OESF Portables Forum

General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: zenyatta on December 16, 2003, 07:38:10 am

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zenyatta on December 16, 2003, 07:38:10 am

This technically belongs into 5x00 ] Hardware but I\'m really interested in clamshell owners\' opinions... plus it\'s a nice little problem to think about  :wink:

I sometimes work with the Z at night in complete darkness (it\'s just a habit I have). As you may imagine, typing is a bitch. I\'m a fairly competent touch-typist so I remember key positions but on the thumb-board it\'s no use. The only way to keep error rate down is to concentrate and always glide thumbs over the keys. Even then, text input is slow and irritating.

Having given this some thought, I\'ve come up with several possible solutions:

Improving tactile feedback
The problem with the 5500 thumb-board is that all the keys except \'Space\' are the same. No shape hints, no bumps. \"Orientation points\" are needed.

:idea: I thought about putting little stickers on keys at strategic \"orientation points\". These would function as bumps. And yes, the slide cover provides almost a milimeter of headroom above the keys.
:idea: Another option is to make the surface of strategic keys more rough than the others (e.g. by applying a thin layer of transparent superglue and using gentle sand paper).

Illuminating the thumb-board
Actually seeing the thumb-board would be even better than touch hints. However, it also looks much more demanding. Here are my ideas:

:idea: Covering the keys with a semi-transparent glow-in-the-dark paint. I have no idea if anything like that exists.
 :idea: Covering the keys with opaque glow-in-the-dark and painting the letters over that with regular paint. Messy.

Now for light sources outside the actual keys:

:idea: Covering the \"northern wall\" of the thumb-board (the surface of the display enclosure that faces the thumb-board) with glow-in-the-dark paint. This would probably not provide enough light.
:idea: Illuminating with the green & orange LEDs! A software solution! Wow! Well, I actually tried this and the orange LED provides enough light for about 5 closest keys.
:idea: Since I have a vacant SD slot, I could use an SD lamp (I\'m sure somewhere in Taiwan someone makes them). This is cumbersome and involves additional hardware. It is an option though.

Getting rid of the thumb-board

:idea: Dictation through a microphone using IBM Websphere Everywhere. Cool but I doubt it works well enough plus, again, it involves extra hardware.
 :idea: Using the multikey soft-keyboard with my stylus! Oh, wait a minute. I want

easier input, not harder...

As you can see, I\'ve examined the problem as thoroughly as I could (after all, we\'re talking serious hardware mods here). I would be interested in any additional perspectives and ideas. I also want to know from 7x0 owners what their experiences are (especially whether you can use the light from the screen to illuminate the keyboard). As always, any advice is appreciated.

z.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: Foxdie on December 16, 2003, 08:16:23 am

This is something I do a lot, I suffer (well it\'s not painful) from mild insomnia, it\'ll take me about an hour of lying in bed tossing and turning before I\'ll get to sleep.

I started to use this time more productively and use my C760 in the dark. Although I currently don\'t have any physical solution for the typing in the dark problem what I do is angle my Z\'s screen to 90\' straight up so as a whole the unit is an L shape and put the backlight to at least midway brightness level, that tends to illuminate the keyboard just enough to see which key is which.

I guess I would like a better solution, I think a CompactFlash white LED light would be useful. I don\'t have the resources to manufacture plastic or I\'d make one myself. I think 2 surface mount white LED\'s wouldn\'t draw much more power than a regular CompactFlash card.

I\'m going to take some high res photo\'s of the C760 model against  a green background (so it\'s surroundings can be digitally deleted) and let anyone use them as they see fit. I will on the other paw use one of my photos to draw up a concept sketch of what I think would be good. Hopefully someone will find my sketch and manufacture it for us

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zenyatta on December 16, 2003, 08:32:16 am

Yes, the problem I saw with clamshell angling is that either the angle is too wide (you get too little light) or too narrow (little viewing angle plus your fingers obscure the display). Glad to hear there\'s a usable middle ground.

z.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zenyatta on December 16, 2003, 08:36:03 am

I have another, pretty feasible solution:

:idea: If I can keep the 5500\'s flip cover fixed at about 60 degrees, I could put a reflective surface on its inner side (like aluminium foil) and reflect the light from the display. Hmm...

z.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: Foxdie on December 16, 2003, 08:54:12 am

Remind me never to take piccies ever again.  :shock:

http://foxdie.timduru.org/zaurus/C760_Images/ (http://foxdie.timduru.org/zaurus/C760_Images/)

Someone buy me a new digital camera please! This Samsung Digimax 800K needs binning.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zbones on December 16, 2003, 04:04:52 pm

Or how about
 http://www.ukoutdoorstore.co.uk/head_torches.html (http://www.ukoutdoorstore.co.uk/head_torches.html)

why modify the zaurus, the best point to shine the torch from is your eyes, this is close enough.

Can be used for caving, fixing the car in the dark, Hands free

Or perhaps consider paying the electric bill  :wink:

Or is the idea, that you don\'t want light in order not to disturb a sleeping other?

peter

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: ScottYelich on December 16, 2003, 04:11:36 pm

foxdie....

heheh... I found that getting an all white / all black poster board at an office store / drug store makes a perfect backdrop for taking images.

of course, focus always helps too.


I use my 760 inthe dark.  I will have to take a pic of how I hold it... let me see if I can describe it:

I put my left hand on the left side, my right hand on the right side.  My thumbs are on the front of the 760, the third fingers of each hand are on the back of the 760, where the sd is inserted ( left third finger on te left side, right third finger on the right side).

I have two fingers, first and second, of each hand... to type.  This allows me to type 30wpm or more... even in the dark.  It\'s a b!tch to type left-shift left-fn and then \"c\" for control?

So, for seeing in the dark, most of the time I do only light work when I\'m lying down in bed, etc... so it\'s mostly reading -- although I do ssh out to a screen\'d epic irc for irc to im gateway + freenode #zaurus, etc.

My screen is usually the 90 degrees that\'s mentioned preiovusly, although sometimes I go less than 90.

The best thing I found is the zradio xml with stations so you can listen to music... type... surf... chat... and then the task bar light applet -- so you can go bright to dim.  If you select all bright -- it will blind you, but you can use the Z like a flashlight, etc... and then go dim to read/work.  Even dim, it\'s too bright, so when I surf, the screen is usually aimed above my head so I don\'t get direct light.

Scott

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zbones on December 16, 2003, 05:06:45 pm

OK, so the head-light was not really a serious suggestion......

This is, check the zlight jpg.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pssmith (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pssmith)

Take one freebie light pen obtained from hardware vendor trying to sell hardware.  Remove the light part, and attach to zaurus just above the keyboard. Demonstration model achieved with the use of sticky tape.

Photo taken in pitch black, with no flash.

The keyboard cover will close, and it doesn\'t block the screen, or dazzle because it is too bright.

The only drawback is that it takes those tiny little watch batteries which could prove expensive if you fall asleep with it on.

I don\'t know how long the batteries last as I have only turned it on once before to test it out.

There are loads of mini light devices on the market now, most of them use hi-power leds, I suppose a couple of the leds soldered to the 5 vault line of the zaurus, and placed in the right place would do the job with out resorting to batteries, and would be permanent.

By the way, why do hardware vendors always give out free pens? I don\'t really use a pen. All my notes go on the zaurus, which is why I bought it.

Peter.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: yzord on December 17, 2003, 12:17:28 am

This might be a good idea. I actually saw it in a Radio Shack flyer and thought it was a good idea, as the advertising actually showed it being used with a PDA...

http://www.radioshack.ca/estore/Product.as...alog=RadioShack (http://www.radioshack.ca/estore/Product.aspx?language=en-CA&product=6118940&category=Lights&catalog=RadioShack)

A long time ago, I actually considered Dremel\'ing out a spot under the \"Mail\" led on the Z5500 and replacing the \"Mail\" led with a nice sized red/orange/white (not blue, as it\'s terrible for night viewing) bright led pointing downward in there with a small cap/lens to diffuse the light out over the keyboard (or get a led with a wide view angle). Then, someone could take the example code that turns on the \"Mail\" led that\'s on killefiz and just write a small app to turn on the mail (now keyboard) light whenever you wanted. However, I just recently bought a c760, so it\'s no longer an issue, but this may be a nice way to integrate the keylight.

Yz

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zenyatta on December 17, 2003, 05:53:20 am

I like the ideas presented here. Just to make things clear, my 5500 is the only Zaurus I have and I cannot really afford another one should something happen to it. That\'s why I\'m very wary of anything involving disassembly, drilling and / or soldering work. I\'m more of a software type, not good with \"this hardware stuff\".

I like the mini-light suggestions and I will be on the lookout for a really small one (zbones: the one you tried seems way too big).

btw I tried the \"reflect light from the screen\" solution with an actual mirror and it doesn\'t work. Either there is too little light or (when I turn up the backlight) the screen is too bright and my eyes cannot adjust to see the keys.

As for why I have a problem turning on a lamp... well, there\'s a certain atmosphere to working with a computer in darkness. You should try it if you haven\'t yet. I like to \"close my day\" before going to sleep (making sure I haven\'t forgotten any checkbook transactions, reviewing my schedule for the next day etc.). But of course, comfortable typing in the dark is not vital to me, it would just be nice.

z.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zbones on December 17, 2003, 02:10:46 pm

Quote

I like the mini-light suggestions and I will be on the lookout for a really small one (zbones: the one you tried seems way too big).  

I agree, it was the smalle1st I had handy.

The nice thing with it though is it does have a switch on it.

Quote

As for why I have a problem turning on a lamp... well, there\'s a certain atmosphere to working with a computer in darkness. You should try it if you haven\'t yet

To be quite honest, I use my zaurus in the dark every night to read ebooks using the opie reader.  For this, I don\'t need the keyboard as you use the big buttons on the keyboard cover.

The only problem I have with this is I often fall asleep without realising.  When I wake up I then have to try and find it, usually it is simply on the bed next to the pillow, sometimes it ends up on the floor.  

Once or twice I have woken up 2 hours later still holding it in my hand.

Peter.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: Anonymous on December 17, 2003, 02:15:22 pm

led + resister + switch + battery (small litium?) = small solution

V=IR

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: Anonymous on December 17, 2003, 02:22:47 pm

LEDs come in very small sizes and brightness so you can personalize to what strength is comforatble for your use.  If you want a cheap and nasty, you could always take apart those LED keychains.  They are cheap.

Quote

led + resister + switch + battery (small litium?) = small solution

V=IR

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zenyatta on December 17, 2003, 02:56:55 pm

well, whatever I end up with I\'ll post the results.

z.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: Anonymous on December 17, 2003, 04:26:55 pm

For use in the dark, there is the  on-screen virtual keyboard. Input with  handwriting, keyboard, pickboard, or a  custom keyboard of your choice. No extra hardware needed, no modifications required. Already wired to the battery (:-)

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: zenyatta on December 18, 2003, 06:58:31 am

well, it\'s listed among the options in the initial post but I don\'t really find it faster nor easier than the thumb-board. It takes up screen space and it\'s not really ergonomic if you type longer texts (uneven load on the hands). Thanks for the suggestion though :wink:

z.

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: Anonymous on December 18, 2003, 10:09:12 am

Maybe using fibre optics with an LED would make it more convenient

Title: typing in the dark
Post by: Tehas on December 18, 2003, 04:25:46 pm

Speaking of fiber optics, I wonder if you could get one end inside the case and pickup off the screen\'s light instead of running an LED?