manual-en

 

 

Photo: Protractor on TactiPad.

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Global description

The shape of the protractor makes up for a half circle with a radius of 7 centimetres. In the middle of the straight side a 2 centimeter wide semi-circular hole Is located. In here an arrow head points down to the centre of the circle. Six differently sized circles are provided scattered around the top surface that serve as templates.

Detailed description

Along the bottom side of the protractor, which is the diameter line of the circle, centimetre indications can be found at the top surface. Along the edge small indents are located. The straight side is interrupted half way, where the arrow head can be found. As a note, purposely, the arrow head does not fully reach out to the line that is made up by the bottom line of the protractor. At the top surface, following te round side, semi-circles indicate steps of 10 degrees. The edge has also small indents. Small grooves at the top surface indicate the usual 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees angles. The round holes have a diameter of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 centimetres respectively. Pushpin markers are available.

Protractor manual

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Exploring the degree indications

 

 

Photo: The protractor is on the drawing board. The thumb holds the bottom side. The pointing finger is measuring the 55 degrees corner. A pushpin is provided here.

Along the top side the semi-circles indicate steps of 10 degrees. They are wide enough to discriminate with a fingertip the ‘bottom’ of the semi-circle, which is per five degrees. Splitting up this space even further, enables rather precise determining the amount of degrees.

Creating a corner

Draw a horizontal line at 10 centimetres. Mark with the pen the position M of the corner. Align the bottom of the protractor with the line. Make sure the arrow had points to M. This point is accessible because it is not covered by the protractor. Determine the amount of degrees for the angle and mark with a pen or place a pushpin at the edge of the protractor at position P. Create a line between position M and the position P.

Measuring a corner

To measure a corner align one half of the bottom of the protractor with one of the lines that make up the corner. Make sure the arrow head is pointing exactly to where the two lines of the corner cross. Reade the degree indication along the top surface and or the indents along the edge.

The six holes as templates for circles

 

 

Photo: The three centimetre wide hole is created. The pen tip is pointing into the direction of the circle centre.

Place the protractor on the drawing board and choose a circle. To ensure the pen tip remains as close as possible near the circle’s edge during tracing the contour, tilt the body of the pen towards the centre of the circle. Now follow the edge of the circle with the pen, until you are at the starting point again.

 

 

Photo: The 30triangle with the 30 degrees corner pointing to the left.

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Global description

The triangle with 30, 60 and 90 degrees corners is referred to as to the 30triangle. When the three corners of the triangle are set 30, 60 and 90 degrees respectively, it is known as a ‘1/2/sqr(3) triangle’. As a given, the three sides always have these proportional lengths. For practical reasons, the longest right side (sqr(3)) of the triangle tool is set to 15 centimetres (about 6 inches). The length for the other two sides can then be calculated as 15/sqr(3) multiplied by 0.5 or 1 respectively. (8.66 and 17.3 centimetres).
The 30 degrees corner is pointing to the left when the surface with the tactile measurement indications is facing up and the 90 degree angle is at the bottom right.

Detailed description

For the two sides connecting at the 90 degree corner, the measurement indications are in centimetres.
The distance between the units along the hypotenuse is somewhat arbitrary! For the 30triangle it was decided on 20 units spread over 17.32 centimetres, which is rounded 0.87 centimetre per unit. With this regular pattern it is easy to count/measure from both the 30 and 60 degrees corners onwards in groups of 5 units. The measurement indications at the top surface of the triangle are semi circles. At each measurement unit also a small indent is provided. Per five units a short groove at the top surface is provided for easy counting.

As a tactile guidance, when following the two long narrow grooves in the top surface, they are pointing to equal positions on the longest right side and the hypotenuse. A hole of two centimetres can be found near the 90 degree corner. It can be used to place the triangle over one of the black knobs in the TactiPad frame. Pushpin markers are available.

Considerations for the design

In the design story you can read about the practical approaches that where taken to determine the measurement system for the hypotenuse. The insights may help to utilise the tool.

30Triangle manual

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Aligning with the drawing board frame

The hole near the right corner can be placed around one of the knobs. Aligning one side of the 30triangle with the side of the frame offers a 60 or 90 degrees angle in reference to the paper edge.

3D coordinate system

Put the drawing board in landscape orientation. Draw a vertical line at 10 centimetres and a horizontal one at 15 centimetres. Align the triangle with the ruler where the 30 degrees corner is at the crossing of the two lines. Draw a line along the hypotenuse. In a 3D coordinate system the hypotenuse is the X axis. The longest side aligned with the horizontal line serves as the Y axis. The vertical line is the Z axis. You can decide if you want to use any measuring system along the axes.

 

Photo: 3D coordinate system.

Draw a cube with sides eight centimetres; exercise

Note: In this exercise no coordinate system is used.

Maybe having a die is handy to imagine the below. In total 12 lines are required to form the cube. The eight corners are named A, B, C and D for the bottom surface and E, F, G and H for the top surface. The corner E is positioned above corner A. The line A-B is horizontal and going to be nearest to you. For the length of the sides eight measurement units are taken; centimetres or the small ones along the hypotenuse. The order in which the lines are drawn may seem illogical, but moving the tools around is minimised.

Steps to take:

• Step 1: Place the ruler at 15 centimetres horizontally in order to make sure the lowest side of the front face is horizontal in reference to the paper’s edge.
• Step 2, rib A-E: Find the position five along the ruler. Place the 30triangle against the ruler with its right corner pointing to the right here. Draw a line along the triangle’s short side downwards from the eight position on to the ruler.
• Step 3, rib A-D: Shift the triangle to the right until the 30 degrees corner is at the A corner. Hold the triangle tight against the ruler. Draw a dashed line spanning eight units along the hypotenuse. Make sure there is at least a line fraction at corners A and D.
• Step 4, rib A-B: Draw along the ruler for eight centimetres from the corner A, the point where the rib A-E touches the ruler.
• Step 5, rib B-F: Move the triangle’s right corner to the right over eight centimetres to the end of the line A-B. Draw the line from the eight position downwards on to the ruler.
• Step 6, rib B-C: Move and align the triangle further to the right until the 30 degrees corner is at corner B. Draw for this rib a solid line with the length of eight units along the hypotenuse.

 

 

Photo: The cube has progressed up to step 6. The ruler is at position 15 and the triangle is aligned with the ruler.

• Step 7, rib C-D: Move the ruler up as far as the line endings of the lines A-D and B-C just peep out from underneath the ruler. Find corner D, draw a dashed line to the right to corner C. This completes the bottom face of the cube. (A-B-C-D)
• Step 8, rib D-H: The ruler is already in a good position. Place the triangle with the right corner at corner D and draw a dashed line along the triangle from the eight position downwards on to the ruler.
• Step 9, rib C-G: Move the triangle to the right until the right corner of the triangle is at corner C. Draw a solid line from the eight position downwards on to the ruler. At this stage only the top face has to be finished.

 

 

Photo: The cube has been progressed until step 9.

• Step 10, rib E-F: Move the ruler up until the end points of the lines A-E and B-F peep out from underneath the ruler. Create a line between the two endpoints of the vertical ribs. The front face is ready.
• Step 11, rib E-H: The ruler is again in a good position. Place the 30 degrees corner at corner E while holding the triangle against the ruler. Draw a solid line with a length of eight units along the hypotenuse. Corner E and H do exist already.
• Step 12, rib F-G: Move the triangle to the right, place the 30 degrees corner at the F corner. Draw a solid line along the hypotenuse with a length of eight units. The right hand face is completed.
• Step 13, rib G-H: Move the ruler up and connect the two line endings at corners H (left) and G (right).

You are done!

 

Photo: Finished 3D cube drawn on the TactiPad.

Using a 3D coordinate system for a cube

Once a 3D coordinate system is created, few of the ribs are already available. There are two options to choose from: Corner A at the position where the three axes cross or corner D at this position. In case A is at the crossing, corner E is on the vertical (Z) axis. Otherwise you find corner H here. Drawing a cube can be perform with a square tool faster. See the manual section on the TactiForma square tool. The grid boxes provided by the GraphGrid enable indicating the corners of the cube. Or other 3D figures. The motorised drawing arm (MDA) is even faster. In addition It enables to draw the cube in any rotation angle over the X, Y or Z axis.

 

Photo: The 45 triangle aligned with a side of the frame.

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Global description

The triangle with the two 45 degree and one 90 degree corners is referred to as to the 45triangle.
The rectangular 45triangle has the same measurement indication as the drawing board. The two short sides have a range of 10 centimetres, while the long side has a length of 14 centimetres. There are four holes in the triangle for fixing it over the knobs of the drawing board.

Detailed description

At a distance of one centimetre from the right corner a hole is made. In the middle of the long side, one centimetre distance to the edge, a hole is made. To the left and right are two long holes. Along the short sides small indents per centimetre are present. The long side (hypotenuse) is slik. Small grooves in the top surface indicate distances of five centimetres. Pushpin markers are available.

45Triangle manual

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Triangle as ruler

Basically all tools that have a straight side can be used as a ruler. It is a matter of preference and which tool is most handy. The slik side of the 45triangle is sometimes preferable because tracing the pen tip along an indented side causes hold ups.

Using the knobs in the drawing board frame

The round hole in the 90 degree corner fits around a knob. Aligning one of the short sides of the triangle with the edge of the frame, makes two angles on the board, one of 90 and one of 45 degrees.

 

Photo: The hole in the middle of the long side on a knob and one of the oblong holes on a second one. The 45triangle is rotated.

When putting the hole in the middle of the long side and one of the others over a knob, an angle of 30 or 60 degrees can be made by turning the triangle to its extreme position.

Bar chart example; 10 centimetres stands for 100%

Place the drawing board in landscape orientation. Place one of the knobs in both vertical grooves 16 centimetres from the top. Add the ruler on to the knobs. The edge is now at position 15. Draw a line.

Align the 45triangle

Find the five centimetres position of the ruler. Align the short side of the triangle with the ruler so the 45 degrees corner is pointing to the right. Draw a line along the vertical side of the triangle. Start at position 10 and draw the line downwards, on to the ruler. 10 Centimetres represent 100%. While the tool is still in place, mark positions 2,5, 5 and 7,5 with the pen. Move the triangle two centimetres to the right (position 7) and draw a line starting at five which represents a value of 50%. Create more bars where one centimetre stands for 10%. Horizontally there is enough space to create bars for the 12 months of the year. With a spacing of two centimetres you can add a character or a mark below the bar to indicate a specific bar.

Please note: Bar charts generally have two lines that make up for one bar. Here the bar is only one line wide. The space between the bars is there to distinguish one from the other.

 

Photo: The three parts of the compass lying on the drawing board; the base, the beam and the spike.

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Global description

The compass is made out of two main parts: a beam and a base. The beam has a needle shaped turning point on one side and a pointy shape, the spike that can move along the beam. The spike produces the raised line of the circle. The needle slides into the centre of the base. The beam can move around the base in horizontal orientation clockwise and counter clockwise just above the drawing area.

Detailed description

The base

 

Photo: Close up of the base, two fingers holding one of the ears.

The base has a semi-circle shape with a diameter of almost 6 centimetres. If you want, you can see a rabbit face with two ribbed ears, two eyes, a mouth, a nose, and a arrowhead shaped hat, where one corner has been cut out.

In the center of the base is the nose, the hole that holds the needle/beam up right. Along the outer edge of the base, three semi-circular hollows have been made. According the face analogy; one at the bottom, the mouth and the eyes near the ears. One half of the arrowhead is cut off. At the bottom side the base has three strong magnets and five anti slip feet. With this combination the anti-slip effect is really high.

Compass beam

 

Photo: Close up of the compass needle.

The beam has a total length of about 13 centimetres. Three small ramps at the top side are present to indicate the smallest radius of three centimetres. From here on indents per half centimetre can be found. The maximum radius of the circle can be set to 12 centimetres. The beam has a ring on one side that encloses the needle in a ball mount. This enables the beam to be lifted or tilted during rotation.
The needle could be described as a mushroom. The ribbed head on top is sitting on a metal ball that is surrounded by the ring. The needle continues below the ball. At the end three small spikes can be found.

Spike

A ribbed, open block can move along the beam. It will click into the indents so it stays in position. Underneath the block is a triangular shaped that is the actual ‘pen’ that draws on the paper.

Compass manual

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Photo: Compass beam stored in the carrying bag.

The beam and spike are assembled together in an elastic tube. Remove the spike from the beam so you can take the beam from the tube. Re assemble the two parts. Make sure the right side of the spike is facing the needle. For now, move the spike fully over the beam towards the needle. The compass base is stored separately. It is hold in place with two elastic bands over the ears. Fetch the band and enlarge the opening to take out the ears one by one.

Magnetic force

The base has strong magnets so it adhesives to the metal plate underneath the rubber mat of the drawing board. When placing the base on the drawing board you will experience the magnetic effect right away. The base will slide not very easy.

Removing the base from the drawing board becomes easy when lifting the base at one ear. Be aware, it can attach itself to other metal objects whenever the distance is small enough.

Adjusting the radius

Before assembling the compass, play around with setting the radius to particular values. Therefore, hold the needle’s side of the beam in one hand and take the ribbed spike between thumb and pointing finger and move it in steps to the desired position. You will recognise the clicks while moving. Check the radius by counting along the beam, starting at the three centimetre starting block indicated with three small ramps on the beam.

Draw your first circle

 

Photo: The compass is placed on the drawing board. The needle is supported with a pointing finger and the spike is held between thumb and pointing finger of the other hand.

Set the radius for the circle at six centimetres. Choose a position for the base somewhere in the middle of the drawing board. Put the needle in the centre of the base. The spike will rest on the drawing paper.

Lift the beam while rotating so it is pointing away from you. Place the pointing finger of the left hand on the needle’s head and hold it steady. The thumb and middle finger can hold the base. Take the spike between your thumb and pointing finger of the right hand. By nature the beam / spike will tilt towards you when you drag the pointer towards you while pressing down as well. Remember the pull operation for smooth drawing.

The contour of the circle will rise up behind the spike. While dragging / rotating the beam with spike, at some point you will run against the hand that keeps the needle in place. Now take your hands off and let the compass sit on its position. You can change hands now; the pointing finger of the right hand will now support the spike. The left hand will take over. The draw operation by continuing to the point where you started drawing. The magnets in the base ensure the base will stay on its position. It doesn’t matter if you re draw part of the circle.

Indication for the centre of the circle

The bottom end of the needle has three very small spikes. When you press and turn the head on top, without moving the whole beam, a small tactile circle is created, indicating the centre of the circle drawn.
Placing the compass base on a particular position. The arrowhead can be used to precisely place the centre of a circle on a specific point in the drawing.

Mark this position with the pen or place a pushpin. Move the centre hole to the mark and align with the sides of the arrow head. If you place the corners of the arrowhead on two crossing lines, the compass needle is exactly on the crossing.

 

Photo: The compass base with the centre on crossing lines.

The alignment indents around the outside of the base can be used to precisely position the centre of the circle on a line. Check with the fingertip if the middle of the two eyes are on the line. The centre is already on the line. Check if the middle of the mouth is also on the crossing line. The centre is now on the crossing.

Fantasy – clock

Draw a circle with a radius of six centimetres. Draw a second circle with a radius of 7,5 centimetres with the exact same centre position. Start with the smaller of the two circles. Leave the base sitting on its position. For the larger one take the base between your finger tips and press it down so when you pull the spike to its next position, it does not move. Draw the circle and check if the distance comes out equally all along. Provide the space between the two circles with small lines by freehand as indicators for the hour positions.