Linux on access technology

Linux on access technology

[Glenn]

Hi,
I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to work on some of the legacy technology.
I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that all the components are soldered down.
I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old devices.
I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
Thanks for thoughts.
Glenn

Re: Linux on access technology

[Gregory Nowak]

I doubt there's a port of the kernel for the z80/z180 architecture,
not to mention all the other utilities. I personally use my old bns640
occasionally for what it was designed to do, and am happy with that
kind of usage. For more modern usage, I
have an android phone, and a laptop, both of which take care nicely of
what my bns can't do, and 99% of what it can do.

Greg


On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
> Hi,
> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to work on some of the legacy technology.
> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that all the components are soldered down.
> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old devices.
> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
> Thanks for thoughts.
> Glenn
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

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Re: Linux on access technology

[Tom Fowle]

I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a Z80
offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and probably
64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky. 
I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
it.
Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
squashed worms.
Tom fowle

On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
> Hi,
> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to work on some of the legacy technology.
> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that all the components are soldered down.
> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old devices.
> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
> Thanks for thoughts.
> Glenn
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

Re: Linux on access technology

[Rob]

Tom Fowle <wa6ivgtf@fastmail.fm> wrote:

Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and probably
> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
Yeah, 64k and about 16 mHz clockspeed. I asked once. 

Re: Linux on access technology

[Gregory Nowak]

Interesting to know what the cpu actually was. I knew it was z80/z180
compatible, but that's it. As far as the clock speed, someone once
told me the Blazie units ran at 6-8 MHz, 12 MHz if you got the double
speed upgrade.

Greg


On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:31:47PM -0700, Tom Fowle wrote:
> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a Z80
> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and probably
> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky. 
> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
> it.
> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
> squashed worms.
> Tom fowle


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Re: Linux on access technology

[Tom Fowle]

And, since the software was all in eprom there wouldn't be means for
upgrading without burning new eproms.

I wonder what speech synthesizer they used suppose must have been based on
the long dead TI SPo256.
Tom Fowle

On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 09:55:46PM -0700, Gregory Nowak wrote:
> Interesting to know what the cpu actually was. I knew it was z80/z180
> compatible, but that's it. As far as the clock speed, someone once
> told me the Blazie units ran at 6-8 MHz, 12 MHz if you got the double
> speed upgrade.
> 
> Greg
> 
> 
> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:31:47PM -0700, Tom Fowle wrote:
> > I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
> > Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
> > done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a Z80
> > offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and probably
> > 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky. 
> > I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
> > about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
> > it.
> > Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
> > squashed worms.
> > Tom fowle
> 
> 
> -- 
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> gpg public key: http://www.gregn.net/pubkey.asc
> skype: gregn1
> (authorization required, add me to your contacts list first)
> If we haven't been in touch before, e-mail me before adding me to your contacts.
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Re: Linux on access technology

[Gregory Nowak]

Actually, models made after I believe Sept. 1995 had a flashrom board
for upgrading the firmware by yourself, which I did quite a few
times. Units made sometime since the Summer of 1996 had superflash,
which also held firmware and were user upgradable. These were both
optional upgrades for the bns640, but were  standard on the
bns2000. I'm not sure how that corresponds to the braille lite models. The
basic interpreter manual for the units said the speech chip is a
si263, but that's all I know on that. Supposedly this is the same
speech chip as used in the accent synthesizer.

Greg


On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 10:04:43PM -0700, Tom Fowle wrote:
> And, since the software was all in eprom there wouldn't be means for
> upgrading without burning new eproms.
> 
> I wonder what speech synthesizer they used suppose must have been based on
> the long dead TI SPo256.
> Tom Fowl> 


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Re: Linux on access technology

[Zachary Kline]

This is bringing back memories. I miss my BNS. :) 
> On May 24, 2016, at 10:50 PM, Gregory Nowak <greg@gregn.net> wrote:
> 
> Actually, models made after I believe Sept. 1995 had a flashrom board
> for upgrading the firmware by yourself, which I did quite a few
> times. Units made sometime since the Summer of 1996 had superflash,
> which also held firmware and were user upgradable. These were both
> optional upgrades for the bns640, but were  standard on the
> bns2000. I'm not sure how that corresponds to the braille lite models. The
> basic interpreter manual for the units said the speech chip is a
> si263, but that's all I know on that. Supposedly this is the same
> speech chip as used in the accent synthesizer.
> 
> Greg
> 
> 

Re: Linux on access technology

[MENGUAL Jean-Philippe]

I'm not sure I understand 9hat xou talk about. If you talk about linux
iN braille display, some projects are studied. Otherwise, Raspberry
seems a good point of beginning. If it's another thing, I don't know.

Regards,


Le 25/05/2016 07:04, Tom Fowle a écrit :
> And, since the software was all in eprom there wouldn't be means for
> upgrading without burning new eproms.
> 
> I wonder what speech synthesizer they used suppose must have been based on
> the long dead TI SPo256.
> Tom Fowle
> 
> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 09:55:46PM -0700, Gregory Nowak wrote:
>> Interesting to know what the cpu actually was. I knew it was z80/z180
>> compatible, but that's it. As far as the clock speed, someone once
>> told me the Blazie units ran at 6-8 MHz, 12 MHz if you got the double
>> speed upgrade.
>>
>> Greg
>>
>>
>> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:31:47PM -0700, Tom Fowle wrote:
>>> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
>>> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
>>> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a Z80
>>> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and probably
>>> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky. 
>>> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
>>> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
>>> it.
>>> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
>>> squashed worms.
>>> Tom fowle
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> web site: http://www.gregn.net
>> gpg public key: http://www.gregn.net/pubkey.asc
>> skype: gregn1
>> (authorization required, add me to your contacts list first)
>> If we haven't been in touch before, e-mail me before adding me to your contacts.
>>
>> --
>> Free domains: http://www.eu.org/ or mail dns-manager@EU.org
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> _______________________________________________
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> 

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Re: Linux on access technology

[Kirk Reiser]

Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
devices like the Alva units.


On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:

> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a Z80
> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and probably
> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky. 
> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
> it.
> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
> squashed worms.
> Tom fowle
>
> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to work on some of the legacy technology.
>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that all the components are soldered down.
>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old devices.
>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>> Thanks for thoughts.
>> Glenn
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 
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RE: Linux on access technology

[Angelo Sonnesso]

You can run programs on the Braille Lite, and there was a version of BASIC that worked with it, but I am not sure how we can find out about it.
I also have a Braille Lite still running..


73 N2DYN Angelo

-----Original Message-----
From: Speakup [mailto:speakup-bounces@linux-speakup.org] On Behalf Of Kirk Reiser
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 9:09 AM
To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
Subject: Re: Linux on access technology

Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40 everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in devices like the Alva units.


On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:

> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille 
> Lite, Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the 
> lite was done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor 
> which was a Z80 offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 
> megs of ram and probably 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to 
> me about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but 
> trouble with it.
> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket 
> of squashed worms.
> Tom fowle
>
> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to work on some of the legacy technology.
>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that all the components are soldered down.
>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old devices.
>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>> Thanks for thoughts.
>> Glenn
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

--
Well that's it then, colour me secure!

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Re: Linux on access technology

[Gregory Nowak]

I guess you can find out about it and other stuff from people who
saved the stuff while it was still available. I still have a floppy
with nearly all if not all of the basic interpreter stuff. The biggie
though is a tarball of ftp://blazie.com while it was still up. I got
that from someone on this list, I think it was Igor Geths. I could
probably host all that, but don't want trouble from FS over doing so.

As for the clunky editor ... while it isn't like what we have today,
it was good enough to take me through part of grade school, all of
high school, and a couple years of university. I did the majority of
my school work and papers on my bns, and still think back fondly on
the process. There was something magical about brailling into a video
tape sized device on my lap, being able to spell check, and prepare it
for printing.

Greg


On Wed, May 25, 2016 at 09:16:45AM -0400, Angelo Sonnesso wrote:
> You can run programs on the Braille Lite, and there was a version of BASIC that worked with it, but I am not sure how we can find out about it.
> I also have a Braille Lite still running..


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gpg public key: http://www.gregn.net/pubkey.asc
skype: gregn1
(authorization required, add me to your contacts list first)
If we haven't been in touch before, e-mail me before adding me to your contacts.

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RE: Linux on access technology

[Angelo Sonnesso]

Can you send me information on the updated battery and charging system?
Thanks

73 N2DYN Angelo


-----Original Message-----
From: Speakup [mailto:speakup-bounces@linux-speakup.org] On Behalf Of Kirk Reiser
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 9:09 AM
To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
Subject: Re: Linux on access technology

Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40 everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in devices like the Alva units.


On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:

> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille 
> Lite, Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the 
> lite was done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor 
> which was a Z80 offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 
> megs of ram and probably 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to 
> me about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but 
> trouble with it.
> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket 
> of squashed worms.
> Tom fowle
>
> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to work on some of the legacy technology.
>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that all the components are soldered down.
>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old devices.
>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>> Thanks for thoughts.
>> Glenn
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

--
Well that's it then, colour me secure!

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_______________________________________________
Speakup mailing list
Speakup@linux-speakup.org
http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

RE: Linux on access technology

[Kirk Reiser]

Hi, I cannot but Intelligent Access Microware's Fred Stam probably
will be happy to share information. I don't have an email for him but
their phone number is (519) 679-4828. As far as I know he still
repairs and modifies almost all access technology devices.


On Wed, 25 May 2016, Angelo Sonnesso wrote:

> Can you send me information on the updated battery and charging system?
> Thanks
>
> 73 N2DYN Angelo
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Speakup [mailto:speakup-bounces@linux-speakup.org] On Behalf Of Kirk Reiser
> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 9:09 AM
> To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
> Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
>
> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40 everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in devices like the Alva units.
>
>
> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
>
>> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille 
>> Lite, Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the 
>> lite was done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor 
>> which was a Z80 offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 
>> megs of ram and probably 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
>> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to 
>> me about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but 
>> trouble with it.
>> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket 
>> of squashed worms.
>> Tom fowle
>>
>> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to work on some of the legacy technology.
>>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that all the components are soldered down.
>>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old devices.
>>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>>> Thanks for thoughts.
>>> Glenn
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>
> --
> Well that's it then, colour me secure!
>
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> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 
Well that's it then, colour me secure!

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Re: Linux on access technology

[Glenn]

If the keyboard wasn't an integral part of the motherboard, I'd consider 
pulling the MB and putting in my Raspberry PI.
Glenn
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kirk Reiser" <kirk@reisers.ca>
To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
<speakup@linux-speakup.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 8:08 AM
Subject: Re: Linux on access technology


Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
devices like the Alva units.


On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:

> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a 
> Z80
> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and 
> probably
> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
> it.
> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
> squashed worms.
> Tom fowle
>
> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to 
>> work on some of the legacy technology.
>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be 
>> upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed 
>> that all the components are soldered down.
>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old 
>> devices.
>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>> Thanks for thoughts.
>> Glenn
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 
Well that's it then, colour me secure!

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Speakup@linux-speakup.org
http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

Re: Linux on access technology

[John G Heim]

I actually went as far as to contact a plastics molding firm about the 
possibility of making a case for a Soekris motherboard. The Raspberry Pi 
isn't the first tiny, low power motherboard. I happened to have 
inherited one at my job from a company called Soekris. I was going to 
have the plastics company make a case so that I could put in a Soekris 
mobo and a standard notebook keyboard.   I thought I could either use a 
blutooth braille display or have the case molded such that you could 
snap in some low-cost braille display. I figured the parts other than 
the braille display would be about $300 per unit. But the minimum order 
from the plastics company was in the thousands. I didn't really want to 
start a company to compete with Freedom Scientific and Access 
Technology. I'm not sure it would have been a valid business model 
anyway considering the advent of smart phones.

On 05/25/2016 08:40 AM, Glenn wrote:
> If the keyboard wasn't an integral part of the motherboard, I'd consider
> pulling the MB and putting in my Raspberry PI.
> Glenn
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kirk Reiser" <kirk@reisers.ca>
> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux."
> <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 8:08 AM
> Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
>
>
> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
> everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
> modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
> worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
> longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
> devices like the Alva units.
>
>
> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
>
>> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
>> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
>> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a
>> Z80
>> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and
>> probably
>> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
>> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
>> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
>> it.
>> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
>> squashed worms.
>> Tom fowle
>>
>> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to
>>> work on some of the legacy technology.
>>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be
>>> upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed
>>> that all the components are soldered down.
>>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old
>>> devices.
>>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>>> Thanks for thoughts.
>>> Glenn
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 
--
John G. Heim; jheim@math.wisc.edu; sip://jheim@sip.linphone.org

Re: Linux on access technology

[Janina Sajka]

Glenn writes:
> If the keyboard wasn't an integral part of the motherboard, I'd consider 
> pulling the MB and putting in my Raspberry PI.

This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers, braille
keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
that be pretty future proof? 

Janina

> Glenn
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Kirk Reiser" <kirk@reisers.ca>
> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." 
> <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 8:08 AM
> Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
> 
> 
> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
> everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
> modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
> worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
> longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
> devices like the Alva units.
> 
> 
> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
> 
> > I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
> > Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
> > done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a 
> > Z80
> > offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and 
> > probably
> > 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
> > I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
> > about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
> > it.
> > Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
> > squashed worms.
> > Tom fowle
> >
> > On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to 
> >> work on some of the legacy technology.
> >> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
> >> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be 
> >> upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed 
> >> that all the components are soldered down.
> >> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
> >> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old 
> >> devices.
> >> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
> >> Thanks for thoughts.
> >> Glenn
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Speakup mailing list
> >> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> >> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > _______________________________________________
> > Speakup mailing list
> > Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> 
> -- 
> Well that's it then, colour me secure!
> 
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> -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 

Janina Sajka,	Phone:	+1.443.300.2200
			sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
		Email:	janina@rednote.net

Linux Foundation Fellow
Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa

Desiging a case (was: Access Technology)

[John G Heim]

I'm changing the subject of this thread...

Is there a standard for the size and shape of small motherboards? When I 
got my pi, it wasn't even standard for different versions of the pi. 
When you ordered a case, you had to know which revision of the raspberry 
pi you had.

What we need is to get one of the dozens of people trying to design the 
next break-through braille display to give up on that and design us a 
case that can be printed on a 3D printer. Seriously, how often do you 
hear about another group of well-meaning grad students working on yet 
another cheap braille display that never materializes?

I am imagining a set of instructions that would include how to order the 
various parts like battery, keyboard, etc, a 3D printer file for the 
case, and instructions for installing linux and getting speakup working 
on a pi. Bingo! A notetaker any blind person can build themselves.


On 05/26/2016 02:36 AM, Janina Sajka wrote:
> Glenn writes:
>> If the keyboard wasn't an integral part of the motherboard, I'd consider
>> pulling the MB and putting in my Raspberry PI.
> This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers, braille
> keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
> in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
> that be pretty future proof?
>
> Janina
>
>> Glenn
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Kirk Reiser" <kirk@reisers.ca>
>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux."
>> <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 8:08 AM
>> Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
>>
>>
>> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
>> everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
>> modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
>> worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
>> longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
>> devices like the Alva units.
>>
>>
>> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
>>
>>> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
>>> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
>>> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a
>>> Z80
>>> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and
>>> probably
>>> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
>>> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
>>> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
>>> it.
>>> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
>>> squashed worms.
>>> Tom fowle
>>>
>>> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to
>>>> work on some of the legacy technology.
>>>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>>>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be
>>>> upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed
>>>> that all the components are soldered down.
>>>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>>>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old
>>>> devices.
>>>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>>>> Thanks for thoughts.
>>>> Glenn
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>> -- 
>> Well that's it then, colour me secure!
>>
>> -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
>> Version: GnuPG v1
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>> -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 
--
John G. Heim; jheim@math.wisc.edu; sip://jheim@sip.linphone.org

Re: Desiging a case (was: Access Technology)

[Brandon Keith Biggs]

Hello,
If you have a little money you can do the following:
Get the following:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/eora-3d-high-precision-3d-scanning#/


create a case using clay and scan it. Have a sighted person look over the
result and make sure it is what you want, print it, then you can get the
pie and some buttons, then you can create your own notetaker!
(It would be a prototype but I think it would work).
Thanks,


Brandon Keith Biggs <http://brandonkeithbiggs.com/>

On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 6:26 AM, John G Heim <jheim@math.wisc.edu> wrote:

> I'm changing the subject of this thread...
>
> Is there a standard for the size and shape of small motherboards? When I
> got my pi, it wasn't even standard for different versions of the pi. When
> you ordered a case, you had to know which revision of the raspberry pi you
> had.
>
> What we need is to get one of the dozens of people trying to design the
> next break-through braille display to give up on that and design us a case
> that can be printed on a 3D printer. Seriously, how often do you hear about
> another group of well-meaning grad students working on yet another cheap
> braille display that never materializes?
>
> I am imagining a set of instructions that would include how to order the
> various parts like battery, keyboard, etc, a 3D printer file for the case,
> and instructions for installing linux and getting speakup working on a pi.
> Bingo! A notetaker any blind person can build themselves.
>
>
> On 05/26/2016 02:36 AM, Janina Sajka wrote:
>
>> Glenn writes:
>>
>>> If the keyboard wasn't an integral part of the motherboard, I'd consider
>>> pulling the MB and putting in my Raspberry PI.
>>>
>> This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers, braille
>> keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
>> in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
>> that be pretty future proof?
>>
>> Janina
>>
>> Glenn
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Kirk Reiser" <kirk@reisers.ca>
>>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux."
>>> <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 8:08 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
>>>
>>>
>>> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
>>> everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
>>> modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
>>> worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
>>> longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
>>> devices like the Alva units.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
>>>
>>> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
>>>> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
>>>> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a
>>>> Z80
>>>> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and
>>>> probably
>>>> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty
>>>> kreeky.
>>>> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
>>>> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble
>>>> with
>>>> it.
>>>> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
>>>> squashed worms.
>>>> Tom fowle
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux
>>>>> to
>>>>> work on some of the legacy technology.
>>>>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>>>>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can
>>>>> be
>>>>> upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed
>>>>> that all the components are soldered down.
>>>>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>>>>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old
>>>>> devices.
>>>>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>>>>> Thanks for thoughts.
>>>>> Glenn
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>
>>> --
>>> Well that's it then, colour me secure!
>>>
>>> -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
>>> Version: GnuPG v1
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>>> -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>
>>
> --
> --
> John G. Heim; jheim@math.wisc.edu; sip://jheim@sip.linphone.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>

Re: Desiging a case (was: Access Technology)

[D.J.J. Ring, Jr.]

Hi John,

It's best not to change the subject of a thread, your message will likely
not be read by those who are ignoring the Access Technology thread because
of how mail programs sort mail.

Changing the subject line doesn't change the thread.

Sometimes when a thread has been changed, it won't even sort correctly when
sorted by Subject.  The new message gets lost with the old thread.

Make a brand new message and address it to: the group.

David
On May 26, 2016 9:30 AM, "John G Heim" <jheim@math.wisc.edu> wrote:

> I'm changing the subject of this thread...
>
> Is there a standard for the size and shape of small motherboards? When I
> got my pi, it wasn't even standard for different versions of the pi. When
> you ordered a case, you had to know which revision of the raspberry pi you
> had.
>
> What we need is to get one of the dozens of people trying to design the
> next break-through braille display to give up on that and design us a case
> that can be printed on a 3D printer. Seriously, how often do you hear about
> another group of well-meaning grad students working on yet another cheap
> braille display that never materializes?
>
> I am imagining a set of instructions that would include how to order the
> various parts like battery, keyboard, etc, a 3D printer file for the case,
> and instructions for installing linux and getting speakup working on a pi.
> Bingo! A notetaker any blind person can build themselves.
>
>
> On 05/26/2016 02:36 AM, Janina Sajka wrote:
>
>> Glenn writes:
>>
>>> If the keyboard wasn't an integral part of the motherboard, I'd consider
>>> pulling the MB and putting in my Raspberry PI.
>>>
>> This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers, braille
>> keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
>> in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
>> that be pretty future proof?
>>
>> Janina
>>
>> Glenn
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Kirk Reiser" <kirk@reisers.ca>
>>> To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux."
>>> <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 8:08 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
>>>
>>>
>>> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
>>> everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
>>> modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
>>> worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
>>> longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
>>> devices like the Alva units.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
>>>
>>> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
>>>> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
>>>> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a
>>>> Z80
>>>> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and
>>>> probably
>>>> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty
>>>> kreeky.
>>>> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
>>>> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble
>>>> with
>>>> it.
>>>> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
>>>> squashed worms.
>>>> Tom fowle
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux
>>>>> to
>>>>> work on some of the legacy technology.
>>>>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>>>>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can
>>>>> be
>>>>> upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed
>>>>> that all the components are soldered down.
>>>>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>>>>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old
>>>>> devices.
>>>>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>>>>> Thanks for thoughts.
>>>>> Glenn
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Speakup mailing list
>>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>>
>>> --
>>> Well that's it then, colour me secure!
>>>
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>>> Version: GnuPG v1
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>>> =nrPH
>>> -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>>>
>>
> --
> --
> John G. Heim; jheim@math.wisc.edu; sip://jheim@sip.linphone.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>

Re: Desiging a case (was: Access Technology)

[D.J.J. Ring, Jr.]

Hi John,

It's best not to change the subject of a thread, your message will likely
not be read by those who are ignoring the Access Technology thread because
of how mail programs sort mail.

Changing the subject line doesn't change the thread.

Sometimes when a thread has been changed, it won't even sort correctly when
sorted by Subject.  The new message gets lost with the old thread.

Make a brand new message and address it to: the group.

David

Re: Desiging a case (was: Access Technology)

[Janina Sajka]

I suspect it would be OK to accomodate different sized boards in a
generic case, as long as they were just right or smaller, of course. If
smaller, they could still be anchored firmly and their IO extended out
to the ports on the case. Not ideal, but certainly not prohibitive.

I like the notion of socializing the need for a generic case to try and
inspire some grad project. Good idea.

Janina

John G Heim writes:
> I'm changing the subject of this thread...
> 
> Is there a standard for the size and shape of small motherboards? When I got
> my pi, it wasn't even standard for different versions of the pi. When you
> ordered a case, you had to know which revision of the raspberry pi you had.
> 
> What we need is to get one of the dozens of people trying to design the next
> break-through braille display to give up on that and design us a case that
> can be printed on a 3D printer. Seriously, how often do you hear about
> another group of well-meaning grad students working on yet another cheap
> braille display that never materializes?
> 
> I am imagining a set of instructions that would include how to order the
> various parts like battery, keyboard, etc, a 3D printer file for the case,
> and instructions for installing linux and getting speakup working on a pi.
> Bingo! A notetaker any blind person can build themselves.
> 
> 
> On 05/26/2016 02:36 AM, Janina Sajka wrote:
> > Glenn writes:
> > > If the keyboard wasn't an integral part of the motherboard, I'd consider
> > > pulling the MB and putting in my Raspberry PI.
> > This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers, braille
> > keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
> > in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
> > that be pretty future proof?
> > 
> > Janina
> > 
> > > Glenn
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Kirk Reiser" <kirk@reisers.ca>
> > > To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux."
> > > <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
> > > Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 8:08 AM
> > > Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
> > > everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
> > > modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
> > > worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
> > > longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
> > > devices like the Alva units.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
> > > 
> > > > I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
> > > > Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
> > > > done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a
> > > > Z80
> > > > offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and
> > > > probably
> > > > 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
> > > > I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
> > > > about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
> > > > it.
> > > > Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
> > > > squashed worms.
> > > > Tom fowle
> > > > 
> > > > On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
> > > > > Hi,
> > > > > I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to
> > > > > work on some of the legacy technology.
> > > > > I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
> > > > > I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be
> > > > > upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed
> > > > > that all the components are soldered down.
> > > > > I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
> > > > > My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old
> > > > > devices.
> > > > > I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
> > > > > Thanks for thoughts.
> > > > > Glenn
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > Speakup mailing list
> > > > > Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> > > > > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Speakup mailing list
> > > > Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> > > > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > > -- 
> > > Well that's it then, colour me secure!
> > > 
> > > -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
> > > Version: GnuPG v1
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> > > =nrPH
> > > -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Speakup mailing list
> > > Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> > > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Speakup mailing list
> > > Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> > > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> 
> -- 
> --
> John G. Heim; jheim@math.wisc.edu; sip://jheim@sip.linphone.org
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 

Janina Sajka,	Phone:	+1.443.300.2200
			sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
		Email:	janina@rednote.net

Linux Foundation Fellow
Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa

Re: Linux on access technology

[Gregory Nowak]

On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 03:36:41AM -0400, Janina Sajka wrote:
> This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers, braille
> keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
> in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
> that be pretty future proof? 

Yup, but I can only see a nonprofit or an individual creating such an
option. No for profit company would go for it. Can you imagine the
loss in revenue if in order to upgrade all a user had to do is to
replace the mobo on their own? Let's take it further. What if the
entire thing including case and hardware could be printed on a 3d
printer, and the stl files were freely available? Keep the cost of the
entire thing down to $200 maybe $300 per unit. Allow a bit more if the
user wanted a braille display, maybe those could be 3d printed some
day too. I wonder if someone started something like that on
kickstarter, if it would take off?

Greg


-- 
web site: http://www.gregn.net
gpg public key: http://www.gregn.net/pubkey.asc
skype: gregn1
(authorization required, add me to your contacts list first)
If we haven't been in touch before, e-mail me before adding me to your contacts.

--
Free domains: http://www.eu.org/ or mail dns-manager@EU.org

Re: Linux on access technology

[Janina Sajka]

I'm not concerned whether or not it's sufficfiently profitable for
commercial business. There are plenty of nonprofits that would take this
up, if the value could be demonstrated.

The forthcoming approx $500 braille device coming from APH is an
example. It will also be a note taker, apparently.


Janina

Gregory Nowak writes:
> On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 03:36:41AM -0400, Janina Sajka wrote:
> > This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers, braille
> > keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
> > in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
> > that be pretty future proof? 
> 
> Yup, but I can only see a nonprofit or an individual creating such an
> option. No for profit company would go for it. Can you imagine the
> loss in revenue if in order to upgrade all a user had to do is to
> replace the mobo on their own? Let's take it further. What if the
> entire thing including case and hardware could be printed on a 3d
> printer, and the stl files were freely available? Keep the cost of the
> entire thing down to $200 maybe $300 per unit. Allow a bit more if the
> user wanted a braille display, maybe those could be 3d printed some
> day too. I wonder if someone started something like that on
> kickstarter, if it would take off?
> 
> Greg
> 
> 
> -- 
> web site: http://www.gregn.net
> gpg public key: http://www.gregn.net/pubkey.asc
> skype: gregn1
> (authorization required, add me to your contacts list first)
> If we haven't been in touch before, e-mail me before adding me to your contacts.
> 
> --
> Free domains: http://www.eu.org/ or mail dns-manager@EU.org
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 

Janina Sajka,	Phone:	+1.443.300.2200
			sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
		Email:	janina@rednote.net

Linux Foundation Fellow
Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa

Orbit 20 (Was Re: Linux on access technology)

[Buddy Brannan]

a *very* basic notetaker. No translation or anything like that, so what you type into it is what gets stored. If you haven't seen the manual for it, or at least the preliminary manual for it, it's here:

http://tech.aph.org/tbd_doc.htm

Naturally, there are compromises in the design (somewhat slower refresh rate, for instance, and no cursor routing keys), but both are very acceptable compromises for the price, IMO, especially the cursor routing keys. Yeah, I expect integrating 20 extra switches into the cells would increase the cost by somewhat. Reports are, too, that the braille is excellent quality, reminding some of the braille on signage. 


--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: 814-860-3194 
Mobile: 814-431-0962
Email: buddy@brannan.name




> On May 28, 2016, at 9:12 AM, Janina Sajka <janina@rednote.net> wrote:
> 
> I'm not concerned whether or not it's sufficfiently profitable for
> commercial business. There are plenty of nonprofits that would take this
> up, if the value could be demonstrated.
> 
> The forthcoming approx $500 braille device coming from APH is an
> example. It will also be a note taker, apparently.
> 
> 
> Janina
> 
> Gregory Nowak writes:
>> On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 03:36:41AM -0400, Janina Sajka wrote:
>>> This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers, braille
>>> keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
>>> in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
>>> that be pretty future proof? 
>> 
>> Yup, but I can only see a nonprofit or an individual creating such an
>> option. No for profit company would go for it. Can you imagine the
>> loss in revenue if in order to upgrade all a user had to do is to
>> replace the mobo on their own? Let's take it further. What if the
>> entire thing including case and hardware could be printed on a 3d
>> printer, and the stl files were freely available? Keep the cost of the
>> entire thing down to $200 maybe $300 per unit. Allow a bit more if the
>> user wanted a braille display, maybe those could be 3d printed some
>> day too. I wonder if someone started something like that on
>> kickstarter, if it would take off?
>> 
>> Greg
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> web site: http://www.gregn.net
>> gpg public key: http://www.gregn.net/pubkey.asc
>> skype: gregn1
>> (authorization required, add me to your contacts list first)
>> If we haven't been in touch before, e-mail me before adding me to your contacts.
>> 
>> --
>> Free domains: http://www.eu.org/ or mail dns-manager@EU.org
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> 
> -- 
> 
> Janina Sajka,	Phone:	+1.443.300.2200
> 			sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
> 		Email:	janina@rednote.net
> 
> Linux Foundation Fellow
> Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org
> 
> The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
> Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

Re: Linux on access technology

[D.J.J. Ring, Jr.]

Profitable for non-profits is a project that succeeds in interesting the
donors who fund the organization, or if the sales produce enough profit.

The main difference between for-profits and non-profits is that the
non-profits cannot retain earnings for reinvestment, so they have to get
rid of profits by paying board members and executives or spending on
capital equipment.

Some non-profits are running over with money that they have to spend.  If
one of those is around, get them interested.

Have fun,

David
On May 28, 2016 9:13 AM, "Janina Sajka" <janina@rednote.net> wrote:

> I'm not concerned whether or not it's sufficfiently profitable for
> commercial business. There are plenty of nonprofits that would take this
> up, if the value could be demonstrated.
>
> The forthcoming approx $500 braille device coming from APH is an
> example. It will also be a note taker, apparently.
>
>
> Janina
>
> Gregory Nowak writes:
> > On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 03:36:41AM -0400, Janina Sajka wrote:
> > > This is a pretty sound idea, imo. If we had a box with speakers,
> braille
> > > keyboard, basic other IO like RJ45, audio, etc., but could simply swap
> > > in mb from time to time to pick up on enhanced cpu, ram, etc., wouldn't
> > > that be pretty future proof?
> >
> > Yup, but I can only see a nonprofit or an individual creating such an
> > option. No for profit company would go for it. Can you imagine the
> > loss in revenue if in order to upgrade all a user had to do is to
> > replace the mobo on their own? Let's take it further. What if the
> > entire thing including case and hardware could be printed on a 3d
> > printer, and the stl files were freely available? Keep the cost of the
> > entire thing down to $200 maybe $300 per unit. Allow a bit more if the
> > user wanted a braille display, maybe those could be 3d printed some
> > day too. I wonder if someone started something like that on
> > kickstarter, if it would take off?
> >
> > Greg
> >
> >
> > --
> > web site: http://www.gregn.net
> > gpg public key: http://www.gregn.net/pubkey.asc
> > skype: gregn1
> > (authorization required, add me to your contacts list first)
> > If we haven't been in touch before, e-mail me before adding me to your
> contacts.
> >
> > --
> > Free domains: http://www.eu.org/ or mail dns-manager@EU.org
> > _______________________________________________
> > Speakup mailing list
> > Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>
> --
>
> Janina Sajka,   Phone:  +1.443.300.2200
>                         sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
>                 Email:  janina@rednote.net
>
> Linux Foundation Fellow
> Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:       http://a11y.org
>
> The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
> Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures        http://www.w3.org/wai/apa
>
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>

Re: Linux on access technology

[Jude DaShiell]

I think it will be interesting to discover what Linux interface 
possibilities become available after American Printing House For The 
Blind starts marketing the Orbit 20 cell refreshable display in the end 
of 2016.  Price point is supposed to be competitive too.

On Wed, 25 May 2016, Kirk Reiser wrote:

> Date: Wed, 25 May 2016 09:08:49
> From: Kirk Reiser <kirk@reisers.ca>
> Reply-To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
>     <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
> To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
> Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
> 
> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
> everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
> modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
> worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
> longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
> devices like the Alva units.
>
>
> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
>
>> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
>> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
>> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a Z80
>> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and 
> probably
>> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky. 
>> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
>> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
>> it.
>> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
>> squashed worms.
>> Tom fowle
>>
>> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to 
> work on some of the legacy technology.
>>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be 
> upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that 
> all the components are soldered down.
>>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old 
> devices.
>>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>>> Thanks for thoughts.
>>> Glenn
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>
>

-- 

RE: Linux on access technology

[Dawes, Stephen]

It wouldn't surprise me if FS Packmates start showing up for sale with FS support of windows 10. With main stream devices starting to support windows 10, it wouldn't be long before a move away from dedicated devices such as the packmate start to diminish.


Stephen Dawes
-----Original Message-----
From: Speakup [mailto:speakup-bounces@linux-speakup.org] On Behalf Of Jude DaShiell
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 7:45 AM
To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
Subject: Re: Linux on access technology

I think it will be interesting to discover what Linux interface
possibilities become available after American Printing House For The
Blind starts marketing the Orbit 20 cell refreshable display in the end
of 2016.  Price point is supposed to be competitive too.

On Wed, 25 May 2016, Kirk Reiser wrote:

> Date: Wed, 25 May 2016 09:08:49
> From: Kirk Reiser <kirk@reisers.ca>
> Reply-To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
>     <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
> To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. <speakup@linux-speakup.org>
> Subject: Re: Linux on access technology
>
> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
> everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
> modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
> worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
> longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
> devices like the Alva units.
>
>
> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
>
>> I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
>> Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
>> done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a Z80
>> offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and
> probably
>> 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty kreeky.
>> I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said something to me
>> about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
>> it.
>> Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
>> squashed worms.
>> Tom fowle
>>
>> On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to
> work on some of the legacy technology.
>>> I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
>>> I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be
> upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that
> all the components are soldered down.
>>> I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
>>> My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old
> devices.
>>> I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
>>> Thanks for thoughts.
>>> Glenn
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Speakup mailing list
>>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__linux-2Dspeakup.org_cgi-2Dbin_mailman_listinfo_speakup&d=CwIGaQ&c=jdm1Hby_BzoqwoYzPsUCHSCnNps9LuidNkyKDuvdq3M&r=qoryHIBBygc-PSW8jLryvKySyA3WOIGFONWnCwM26tQ&m=bJt9kYio-Z-wPAuGlDXU_zVuE8jCy9YPFZKp6SoOYWU&s=1I0UPzvvDDg0serKlfavw__zYMqL05BSLAqyF9SvnuU&e=
>> _______________________________________________
>> Speakup mailing list
>> Speakup@linux-speakup.org
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__linux-2Dspeakup.org_cgi-2Dbin_mailman_listinfo_speakup&d=CwIGaQ&c=jdm1Hby_BzoqwoYzPsUCHSCnNps9LuidNkyKDuvdq3M&r=qoryHIBBygc-PSW8jLryvKySyA3WOIGFONWnCwM26tQ&m=bJt9kYio-Z-wPAuGlDXU_zVuE8jCy9YPFZKp6SoOYWU&s=1I0UPzvvDDg0serKlfavw__zYMqL05BSLAqyF9SvnuU&e=
>
>

--

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Re: Linux on access technology

[Janina Sajka]

I wish I still had mine. What those units do, they did quite well, once
it became possible to back up your data (floppy or serial).

Levelstar tried to create a modern equivalent, but the Braille Plus 18
is nowhere near as responsive or task reliable. Perhaps Marc made a
mistake trying to go with Android instead of sticking with native Linux
as he had with the Icon.

The Icon actually came close, but it had a serious hardware flaw, namely
that long proprietary USB connector port that weakens from weight over
time. And, the Icon has no braille display. The BP was supposed to add
that, but it also brought the good and the bad of Android.

Now I have a BP18 I almost never use, though it's display is quite nice
braille.

And, my Icon sits in a drawer unrechargeable.

Janina

Kirk Reiser writes:
> Just as a point of interest, my wife uses her braillite-40
> everyday. We replaced the batteries and charging circuit with more
> modern ones about ten years ago. She really likes it and is always
> worrying about what she'll do when we can't repair hers any
> longer. It's editor is clunky but beats the shit out of the editor in
> devices like the Alva units.
> 
> 
> On Tue, 24 May 2016, Tom Fowle wrote:
> 
> > I worked on a project to try to develop a TTY modem for the Braille Lite,
> > Dean was extremely tight about giving me any info about how the lite was
> > done.  I believe they used a Hitachi HD64180 microprocessor which was a Z80
> > offshoot. Pretty sure they had no more than about 2 megs of ram and probably
> > 64K of eprom Don't know about the clockspeed but bet it was pretty
> > kreeky. I don't believe it was ever field upgradable, Dean said
> > something to me
> > about using Ymodem to upload programs and having nothing but trouble with
> > it.
> > Considering the instability of the hardware I think it'd be a bucket of
> > squashed worms.
> > Tom fowle
> > 
> > On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 08:48:08PM -0500, Glenn wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > > I am wondering if anyone is working on a light-weight version of Linux to work on some of the legacy technology.
> > > I am thinking of devices such as a Braille Light 40 and the like.
> > > I don't know how much RAM these devices typically used, or if they can be upgraded, the last time I had one open for some battery work, it seemed that all the components are soldered down.
> > > I imagine that it would take a .BIN file to prompt it to load Linux.
> > > My thoughts are that it could give a bit more usefulness to these old devices.
> > > I think otherwise, it's just a clunky Braille display.
> > > Thanks for thoughts.
> > > Glenn
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Speakup mailing list
> > > Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> > > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > _______________________________________________
> > Speakup mailing list
> > Speakup@linux-speakup.org
> > http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> 
> -- 
> Well that's it then, colour me secure!
> 
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-- 

Janina Sajka,	Phone:	+1.443.300.2200
			sip:janina@asterisk.rednote.net
		Email:	janina@rednote.net

Linux Foundation Fellow
Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa