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beginners question

A

amiller

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have started adapting my daughters toys for external switches so she
is able to operate them. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy which limits
her movement to hands and feet. So far it has been very simple,
soldering wire to whatever existing switch is in her toy and running
the wire out to a 1/8 plug.

She has several toys that operate on multiple internal switches and
each switch does something different. For example a doll that says
something different when you touch the left hand verses the right hand.
What do I need to do create one switch that cycles through all the
abilities or switches of a single toy. I can imagine a setup that with
each click of her switch the toy cyles through all the actions: left
hand, right hand, left foot, right foot. Also if you guys have any
advice on learning more design in general I would appreciate it.
 
T

Tim Wescott

Jan 1, 1970
0
amiller said:
I have started adapting my daughters toys for external switches so she
is able to operate them. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy which limits
her movement to hands and feet. So far it has been very simple,
soldering wire to whatever existing switch is in her toy and running
the wire out to a 1/8 plug.

She has several toys that operate on multiple internal switches and
each switch does something different. For example a doll that says
something different when you touch the left hand verses the right hand.
What do I need to do create one switch that cycles through all the
abilities or switches of a single toy. I can imagine a setup that with
each click of her switch the toy cyles through all the actions: left
hand, right hand, left foot, right foot. Also if you guys have any
advice on learning more design in general I would appreciate it.
You could do this with a CD4017 CMOS Johnson counter and a bunch of
relays. If I were 20 years older I'd probably know how to do it with
just relays, but I'm not...
 
B

Bob Stephens

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have started adapting my daughters toys for external switches so she
is able to operate them. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy which limits
her movement to hands and feet. So far it has been very simple,
soldering wire to whatever existing switch is in her toy and running
the wire out to a 1/8 plug.

She has several toys that operate on multiple internal switches and
each switch does something different. For example a doll that says
something different when you touch the left hand verses the right hand.
What do I need to do create one switch that cycles through all the
abilities or switches of a single toy. I can imagine a setup that with
each click of her switch the toy cyles through all the actions: left
hand, right hand, left foot, right foot. Also if you guys have any
advice on learning more design in general I would appreciate it.

Sounds like a worthy project, and I'll be happy to help if I can. Would she
be able to operate a small keypad with buttons on it? Something like the 4
arrows for channel and volume on a TV remote comes to mind.


Bob
 
T

Tim Wescott

Jan 1, 1970
0
Bob said:
Sounds like a worthy project, and I'll be happy to help if I can. Would she
be able to operate a small keypad with buttons on it? Something like the 4
arrows for channel and volume on a TV remote comes to mind.


Bob
I should have thought of that. Oh well, I must be senile. Too bad I'm
only in my 40's.

If she has real motor control problems it may be better to get something
with really huge buttons -- there's a game out that's sort of a "follow
the leader" game, called "Simon" I think, that has four really huge
buttons. At any rate, a cruise through Toys-R-Us should yield something
suitable.

You could come off of each one of those to a separate pair of wires,
then use a big ol' DB-9 (serial) connector to plug into them.
 
M

martin griffith

Jan 1, 1970
0
Sounds like a worthy project, and I'll be happy to help if I can. Would she
be able to operate a small keypad with buttons on it? Something like the 4
arrows for channel and volume on a TV remote comes to mind.


Bob
yep, a good project.
just been surfing, and was looking at non USENETstuff like
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/

That's an "audio " forum.It's a typical but very focused forum
There are probably similar focused forums that might be suitable for
the OP.
But I don't know how I would find them, google is such a pain in the
arse these days.

Just searching for a data sheet never takes you to the source of the
datasheet on the first page anymore, just internet xerox machines

Oh, for a directory of the internet :-(, without popups. Or just
yellow pages, in black and white!




martin
 
T

Ted Edwards

Jan 1, 1970
0
amiller said:
I have started adapting my daughters toys for external switches so she
is able to operate them. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy which limits
her movement to hands and feet. So far it has been very simple,
soldering wire to whatever existing switch is in her toy and running
the wire out to a 1/8 plug.

She has several toys that operate on multiple internal switches and
each switch does something different. For example a doll that says
something different when you touch the left hand verses the right hand.
What do I need to do create one switch that cycles through all the
abilities or switches of a single toy. I can imagine a setup that with
each click of her switch the toy cyles through all the actions: left
hand, right hand, left foot, right foot. Also if you guys have any
advice on learning more design in general I would appreciate it.

You don't say anything about age or mental ability. If you think she
could handle learning a bit (sic) of binary, a keypad with four
press-to-make switches for four fingers and one to hit with the thumb
for setting the choice could give her fifteen choices (not using zero)
from one hand. It's the sort of thing that might take a day or two to
get used to but would then be automatic to her.

Ted
 
T

Thomas Magma

Jan 1, 1970
0
Perhaps a panel mount rotary switch . Then a decent sized knob turning to
each position and playing each audible sound. You might even be able to get
several different toys on one switch, then paint the different pictures of
each toy on the panel around the switch. Do the sounds repeat themselves if
you leave the switches closed? because that might not be the best unless you
leave one rotary position open for the 'off position.

I'm guessing that each switch has a weak pull-up wire and a common ground
wire going to it. So it should be easy wiring.

Good luck.
Thomas
 
A

amiller

Jan 1, 1970
0
Wow you guys are really quick. Aleena is two years old, so most of
what we are working on is basic cause and effect type stuff. She is
only able to operate a single switch with each hand, and it's placed
directly under her fingers. It's very sensitive and can trigger from
the weight of just a piece of paper. It has a 1/8 in phone plug at one
end allowing me to move the switch from toy to toy. Since she can only
operate one switch I can only wire her toys to do one thing. My only
idea was some way to cycle through the operations of a toy with each
click or try to program some kind of pattern in the clicks of her
switch so it can do different things.
 
J

John B

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have started adapting my daughters toys for external switches so she
is able to operate them. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy which limits
her movement to hands and feet. So far it has been very simple,
soldering wire to whatever existing switch is in her toy and running
the wire out to a 1/8 plug.

She has several toys that operate on multiple internal switches and
each switch does something different. For example a doll that says
something different when you touch the left hand verses the right
hand. What do I need to do create one switch that cycles through
all the abilities or switches of a single toy. I can imagine a setup
that with each click of her switch the toy cyles through all the
actions: left hand, right hand, left foot, right foot. Also if you
guys have any advice on learning more design in general I would
appreciate it.

I would use one large button and an AVR mega8 with a bunch of low
current relays on the outputs. The whole thing can run from three AA
cells. If you can find someone who can program a chip for you I'll
write the code in a couple of hours. (Not just now as it's nearly
midnight here).
 
J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello John,
I would use one large button and an AVR mega8 with a bunch of low
current relays on the outputs. The whole thing can run from three AA
cells. If you can find someone who can program a chip for you I'll
write the code in a couple of hours. (Not just now as it's nearly
midnight here).

That would be the way to go. Especially since it can be made fancier as
Aleena grows and learns.

With a micro controller it is also much easier to include hold-time
control some day. For example a short click would trigger one function
while holding the same button for a couple of seconds triggers a
different funtion. Or where a simultaneous push on both hands triggers
yet another.

Regards, Joerg
 
B

bruce varley

Jan 1, 1970
0
Some good postings on this already, IMHO they've honed in on the important
point, that you should focus on a programmable system, preferably one that
you can evolve yourself. Don't be scared of programming, anyone can do it,
it's creative and can be fun. It would be useful if you can locate a
friendly programmable device that you can get familiar with. For starters,
try www.splatco.com.au. Feel free to email me with queries.

[email protected]. Remove em and dee to email.
 
A

amiller

Jan 1, 1970
0
I would love a programable device, I have a lot of experience with
computer programming. Where can I find more information about this
mega8 device and what kind of places would I go to look for purchasing
these types of things.
 
T

Tim Wescott

Jan 1, 1970
0
amiller said:
I would love a programable device, I have a lot of experience with
computer programming. Where can I find more information about this
mega8 device and what kind of places would I go to look for purchasing
these types of things.
If you're not big on electronics you can check out the basic stamp. If
you're in the US you can get these at Rat Shack -- they sell a kit for
around $90 that (I think) includes the PC host side stuff and
everything. You'll have to program in Basic (yuck), but you won't have
to learn lots of electronics or design a board or anything.
 
J

John B

Jan 1, 1970
0
I would love a programable device, I have a lot of experience with
computer programming. Where can I find more information about this
mega8 device and what kind of places would I go to look for purchasing
these types of things.

The mega8 is an Atmel part. A member of the AVR family of 8-bit RISC
processors. Start at these two sites:

http://www.atmel.com/products/avr/

http://www.avrfreaks.net/

The AVR is designed to be programmed in C, although you can use
assembler, but I wouldn't recommend it. There are several cheap or free
C compilers, as well as some expensive ones. GNU C is free, but the
Imagecraft compiler is very reasonable and is the best value for money
that I have found.

http://www.imagecraft.com/software/

Hope this helps.
 
J

John B

Jan 1, 1970
0
The mega8 is an Atmel part. A member of the AVR family of 8-bit RISC
processors. Start at these two sites:

http://www.atmel.com/products/avr/

http://www.avrfreaks.net/

The AVR is designed to be programmed in C, although you can use
assembler, but I wouldn't recommend it. There are several cheap or
free C compilers, as well as some expensive ones. GNU C is free, but
the Imagecraft compiler is very reasonable and is the best value for
money that I have found.

http://www.imagecraft.com/software/

Hope this helps.

Sorry, forgot to say that Atmel devices are available from Digi-Key or
Farnell (which is Newark in the US).
 
P

Peter Bennett

Jan 1, 1970
0
I would love a programable device, I have a lot of experience with
computer programming. Where can I find more information about this
mega8 device and what kind of places would I go to look for purchasing
these types of things.

I've just posted this in another group:

There is an organisation called "TASH" (Technical Aids & Systems for
the Handicapped" (http://www.tashinc.com/index.html) that deals with
this sort of thing. You may find something there to help you.

About 10 years ago I designed a unit for the local Kinsmen Rehab group
that could be controlled by one or two switches and scanned through 8
functions. It was an improved version of a TASH product called a
"Kincontrol". It had relay outputs, and just provided contact
closures, so its outputs could be connected in parallel with the
existing switches on your daughter's toys - no need for the device to
provide (or care about) the toy's power requirements (as long as they
don't exceed the relay contact ratings.

--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
new newsgroup users info : http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca
 
H

Hal Murray

Jan 1, 1970
0
I would love a programable device, I have a lot of experience with
computer programming. Where can I find more information about this
mega8 device and what kind of places would I go to look for purchasing
these types of things.



Digikey has Atmel's STK500 for $80.

It comes with some AVR chip other than the Mega8. I forget which one.
You can find out by reading the documentation. Anyway, if you really
want the Mega8, order a few in DIP package.


Digikey also carries the PICKIT1 from Microchip for $36. You might
want to scan the documentation.
 
Q

quietguy

Jan 1, 1970
0
I reckon it would be worthwhile for you to contact some of the
organisations set up for people with a disability - eg for those with
cerebral palsy. IIRC there are LARGE-key keyboard available - these often
only have 4 to 10 or so keys and the idea is you can plae a picture of a
concept/item on a key and map that key to perform the appropariate action.

Of course this depends on whether or not your daughter could select one
key from (say) four in order to select an action/item etc

Anyway - best of luck and good wishes to your daughter

David
 
A

amiller

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks for all the suggestions, you guys have been a huge help. I have
a lot to look at.
-Aaron
 
J

JosephKK

Jan 1, 1970
0
quietguy said:
I reckon it would be worthwhile for you to contact some of the
organisations set up for people with a disability - eg for those with
cerebral palsy. IIRC there are LARGE-key keyboard available - these often
only have 4 to 10 or so keys and the idea is you can plae a picture of a
concept/item on a key and map that key to perform the appropariate action.

Of course this depends on whether or not your daughter could select one
key from (say) four in order to select an action/item etc

Anyway - best of luck and good wishes to your daughter

David
Yow, you lit me up. My twin brother was institutionalized from the time he
was 8 from severe cerebral palsy. I developed some gadgets for him, and
learned of some low cost techniques for more gadgets. kinds only cheap for
electrical engineer / good technician types though. (read parts cost only).
 
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