Hourglass 2011
Over the past year Conor has been developing an electronic time keeping device named Hourglass. Hourglass has a three-fold focus on functionality, intuitive design and simplicity. To simplify the device he has limited the hardware to a bare minimum. Just three buttons and an LCD screen comprise the user-interface. Although this interface is simple, the user can access many features. These include intuitive scrolling menus, countdown, lap and alarm functions, accessed through button combinations as well as multiple ways to use single buttons, such as holding or short pressing. Many functions have been integrated into the device, such as a stopwatch with lap times, a countdown, up to 99 Custom Alarms with an individual active/inactive state and a lock/unlock feature. The stopwatch is accurate to 1 second and can be started, stopped, reset and used to record lap times. When laps have been recorded, the user can then take the time value of a lap and turn it into a countdown. A countdown of up to 99 hours can be set, and will run until deactivated or until it reaches zero. Upon reaching zero the alarm is activated. The home screen displays the time, any active countdown and notifies the user if an alarm is active. It can be locked or unlocked by holding the blue button a set period of time, helping to reduce any inadvertent change in setting. All of the functions available can be operated easily with the intuitive 3 button interface method. The menu system is simple, but has been set up through clever coding. An arrow indicated which option is selected, by pressing the top button on the clock the option above the current selection is selected/the menu scrolls up. Pressing the bottom button selects the next option in the downward direction/scrolls down. The button in the centre positioned off to the left is used to activate an option. When a Yes or No prompt appears on the screen, the action corresponds with the button position. Therefore the triangle layout of the buttons is simple and intuitive. Thus Conor’s device relies on complicated, yet elegantly formulated and annotated code and simple hardware interfaces to interact with the user in a way which is intuitive and provides great functionality. It does this while being simple and easy to understand. Here these principles are applied to a clock project, but there are implications for good design that go way beyond this context.
Prototype Educational resources for teaching basic pneumatic
The didactic prototype for the teaching of the pneumatic Basic is designed, so teachers can instruct knowledgement of pneumatics focused to identification, handling and application of its elements based on constructivist theory in which the student learns making, working on projects and in a collaborative way. This implies that his presentation should include the basic elements to be used in this study area, as well as allowing that the student can interact with it, still easy to use, and take them by the teacher into his area of education, which can be a classroom, room, Auditorium, workshop, lab, and even training courses to the industry, the only thing that requires is compressed air (2 to 4 bars). As well as, to create a secure environment for the user when this is manipulating. Its construction based on a compact, lightweight and ergonomic, structure to ensure that it can be transported without difficulty. Also that must comply with the minimum essential to enable the student to acquire competencies in the curriculum which consider the identification, handling and application of pneumatic elements; IE has the following 2 directional valves 3/2 NC, 1 directional valve 3/2 NC-operated with a knob, 2 valves 3/2 pneumatic drive, a 5/2 valve NC NC of stable pneumatic drive, 1 valve of simultaneity or function, and 1 valve selector or function, or double effect with pressure regulator piston1 piston of double effect, 1 piston for simple effect, 1 valve 3/2 NC with motorized drive and roller.