compound word "tactuator" for tactile-actuator) are essentially linear
motors from what I can gather.?? Generally for linear motors, as the
spindle turns it causes a lead screw to move up or down.?? This forms the
dot.?? Looking loosely at the numbers, we have an active surface of about
say 7.5 to 8-inch * 10-inch, and 40 * 60 pins = 2,400 pins.?? this gives
an implied resolution of 5 or 6 pins per linear inch, to say nought of
the space between diagnally placed pins in an x/Y raster matrix.?? In
adddition to the coarse pitch which is not good enough even for braille
let alone for an optacon, such larger pins and the driving mechanisms in
no way can ever even approach the optacon's empirically optimal refresh
rate of about 250Hz.
So there. =>
A minor (more or less static update if I am honest haha): the optacon
III is where it was about 2+ years ago just before my drastic and
dreadful, life-altering illness and hospital internment.?? Whilst in
hospital, I did note wryly and with concern that the cafeteria was close
to and connected to the morgue.
Assuning that I can recover enough to return to some limited
productivity, I would need about $10,000 to $13,000 to bring it to full
fruition.?? If nought else is done, the technology is viable as it is,
and not overly expensive,, albeit it uses up a lot of power.?? Several
reconfigured display architectures need to be tried for betterment, all
of which are similar.?? I have about 7 or 8 untested techniques for
reducing the power usage of the display.?? Ironically, the "tactuators"
still produce way too much force when turned down to their minimum
intensity (rather than too little), and yet if the intensity current is
turned down below this level they do not simply reduce their force to
abetter vibrotactile level, but they drop off to a quasi-random
vibrating of sorts and lose their steady sinusoidal movement.?? Like a
determined but hapless fly buzzing and bouncing in the same place
against a window pane.?? At and above a certain level of intensity the
tactuators (tactile-actuators( resume their reliable but too powerful
optacon vibrotactile characteristics.?? This is actually not bad,and it
can be seen as a technical blesssing in disguise. Why??? I can fix this
drop-off problem by using a lesser circuit and optimal geometry, which
means potentially cutting the power draw of the display by perhaps 50%
and improving performance as well.?? "T'is good Monsieurs!".?? this all
requires more bench work, and some simulator work, and hence the need
for Healthy and helpful hands here abouts.?? Although a display of about
500 tactuators does not heat up significantly, the drivers do become
toasty.?? My calculations were so way off I just dropped them for now (or
at least in Spring 2018); so, from my notes it looks like the display
consumes something approaching 50 Watts when on fierce, finger-fuzzing??
full throttle.?? Such a display overdrive condition as this is almost
never the use with our present optacons, certainly not for more than a
few moments now and then.
The drivers can be improved and therefore the display itself by adding
clever error checking logic which I had designed but had not yet done as
of Spring 2018.?? Not difficult.?? The drivers here in Ottawa could also
improve by having some logic and error checking imposed on them from the
"controllers" at city hall.
Since it is not likely that I can return to a fully productive working
life, for better or for worse I can likely put more time into the
optacon III now and several other related projects, assuning that I do
improve somewhat.?? As I wrote above (and daily pray to the above as all
of us self-righteous Christians should do), if this is to progress to
the finish line being done here, I would need likely from at least
$10,000 to $13,000.?? For just two items for instance: I'd need a proper
waveform generator and a more suitable bench power supply.?? I no longer
have access to the labs we used and to their instrumentation, and I do
have some excellent stuff here.?? Until Spring 2018 I used either a
simple function generator for standard stuff, and my computer as a
waveform generator for more complex waveforms.?? this will not do. Fpor
specialized actuators (tactuators) work wherein the very slightest noise
can be felt on a vibrotactile display, not to mention other
coefficients, one needs a really top-level and somewhat dedicated bench
power supply.?? In addition, I would need to pay for technician's help
now.?? Darling Mary here worked well of course as a skilled and dedicated
digital electronics technician (she does other things well also), but
she is now quite ill like I am.
So, that is where it is, just about as was 2+ years ago.
I trust my post is being received.?? New computer system, and fixed
things up at the ubiquitous nethernet levels.?? It is difficult now to
sit up for long periods,and to compose and write emails.
Charles
On 2020-07-20 8:22 a.m., dan.tevelde@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hi all,
I wasn't suggesting contacting Orbit Research.?? Nolan Runyan or someone
else
with a technical and/or engineering background may have already done that.
I was just informing the list that Orbit Research is open to new ideas.
Orbit Research may have already had a discussion with people pursuing a new
optacon and determined that it wasn't feasible.?? I remember someone mention
on this list that they felts that the actuators Orbit uses for the graphiti
weren't adequate for a new optacon.
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of Laurel Jean Walden
Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2020 6:41 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Suggestion for Orbit Research
Hi, Dan and all.
This sounds like a good idea to me. I will contact Orbit Research this week
and add my 2-cents worth regarding the prospect of a new Optacon. The more
of us who speak up, the better, even if such a consideration is put on the
back burner because of the pandemic.
Even in this age of smart phone cameras and intelligent apps, there are
still cases when I really need to see how something appears or is oriented
on a page, what my handwriting looks like, etc. My Optacon still sits on
the
bookcase by the front door, ready to go to work at a moment's notice.
Best wishes and stay safe.
Laurel in South Carolina
On Jul 18, 2020, at 2:11 PM, dan.tevelde@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hi all,
Yesterday I was in the NFB exhibit hall talking with people from Orbit
Research.?? Their president mentioned that they are receptive to ideas
for new products.?? Has anyone approached them about developing a new
optacon?
I hope everyone is doing well.
Thanks,
Dan
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