Using pins
The rubber layer of the drawing board is 4 millimeters thick, which makes it ideal to stick pins in it. You can use pins for precisely positioning the drawing tools. Or to mark a certain point on a line after a measurement.
Marjon Tas
07. TactiPad – Drawing tools – Magnets in the sides
Magnets in the sides
In three edges of the frame two small magnets have been attached. These magnets are used to position the frame for the reciever of the TactileView digital pen on the drawing surface. In combination with the TactileView drawing and production software, the drawings can be digitized.
01. GraphGrid – Shape and function
The GraphGrid is one of the smart accessories for the TactiPad drawing board. Besides drawing freehand this accessory allows you to draw rows, columns, squares or a coordinate system in two or three dimensions. Rubber bands fixed inside and around the GraphGrid allow you to place flexible ‘graph paper’ and ‘coordinate systems’ on the TactiPad. When making creative drawings, playing games or doing school assignments, this allows you to work easily with cross-connections in tables, differences between fore- and background or spatial proportions.
Figure 1. The GraphGrid is placed on the TactiPad’s buttons.
Details of the GraphGrid
The GraphGrid is a framework that is placed on the TactiPad like a picture frame. Rubber bands, placed inside and around this framework from left to right and from top to bottom, form the axes and lines of the graph paper.
Along the inner edge, small “hooks” are placed at a regular interval of 1 centimeter. Along the outer edge of the GraphGrid, indentations are made with a spacing of 1 centimeter as well. Slightly wider indications mark 5 centimeter intervals. The locations of the hooks and indentations both exactly match with the centimeter scale along the edges of the TactiPad. This way the measurements of the drawing board become tangible on the entire drawing surface. The frame overlaps the drawing surface along the edges by one centimeter.
Because of the A4 dimensions of the drawing surface (21.0 by 29.7 cm), the centimeter scale is not symmetrical along the TactiPad. Therefore the starting point for horizontal and vertical distances is at the upper left corner of the drawing board, when it is in landscape orientation with the hinge facing backwards. To position the GraphGrid in its correct position, place it with the flat corner in the upper right corner on the TactiPad.
The eight holes in the GraphGrid fit around the knobs on the TactiPad. For this, you place the knobs at five centimeters from the corners of the drawing surface.
Back to top of page02. Graphgrid – Rubber bands as grid lines and axes
Low and high rubber bands – Using differences in height
The framework of the GraphGrid has a thickness of four millimeters. Therefore there is a well distinguishable difference in height between the bands that run along the outer or the 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 higher rubber bands are placed in the indents along the outer edge. The rubber bands can be placed horizontally and vertically or at an angle at any position, with a minimum distance of 1 centimeter.
(Re)placing the grid lines and axes
The hooks and indents are positioned every centimeter along the frame, so the minimum cell dimensions are one by one centimeter. To form a larger grid, you can also place the rubber bands two or more centimeters apart by alternately skipping one or more hooks. Additional rubber bands for more grid lines and axes are supplied with the GraphGrid. These are standard, thin rubber bands with a length of 12 to 15 centimeter.
To keep the rubber bands in place, the hooks have such a shape that the rubber bands will not come loose if they are positioned properly in the frame. (Re)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 two hooks to form the second grid line.
The higher rubber bands are stretched around the outside of the GraphGrid and fall naturally into the indents. It is possible that the desired position of one of these rubber bands 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.
03. GraphGrid – Basic usage of the GraphGrid
In many different drawings, a regular grid of cells, columns and rows can provide useful guidance. For example, you can make beautiful creative drawings with repeating patterns in the cells. Many puzzles and games are played on a game board made up of squares, such as battleships and tic-tac-toe. In games like Yahtzee you can keep your own score by tallying in the squares. The higher rubber bands that are placed around the frame can be used to distinguish different parts of the game board or the scorecard.
In school there are many applications where the graph paper of the GraphGrid is useful. Using the cells can help with learning to count or to learn the tables of multiplication. In secondary school, the GraphGrid is ideal to use in mathematics to draw graphs or make bar charts to present statistical information.
04. GraphGrid – Drawings based on coordinates
The easiest way to draw a graph is to draw the x- and y-axis first using the ruler and measurements on the TactiPad, and then place the GraphGrid on the drawing board. You can use the higher rubber bands as axes by letting them 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.
Once you have drawn all the coordinates of the graph, you can remove the GraphGrid 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 points.
05. GraphGrid – The trigonometry tool
Sine, cosine and tangent – Basic functions with the trigonometry tool
The trigonometry tool supplied with the GraphGrid is used to draw basic trigonometric functions. The tool includes two curves: a half period of a sine wave and (almost) a quarter period of a tangent. The scale of both curves is the same. A distance of 4 centimeters along the X-axis corresponds with 90 degrees. When the sine and the tangent functions have a value of 1, the distance along the Y-axis in the drawing is 4 centimeters. These dimensions provide sufficient ‘tactile space’.
Because the templates for the sine and tangent are only a part of a whole period of these functions, it is necessary to draw these segments multiple times in order to draw one or more whole periods of the graph.
The trigonometry tool has small indents and hooks as pen-stops. If you run along or against these pen-stops with the tip of your pen, you know the exact position on the tool. Along the straight sides of the tool, pen-stops are provided every centimeter. On the curves of the sine and tangent, the pen-stops indicate the 30, 45, 60 and 90 degree positions.
At both ends of the two curves you will find small hooks as pen-stops. These can be used to flip the tool around a pin or the tip of the pen to draw the next part of the graph without interrupted lines. Using the small, well-marked holes in three of its corners, the trigonometry tool can be fixated on the rubber layer of the TactiPad with small pins.
06. GraphGrid – Coordinate systems and 3D shapes
Coordinate systems and 3D shapes – Using diagonal rubber bands
The main application for the GraphGrid is often a regular rectangular grid, but there are other applications in which the rubber bands can be placed diagonally, in addition to the regular horizontal and vertical lines. By combining rubber bands at different angles, you can create beautiful patterns with different angles and shapes that you can use as the basis for drawing.
You can also use a diagonally placed rubber band to turn a regular x/y coordinate system into a three-dimensional one by adding a third axis which passes through the intersection of the other two axes (the origin) at an angle between 30 and 45 degrees. This way you can create a coordinate system that you can use to create drawings of three-dimensional bodies.
You can use the rubber bands to construct the outlines of these 3D bodies as well, such as a cube or pyramid. Again, you can distinguish between different (visible or invisible) line segments with higher and lower lines. The indentations around the outside of the GraphGrid continue around all four corners to allow you to position the rubber bands at any position and angle. This way you can learn to draw line and plane intersections in geometry classes.
02. Circle frame
The CircleFrame is the name of the product which includes the wedge tool, the 468 triangle and the zigzag triangle, and a frame with a large circle in the middle. The frame itself is called circle frame (no capitals).
Photo: Circle frame positioned on the knobs of the TactiPad.
Detailed description of the circle frame
The circle frame has similar dimensions as the TactiPad (28 cm by 37 cm). The thickness of the frame is four millimetres.
Near the outer edge of the frame oval holes can be found to place the frame in one of three positions on the TactiPad.
For an a-centric position, two additional holes are present at both sides near the circle.
In the middle of the circle frame is a large circle cut out with a diameter of 20 centimetres. This is the actual drawing area for the drawings.
Along the edge of this circle clear tactile markings every five degrees are provided, which form a large protractor.
Around the outside of the circle there are extra markings: a teardrop shape for every 30 degrees, a line for every 45 degrees,
or a combination of both where they coincide at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees.
Indentations are placed around the outside of the circle frame in which rubber bands can be attached.
These indentations are positioned at every 10 degrees seen from the centre of the circle.
Slightly wider indents make the positions for 0, 30, 45, 60, 90 degrees, etc. easily recognizable
Circle frame manual
Because the circle is exactly in the middle of the circle frame, the frame is horizontally and vertically symmetrical. Therefore, there is no difference in shape between the yellow and black side. The orientation of the circle frame on the TactiPad therefore needs no consideration.
Preparing the TactiPad
Place the knobs of the TactiPad five centimetres away from the corners.
The circle frame can be placed in three different positions: in the middle of the drawing board with the edges coinciding with those of the TactiPad, or in two positions left and right of the centre when in landscape orientation.
Make sure the eight oval holes near the outer edge of the circle frame fit all over a knob.
Photo: Indications run along the edge of the circle: small indents for every 5 degrees, drop shaped ones every 30 degrees and straight ones every 45 degrees.
Insert the tools in the circle
The wedge tool, your templates based on the 468triangle or the zigzag triangle can rotate freely over 360 degrees within the circle.
The drawing tools preferably are aligned with the degree markings along the circle.
For detailed descriptions and manuals of related tools see:
03. Zigzag triangle
Photo: Zigzag triangle in the circle frame
The size of the zigzag triangle is such so that it fits exactly inside the 20 centimetres diameter of the circle.
The three sides of the body of the triangle all have a different pattern. The middle section of the triangle is open.
The inner sides do have the same patterns as the outside, at a smaller scale.
The zigzag triangle is also called a ‘Christmas tree’.
Detailed description
The corners of the triangle are rounded. One corner has an alignment indentation to align the triangle
with the degree markings along the edge of the circle. The side opposite the indented corner is straight.
Another one provides a smooth wave pattern, the final one has a zigzag pattern.
Along the inner and outer side of the straight side two small indents indicate the length of a line segment to construct a hexagon.
In the straight side oval holes can be found to hold a pen while rotating the triangle.
The holes are placed to obtain curves at four, five, six, seven, eight or nine centimetres relative to the centre of the circle.
Pushpin markers are placed near the corners.
Zigzag triangle manual
Preparing the TactiPad
Place all eight knobs of the TactiPad approximately five centimetres away from the corners. Place the circle frame on top of the TactiPad.
Using the zigzag triangle
The large zigzag triangle fits exactly inside the circle with the rounded corners nearly touching the circle edge. It can rotate freely.
Place your pointing finger on the alignment indent and align the triangle at 12 o’clock.
Equilateral triangle inside the circle
Start with the indented corner at 12 o’clock and draw along the straight outside of the triangle. Rotate the tool over 120 degrees clockwise (which is at 4 o’clock) and draw the line.
Rotate once more over 120 degrees (which is at 8 o’clock).
Hexagon in the circle
Align the indented corner at any degree indication and draw a line only between the two indents along the inner or outer straight side. Rotate the triangle over 60 degrees and repeat the draw.
In total four more rotations are required to finish the shape.
Repetitive patterns; Mandala type of figures
By tracing segments of the sides and/or combining patterns intriguing drawings will emerge. Whatever you do, the result is fascinating.
Photo: With the zigzag triangle you can create intriguing shapes and patterns.
Oval holes to create arches
The holes in the straight side of the triangle can hold a pen.
Rotate the triangle holding the pen.
Arches with a length depending on the amount of rotation and the selected radius will occur.
For detailed descriptions and manuals of related tools see: