Re: [kidsgames] Re: GUIs und kinder: EE wanted

[Jeffery Douglas Waddell <jeff@smluc.org>]

Hello Leon,

On Sat, 2 Oct 1999, Leon Brooks wrote:

> Chris Ellec wrote:
> > Jeffery Douglas Waddell wrote:
> > > My main problems are that I've not got the electronics skills to design
> > > the electronic impluses for keys (I imagine it is defined somewhere by
> > > IEEE or something), I think I could write the linux driver, but the
> > > circuit design inside the thing is beyond me at this time.  If someone has
> > > those skills and is willing to gpl the circuit specs. please contact me
> > > via email so we can work on it ;)
> 
> > I'm a EE, maybe I can help ...
> 
> I think an ElecEng graduate would find this to be like cracking walnuts
> with a sledge. (-:
> 

There is something wrong with this ;)

> I think a couple of little kit-style PCB layouts using cheap and common
> parts (e.g. 7414 hex schmitt trigger) to encode/debounce up to 8
> switches and shove them into a parallel or serial port (probably
> different PCBs for each, but how ingenious are you?

Congratulations, you are now over my head... ;)  Don't get me wrong I can
follow a schematic and I've even built a few small circuits, but I'm not
familiar with a "7414 hex schmitt trigger) and don't know what "debounce"
refers to.

> :-) would be good
> enough, to start with. Think about more switches and possibly analogue
> inputs, while you're there, but don't let those thoughts drive up the
> complexity or cost of the Mark I unit!
> 

cost is the biggest issue for me, I don't have any spare money currently,
and the financial situation is going to get worse before it gets
better....

> I think the real issue will be the mechanical design of child-appealing
> child-useful input devices. It shouldn't be hard to map almost any kind
> of switch-driven gadget to an X or GGI input device in software.

It's not really that hard, the children are attracted to devices that
actually make sense, I.E. when they push a button or move a joystick they
expect it to DO something, the biggest difficulty I've seen is the
tendency of the child to focue on the physical input device instead of the
screen.  Therefore I would assume that a device that doesn't do anything
exciting at the physical device and is easy to hold will lead them to
watching the screen more quickly.

Sincerely


Jeff 
jeff@smluc.org



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