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Re: gEDA-user: gEDA and PCB with tablet.



On Mon, 2011-02-28 at 21:41 +0200, Hannu Vuolasaho wrote:
> Hi!
>    I noticed that someone said tablet (or whatever those wacom drawing
>    boards are) in new grid thread. Has anyone tried using gEDA and PCB
>    with tablet? Is it usable and does it give any benefit compared to
>    mouse? I'm just curious and hate clumsy mouse.

I'm been toying with the idea of putting together a project proposal to
do some research in this area - specifically the idea of working with a
hi-resolution pen-input screen device, such as the Cintiq:

http://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?pid=90&lang=en

They are expensive, but I'd imagine the increase in productivity one
might achieve (plus the "cool" factor) could be a major selling point
for professional PCB layout designers.

These devices are commonly used by artists, and some product designers -
and I think they could translate quite well to PCB layout applications.

I was thinking about going further than just a naive swap of input and
display devices, but rather making use of the tablet's pressure
sensitivity, pen rotation sensors and other cues, such as proximity and
other "pen" modifiers to make the board design experience very "hands
on" and intuitive.

I've been quite tempted to buy a (cheaper) tablet and start trying these
ideas. (Although you need a fairly expensive one to get all of the
various axes and modifiers). The user interaction I'm thinking of should
work so much better on a Cintiq type screen though - but they are out of
my price range at the moment.

Best wishes,

-- 
Peter Clifton

Electrical Engineering Division,
Engineering Department,
University of Cambridge,
9, JJ Thomson Avenue,
Cambridge
CB3 0FA

Tel: +44 (0)7729 980173 - (No signal in the lab!)
Tel: +44 (0)1223 748328 - (Shared lab phone, ask for me)

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