The GraphGrid is a frame with rubber bands that fits on the TactiPad. It includes four additional tools: hyperbole, parabola, sintang and lens. The configuration of the bands in rows, and/or columns and axes gives it its functionality for X/Y and 3D coordinate systems. For a description of the graph grid frame and on how to modify the configuration of the rubber bands, see the section: GraphGrid frame.
For applications of the GraphGrid frame, see the sections:
The GraphGrid frame is a frame (36 by 28 cm) with a thickness of four millimetres. It needs to be mounted on the TactiPad drawing board like a picture frame. Eight oval holes in the frame fit around the knobs of the TactiPad to hold it in place. Three corners are rounded. The fourth corner is flattened.
Along the inner edge, small curved hooks are placed at a regular interval of 1 centimetre. Along the outer edge of the frame indents are made with a spacing of 1 centimetre as well. Slightly wider indications mark 5 centimetre intervals. They exactly match with the centimetre scale along the edges of the TactiPad.
Photo: GraphGrid frame with rubber bands per two centimetres and two crossing axes placed on the TactiPad.
The purpose of the indents is to hold rubber bands to have the measurements system of the TactiPad tangible on the entire drawing area in rows and/or columns. Because of the A4 dimensions of the drawing surface (29.7 cm by 21.0 cm), the centimetre scale is not symmetrical along the GraphGrid. Therefore the starting point for horizontal and vertical distances is at the upper left corner of the drawing board and GraphGrid frame when in landscape orientation and the flattened corner of the GraphGrid is placed in the upper right corner.
Note: The frame covers the drawing surface along the edges for one centimetre.
The frame of the GraphGrid will sit or can sit already on top of the drawing board for storage. The additional tools for the GraphGrid have their place in the paper pocket.
Preparation
To begin with, make sure the TactiPad has the landscape orientation with the hinge facing backwards. To position the GraphGrid frame, place the knobs at approximately five centimetres away from the corners. To orient the GraphGrid frame correct, place the flat corner in the upper right corner of the TactiPad. Make sure all eight knobs of the TactiPad are kept in a hole. It is possible that a rubber band coincides with the position of one of the knobs. Therefore, the holes in the GraphGrid around the knobs are extra-long so you can slide the knobs aside for the desired placement of the rubber band.
Initial setup for the rubber bands
The initial setup of the GraphGrid frame has rubber bands every two centimetre in horizontal and vertical direction, so forming a grid. Two rubber bands go around the frame to indicate two axes. Of course, other setups are possible.
Low and high rubber bands – Using differences in height
The framework of the GraphGrid has a thickness of four millimetres. Therefore there is a well noticeable difference in height between the bands that run along the top side (outer) part or the bottom side (inner) part of the frame. The lower rubber bands that are attached to the hooks run alongside the inner part of the GraphGrid and can lay flat on the drawing surface. The rubber bands can be placed horizontally and vertically with a minimum distance of 1 centimetre.
Note 1: The inner and outer bands can also be placed at an angle of any number of degrees. Note 2: The hooks at the inside edge are at every centimetre. Adding rubber bands to each hook could result in a (too) dense grid.
Placing the grid lines and axes
The minimum cell dimensions are one by one centimetre. To form a larger grid, you can place the rubber bands two or more centimetres apart by skipping one or more hooks in opposing sides of the GraphGrid. Additional rubber bands for replacing broken ones or create more grid lines and axes are supplied with the GraphGrid. These are standard, thin rubber bands with a length of 15 centimetres, 6 inches.
The hooks along the inner side of the frame have a curved shape so the rubber bands cannot come loose if they are positioned properly. Placing a rubber band is easiest if you hold the rubber band with two hands, keeping it perpendicular to the frame so you can slide it through the slot to the end of the hook. First of all, you span the rubber band in two opposing hooks, so that it forms a double line between two sides of the GraphGrid. You then take the upper of these two lines and slide it into the next desired hook in both sides of the frame to form the second grid line.
Photo: Two hands placing a rubber band in the correct position on the GraphGrid.
Photo: GraphGrid frame with rubber bands per two centimetres and two crossing axes placed on the TactiPad.
Cells as playing field for games
A playing field for games based on cells such as tic tac toe, battleship etc. can be created with the grid boxes that mature by the crossing rubber bands. The ‘game board borders’ can be marked with high rubber bands. The default distance of two centimetres for the cell size is enough, but reconfiguring the rubber bands to a cell size of three centimetres offers more space.
Yahtzee
Keep the scores for Yahtzee by marking the cells of the first column as 1 to 6 and further down as three of a kind, four of a kind, full house, small and large Straight, free choice and Yahtzee. In the first column you can use regular characters or some tactile graphics that are meaningful for you so you can identify the categories. For the first game we use the second column for the scores per category. For the next games use the next columns. The scores one to six are all kept in one cell.
Draw a line along the lefthand side of the cell for score one.
Draw a line along the bottom side of the cell as well for score two. For three a line along the right hand side etc.
For score five and six you can create diagonal lines in the cell.
For a missed category provide a line from one side to the other in the middle of the cell.
Gas-Water-Electricity puzzle
Ideally we would like to have gas, water and electricity available in our homes. In this challenge there are these three resources that you have to provide to three houses under the condition that the (pipe) lines may NOT intersect!
Steps
Place the GraphGrid on the drawing board.
Find the cell in the third column and third row and trace the inner contour. This is the gas supply.
Skip three cells down and trace the inner contour of the third cell, which is the water supply.
Skip three more cells down and trace the third cell as the electricity supply.
The three resources are all in the same column.
Skip three columns to the right and create the squares similar as before. The houses are in one column.
Take the GraphGrid away.
Now provide every house with non-intersecting pipelines with all three resources.
Photo: The three resources gas, water and electricity provided to three houses; some pipe lines are provided.
A crossing of two rubber bands can be considered as a coordinate in a grid system. Starting in the upper left corner of the GraphGrid to the right we call the X direction. Going down is the Y direction. Each crossing is identified by two numbers. With this method, the coordinate 1,1 is the lower right hand corner of the top left cell. The GraphGrid frame does not need axes. The cell size is two centimetres.
Steps
Place the frame on the drawing board.
Mark the coordinates as given in the below examples.
Take the frame away and connect the dots with straight lines as instructed with the word ‘to’.
Front face of a traditional house A2,8 to B6,8 to C6,2 to D4,1 to E2,2 to 2,8 (which is A again).
You can add a door or windows by free hand drawing separately or place the GraphGrid once again and mark the respective coordinates.
Photo: Tactile marks have been placed on the drawing board at gridbox crossing made up by the rubber bands. After connecting them a traditional house shows itself.
A cube
The eight corners of a cube are named A To H. The 12 ribs complete the cube. Some of them are marked as ‘dashed’ because they are invisible lines. In coordinates and lines they can be listed as follows:
Bottom face A2,8 to B6,8 to C10,7 dashed to D4,7 and dashed to A.
Top face E2,4 to F6,4 to G10,3 to H4,3 to E.
A to E , B to F, C to G, D dashed H.
Pyramid
Place the GraphGrid on the drawing board.
The floor of a pyramid is similar as of a cube. From the four corners sides go up to the top ‘T”.
The top can be right above the centre of the floor or somewhere else. Create the coordinates and lines A to B to C dashed to D dashed to A.
The top T has coordinate 5,3.
Draw the lines A to T , B to T , C to T, D dashed to T.
Share and surprise; connect the dots
You can create a list of coordinates for someone else or you might receive a list of coordinates from someone else. Provide instructions to mark the coordinates and how they should be connected. In the list is an ‘hidden’ image that will appear only when you follow the instructions carefully.
More details
For more detail in the image you can work with halves like 3.5, 6 etc. The level of detail of the image can be increased by working not only with straight lines. Curved lines could be indicated as ‘cu’’ or ‘cl’. The ‘u’ refers to upper half of a circle. The ‘l’ to the lower half of the circle.
The columns of the GraphGrid frame can be considered as bars of a bar chart. The value in each bar is indicated by the number of marked cells, starting from the lower edge of the frame or from an additional rubber band. The lower edge or the rubber band is the X axis. A cell can stand for one or multiple units or for a percentage.
Photo: GraphGrid on TactiPad with one hand drawing crosses and circle in a tic-tac-toe field in the coordinate system.
Bar chart for birthday data
This bar chart example presents an overview of when people in a group have their birthday spread over the year. Setup: Each column stands for a month. Each cell stands for one person.
Procedure: Ask who has his/her birthday in January and mark the number of cells accordingly. Do the same for all respective months. Take the GraphGrid away. You can now interpret the data by counting the number of markings in the column.
More complex data
One bar can present multiple data by applying different tactile markings in the same cell. For a male count you can apply a line in the cell from lower left to upper right and for female a line from upper left to lower right. Data that are presented with two colours could follow the same routine. Additional graphical markings can present even more complex data types.
Providing maximum value/top of the bar
To present numeric values you can find the position in the column/bar by counting upwards from the X axis. Assume the maximum value can go as high as 1000, than you might take five cells as the longest bar. A value of 700 can be indicated as a straight line horizontally in the middle of the forth cell up. Only the top of the bar needs to be indicated in order to interprete the data.
Photo: GraphGrid frame with rubber bands per two centimetres and two crossing axes placed on the TactiPad.
The easiest way to draw a graph is to draw the x- and y-axis first using the ruler and measurement indications on the TactiPad and then place the GraphGrid on the drawing board. The axes, the higher rubber bands, can now coincide with the axes drawn on the paper. You can then easily count and draw the x and y values of the graph along the flexible grid lines.
Because the grid lines are flexible, the graph values can be drawn exactly at the intersections by pulling the bands aside with the pen. Once you have marked all the coordinates of the graph, you can remove the frame and create the graph by connecting the points. If you want to create multiple graphs in the same coordinate system, it is recommended to finish one graph before starting with the next to avoid confusion between the two sets of coordinates.
Congratulations with the TactiPad drawing board! We wish you an inspiring drawing experience.
Of course you want to see as soon as possible the TactiPad and all its tools and parts that are stored in the carrying bag. When opening the bag you find all the parts at their own position; TactiPad, ruler, compass, 30Triangle, 45triangle, protractor, 10 pushpins, pen and 50 Sheets of drawing foil.
Take the drawing board from its pocket and check out all its properties. Take a sheet of drawing paper from the paper pocket and follow the instructions on how to place it on the drawing board. See for a description of the drawing board the section. Probably you can’t wait to experience your first raised lines. Take the ball pen from its elastic tube.
You are fully ready to start using the tools and bring your creations to life. Read the global and detailed descriptions of the tools and the respective manuals for applications and exercises.
The TactiPad with all its tools and parts comes in a carrying bag with a handle and a shoulder strap. The total weight of the carrying bag with content is about three kilograms. When opening the bag, all tools and parts can be found on one half of the bag. The other half of the bag is an open pocket that holds the drawing board. A Velcro strip holds the bag closed.
Photo: The opened TactiPad carryingbag with all the parts.
The ruler, the 30- and 45triangles and protractor are attached using elastic bands. Two small elastic bands keep the compass base in place. Two broader once hold the compass arm and a pen. A pushpin cushion holds 10 pushpins in horizontal orientation. A pocket with a zipper can hold the TactiForma magnetic foot. The compass arm should be placed with its point and spike flat on the case.
Paper compartment
A compartment underneath the tools side is available for storing the plastic sheets. This compartment is closed by a Velcro strip which prevents the sheets from moving during transport. This compartment can also hold the tools that come with the GraphGrid and CircleFrame.
The TactiPad drawing board consists of a top frame that surrounds the A4 (21,0 x 29,7 centimetres) drawing area of the bottom layer. The two parts are connected with a hinge, so the frame can open as a book. The drawing board and tools are made of plastic. The corners are rounded. The total size is 28,0 by 36,7 centimetres. The use of the colours black and yellow for the TactiPad and the related products and tools provide a good contrast between different parts.
Photo: Drawing board with the top frame open, leaning backwards.
The frame has grooves in each of the four edges. Two knobs can slide in each groove. Measurement indications in centimetres are provided along the grooves. The drawing paper, which is a rather thin plastic sheet is placed on the rubber mat, the actual drawing area. Underneath this mat a metal plate is mounted.
When the frame is fully opened it can stand on its own so the drawing paper can be provided. Magnets pull the top frame and drawing layer together to keep the drawing paper in place. At the front side of the TactiPad, with the hinge pointing backward, the bottom layer is shaped inwards compared to the frame.
Detailed description
Natural dimensions and tactility
The dimensions of the drawing board and the tools have commonly used values. Knowing about these dimensions will help to get the distances ‘in your fingers’. The drawing area is A4. The width of the frame sides is 3,5 centimetres. The knobs in the grooves are two centimetres in diameter with a height of eight millimetres. They are placed one centimetre away from the outer edge of the frame. Indents next to the drawing area indicate five centimetre distances.
Photo: Detail of TactiPad drawing board.
Origin of the frame/0 centimetre position
Depending on the subject to draw, the drawing board may be used in landscape or portrait orientation. In both cases, the measurement indications start at the upper left corner of the drawing area. In landscape orientation, the centimetre indication goes from 0 to 29,7 centimetres horizontally. Vertically, downwards from 0 to 21,0 centimetres. When the drawing board is in portrait orientation, the counting differs, due to the non-symmetrical size of the A4 paper size. From the upper left corner to the right goes from 0 to 21,0 centimetres. Going down, the first indent is at 0,7 centimetre. Beyond, the regular centimetre pattern is present.
Grooves in the frame
The semi-circle hollows along the grooves indicate centimetre distances. The hollows on the inner side and those on the outer side of the groove have the same width but are shifted 0,5 centimetre. This allows to measure rather precise 0,5 centimetre distances.
Knobs in the grooves
In every groove two moveable knobs are mounted. Some of the TactiPad drawing tools, especially the ruler, can be attached to the knobs. While positioning the knobs, the tools can be positioned precisely.
Bottom layer/drawing area
The bottom layer has the similar size as the top frame. On top of the bottom layer sits the drawing area, existing of a 4 millimetre thick rubber layer. Underneath the rubber is, invisible, a thin metal plate that pulls the magnets inside the compass base on to the drawing area.
Photo: The ruler placed on two knobs of the drawing board.
Drawing paper or drawing foil
The drawing paper is actually a plastic sheet. It is also referred to as drawing foil or German film. It measures 34 * 27 centimetres, and is tightened under the frame since it’s larger than the drawing surface itself. The magnets placed on the corners of the drawing board, pull the frame and drawing layer together.
Note: Once the lines are raised, they cannot be erased. Also, the paper is sensitive for wrinkling so be careful by taking the sheets from their pocket.
Cavities with magnets for the TactileView digital pen
In the middle of three edges of the frame cavities can be found provided with two magnets. These magnets are used to position the frame for the receiver of the TactileView digital pen on the drawing surface. In combination with the TactileView Graphics editor. The TactileView digital pen product is abandoned since October 2022.
Place the drawing board in landscape orientation with the hinge backwards. Slide your thumb under the top frame and place your fingers on the drawing area. Press on the drawing surface with your fingers. The magnets will loosen. The frame can be lifted. If you open the frame and let it lean a bit back, it stays in its open position. When closed, the frame exactly surrounds the drawing surface, and is just as high as the drawing surface.
Placing the drawing foil
In the frame open position you can place a drawing sheet on the rubber mat. The sheet is larger than the rubber mat. Make sure that the margins are roughly the same size on all sides. Close the frame and let it rest on the other hand. Smooth out the surface of the sheet by moving both hands out from the middle to the sides while pressing the sheet. Remove your hands and let the frame drop back in place. For best drawing results the sheet should be placed on the drawing surface as smooth as possible. You may have to practise this a couple of times to get a feel for it.
Photo: Removing hands from TactiPad after placing the drawing foil.
Drawing with the pen
The plastic sheet that is used as drawing paper creates the raised line upon applying some force with a ball pen or other pointy device. To acquire good skills for this, perform some practising. Read the anual section ‘Practising drawing raised lines’.
Positioning the knobs
The black ribbed knobs can be moved along the grooves by (un)screwing them. They can be removed by totally unscrewing them. To place a knob back in the groove, place it on a random place in the groove, and slide it all the way to the outer corner, dragging the nut along. Here the knob can be screwed back again.
Determining distances
As measurement indications in centimetres, 9 millimetre wide semi-circular hollows have been made on a short distance from the edge. They create points between them, each with a distance of 1 centimetre to the next. With those points, it becomes easy to read the exact distance per centimetre. Because the hollows are semi-circular, the distance per 5 millimetres can be read in the deepest point of the hollow. After some experience it is possible to measure even smaller distances in the matter of millimetres.
Aligning the tools and frames
The drawing tools have holes and wide grooves, to fit around the knobs. By fixing the knob and putting the tool over it, the tools can be tightened. With partially unscrewed knobs, the tools can move smoothly across the drawing surface.
An important aspect to keep in mind is the diameter of the knobs in reference to the centimetre indication. When aligning a tool on a knob one centimetre has to be added or deducted to compensate for the knob. The CircleFrame and GraphGrid extensions have holes that fit around the knobs as well. The position for the knobs is about five centimetres away from the corner. Drawing board picture frame Two grooves have been made at the backside, to make it possible to hang the TactiPad like a picture frame.
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