No subject

, =0A=
though I haven't yet done a great job putting it all online. It turns out =
=0A=
that being philosophically inclined towards open-ness isn't enough. You al=
so=0A=
have to write down thoughts, technical specifications and documentation th=
at=0A=
is far more clear and complete than one would do internally. It turns out =
=0A=
that it costs a lot of work and effort to be REALLY open.=0A=
=0A=
The device that I am currently working on in full swing, the keyback, work=
s =0A=
as follows: you have a 28 key keyboard with lever style keys (like on an o=
ld=0A=
mechanical brailler). You can type on the keyboard using braille or a =
=0A=
stenotype system (much faster). There is also a reading mode. In reading =
=0A=
mode, when you press a key down, it stays down because the keyboard also h=
as=0A=
an electromagnetic key locking system. The keyboard can then selectively =
=0A=
unlock keys. So if the message you were reading was "hello" and you entere=
d =0A=
reading mode and pressed down all of the keys, then all the keys would sta=
y =0A=
down except for the index and middle finger key on your left hand and the =
=0A=
middle finger key on your right hand, this you would read as 'h'.=C2=A0 Wh=
en you =0A=
pressed those keys back down, then all of the keys would stay down except =
=0A=
for the index finger key on your left hand and the middle finger key on yo=
ur=0A=
right hand, this you would read as 'e'. You would continue to press the ke=
ys=0A=
which popped back up down as you read along. Of course, reading this way =
=0A=
using a braille system would be quite slow. However, using stenotype shoul=
d =0A=
be very fast.=0A=
=0A=
My current conception of the keyback is that it will have a full linux =
=0A=
computer in it. This increases the price, but I think that it will be bett=
er=0A=
that way. Software-wise, stenotype is not well developed on systems other =
=0A=
than linux and this will require a lot of specialized software. Making it =
a =0A=
self sufficient computer will eliminate a lot of work/compatibility issues=
. =0A=
Linux is also cool.=0A=
=0A=
The keyback (which I haven't built yet) has the current parts list:=0A=
=0A=
Laser cut metal case: $20=0A=
Frame made from drilled aluminium profiles: $3=0A=
Key levers + magnets: $10=0A=
Electromagnet strip for locking keys: $20=0A=
Battery: $30=0A=
Charging circuit: $10=0A=
Computer board: $200=0A=
Buttons: $4=0A=
Touch sensor array for a menu system: $15=0A=
Camera for use as a light level sensor and color detector: $20=0A=
Speakers: $30=0A=
Microphones: $3=0A=
Glues, tape, etc: $?=0A=
Assembly: $20=0A=
Profit, liability, waranty, support: $100=0A=
=0A=
Perhaps there is something I forgot there, but I'm aiming for a price arou=
nd=0A=
$500.=0A=
=0A=
What are APH and Humanware like? My business model is as follows. I will u=
se=0A=
money (which I have) to buy large quantities of parts. I will then sell =
=0A=
"small business kits" to people, giving them enough parts to build 25-50 =
=0A=
devices. These "small buisness" people will then sell to the consumer with=
in=0A=
their local area. I will take a small cut. I like this model for several =
=0A=
reasons:=0A=
=0A=
The device will require a lot of support because stenotype systems are =
=0A=
complex and hard to learn. I need those support personel to be close by. S=
o =0A=
for example, I will sell devices in Prague, and I will be able to visit my=
 =0A=
clients at their homes to help them get the device working. Being =0A=
geographically close to people is also good from an environmental =0A=
standpoint. I don't want people to buy new devices every couple of years a=
nd=0A=
throw the old one's out. I'd much rather have them come to my home, where =
I =0A=
can replace the battery and upgrade the electronics for them. This will =
=0A=
reduce waste. It also has an advantage from an open source standpoint. If =
a =0A=
lot of small businesses are using the same open source design, hopefully =
=0A=
that will mean that there are a number of people invested in it and workin=
g =0A=
on it together (like with the highly successfull open source reprap =0A=
project). It is also good from an economic standpoint. I don't have enough=
 =0A=
money to buy batteries and computer boards in bulk. So I won't include tho=
se=0A=
standard and expensive parts in my kits. There is no cost advantage to =
=0A=
purchasing them in bulk anyways. It is also good from a localization =
=0A=
standpoint. There are not stenographic systems for most languages. It is =
=0A=
best that such stenographic systems are developed by people who actually =
=0A=
speak the language =0A=
=0A=
Tim=0A=
=0A=
=0A=
---------- P=C5=AFvodn=C3=AD zpr=C3=A1va ----------=0A=
Od: Devin Prater <r.d.t.prater at gmail.com>=0A=
Komu: Informal discussion between users and developers of BRLTTY. <brltty@=
=0A=
mielke.cc>=0A=
Datum: 24. 4. 2015 7:50:10=0A=
P=C5=99edm=C4=9Bt: Re: [BRLTTY] Pneumatic braille based on balls in a tube=
=0A=
=0A=
"Well, how much will this device cost? And how long will it last? Please =
=0A=
don't be like APH or Humanware. Will the device have braille keys on it? H=
ow=0A=
many cells per line will it have? Will it be able to be used with a screen=
 =0A=
reader? Will it have USB or bluetooth or both? Will the "image arrangement=
" =0A=
be able to have different hights per dots, to show color of the image or =
=0A=
something like that? How will screen readers use this to show images? Will=
 =0A=
you help companies like Apple build this into their systems? If you use th=
e =0A=
sheet method, how would the sheets refresh themselves before being taken o=
ff=0A=
the machine? How big will this thing even be? Will there be different size=
s,=0A=
like an 11 by 9 or however big normal print paper is? Or will you make a =
=0A=
"mobile" and "desktop" version, or will there just be one big unit that ca=
n =0A=
sort of fold into a smaller one for mobile use? And the most urgent questi=
on=0A=
is, how much will the thing cost? $20? $200? $2000? =0A=
=0A=
Sent from my iPhone=0A=
=0A=
> On Apr 23, 2015, at 1:05 PM, Samuel Thibault <samuel.thibault at ens-lyon.o=
rg=0A=
> wrote:=0A=
> =0A=
> timothyhobbs at seznam.cz, le Thu 23 Apr 2015 19:52:36 +0200, a =C3=A9crit =
:=0A=
>> that the air seeping out of them "whistles" or "pshhhhes". This=0A=
>> is really a problem of bad design or bad manufacturing.=0A=
> =0A=
> Or the device getting old? It needs to be robust.=0A=
> =0A=
> Samuel=0A=
> _______________________________________________=0A=
> This message was sent via the BRLTTY mailing list.=0A=
> To post a message, send an e-mail to: BRLTTY at mielke.cc=0A=
> For general information, go to: http://mielke.cc/mailman/listinfo/brltty=
=0A=
_______________________________________________=0A=
This message was sent via the BRLTTY mailing list.=0A=
To post a message, send an e-mail to: BRLTTY at mielke.cc=0A=
For general information, go to: http://mielke.cc/mailman/listinfo/brltty"=
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html><body>I cannot easilly answer those questions on the pneumatic brail=
le. I am not even going to make any promisses about it ever existing. I ha=
ven't really started designing it yet. There would be no possibility of va=
riations of dot height. If I ever create the device, software would have t=
o catch up with me. Currently, there aren't any screen readers with image =
support. I just wanted to make sure that a technical description was avail=
able so that it couldn't be patented.<br><br>From a philosophical standpoi=
nt, all of my braille research is open source, though I haven't yet done a=
 great job putting it all online. It turns out that being philosophically =
inclined towards open-ness isn't enough. You also have to write down thoug=
hts, technical specifications and documentation that is far more clear and=
 complete than one would do internally. It turns out that it costs a lot o=
f work and effort to be REALLY open.<br><br>The device that I am currently=
 working on in full swing, the keyback, works as follows: you have a 28 ke=
y keyboard with lever style keys (like on an old mechanical brailler). You=
 can type on the keyboard using braille or a stenotype system (much faster=
). There is also a reading mode. In reading mode, when you press a key dow=
n, it stays down because the keyboard also has an electromagnetic key lock=
ing system. The keyboard can then selectively unlock keys. So if the messa=
ge you were reading was "hello" and you entered reading mode and pressed d=
own all of the keys, then all the keys would stay down except for the inde=
x and middle finger key on your left hand and the middle finger key on you=
r right hand, this you would read as 'h'.&nbsp; When you pressed those key=
s back down, then all of the keys would stay down except for the index fin=
ger key on your left hand and the middle finger key on your right hand, th=
is you would read as 'e'. You would continue to press the keys which poppe=
d back up down as you read along. Of course, reading this way using a brai=
lle system would be quite slow. However, using stenotype should be very fa=
st.<br><br>My current conception of the keyback is that it will have a ful=
l linux computer in it. This increases the price, but I think that it will=
 be better that way. Software-wise, stenotype is not well developed on sys=
tems other than linux and this will require a lot of specialized software.=
 Making it a self sufficient computer will eliminate a lot of work/compati=
bility issues. Linux is also cool.<br><br>The keyback (which I haven't bui=
lt yet) has the current parts list:<br><br>Laser cut metal case: $20<br>Fr=
ame made from drilled aluminium profiles: $3<br>Key levers + magnets: $10<=
br>Electromagnet strip for locking keys: $20<br>Battery: $30<br>Charging c=
ircuit: $10<br>Computer board: $200<br>Buttons: $4<br>Touch sensor array f=
or a menu system: $15<br>Camera for use as a light level sensor and color =
detector: $20<br>Speakers: $30<br>Microphones: $3<br>Glues, tape, etc: $?<=
br>Assembly: $20<br>Profit, liability, waranty, support: $100<br><br>Perha=
ps there is something I forgot there, but I'm aiming for a price around $5=
00.<br><br>What are APH and Humanware like? My business model is as follow=
s. I will use money (which I have) to buy large quantities of parts. I wil=
l then sell "small business kits" to people, giving them enough parts to b=
uild 25-50 devices. These "small buisness" people will then sell to the co=
nsumer within their local area. I will take a small cut. I like this model=
 for several reasons:<br><br>The device will require a lot of support beca=
use stenotype systems are complex and hard to learn. I need those support =
personel to be close by. So for example, I will sell devices in Prague, an=
d I will be able to visit my clients at their homes to help them get the d=
evice working. Being geographically close to people is also good from an e=
nvironmental standpoint. I don't want people to buy new devices every coup=
le of years and throw the old one's out. I'd much rather have them come to=
 my home, where I can replace the battery and upgrade the electronics for =
them. This will reduce waste. It also has an advantage from an open source=
 standpoint. If a lot of small businesses are using the same open source d=
esign, hopefully that will mean that there are a number of people invested=
 in it and working on it together (like with the highly successfull open s=
ource reprap project). It is also good from an economic standpoint. I don'=
t have enough money to buy batteries and computer boards in bulk. So I won=
't include those standard and expensive parts in my kits. There is no cost=
 advantage to purchasing them in bulk anyways. It is also good from a loca=
lization standpoint. There are not stenographic systems for most languages=
. It is best that such stenographic systems are developed by people who ac=
tually speak the language <br><br>Tim<br><br><p>---------- P=C5=AFvodn=
=C3=AD zpr=C3=A1va ----------<br>Od: Devin Prater &lt;r.d.t.prater at gmail.c=
om&gt;<br>Komu: Informal discussion between users and developers of BRLTTY=
. &lt;brltty at mielke.cc&gt;<br>Datum: 24. 4. 2015 7:50:10<br>P=C5=99edm=
=C4=9Bt: Re: [BRLTTY] Pneumatic braille based on balls in a tube</p><br><b=
lockquote>Well, how much will this device cost? And how long will it last?=
 Please don't be like APH or Humanware. Will the device have braille keys =
on it? How many cells per line will it have? Will it be able to be used wi=
th a screen reader? Will it have USB or bluetooth or both? Will the "image=
 arrangement" be able to have different hights per dots, to show color of =
the image or something like that? How will screen readers use this to show=
 images? Will you help companies like Apple build this into their systems?=
 If you use the sheet method, how would the sheets refresh themselves befo=
re being taken off the machine? How big will this thing even be? Will ther=
e be different sizes, like an 11 by 9 or however big normal print paper is=
? Or will you make a "mobile" and "desktop" version, or will there just be=
 one big unit that can sort of fold into a smaller one for mobile use? And=
 the most urgent question is, how much will the thing cost? $20? $200? $20=
00? <br><br>Sent from my iPhone<br><br>&gt; On Apr 23, 2015, at 1:05 PM, S=
amuel Thibault &lt;samuel.thibault at ens-lyon.org&gt; wrote:<br>&gt; <br>&gt=
; timothyhobbs at seznam.cz, le Thu 23 Apr 2015 19:52:36 +0200, a =C3=A9crit =
:<br>&gt;&gt; that the air seeping out of them "whistles" or "pshhhhes". T=
his<br>&gt;&gt; is really a problem of bad design or bad manufacturing.<br=
>&gt; <br>&gt; Or the device getting old?  It needs to be robust.<br>&gt; =
<br>&gt; Samuel<br>&gt; _______________________________________________<br=
>&gt; This message was sent via the BRLTTY mailing list.<br>&gt; To post a=
 message, send an e-mail to: BRLTTY at mielke.cc<br>&gt; For general informat=
ion, go to: http://mielke.cc/mailman/listinfo/brltty<br>__________________=
_____________________________<br>This message was sent via the BRLTTY mail=
ing list.<br>To post a message, send an e-mail to: BRLTTY at mielke.cc<br>For=
 general information, go to: http://mielke.cc/mailman/listinfo/brltty</blo=
ckquote></body></html>=
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