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TactiPad

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05. Digital Pen – Specification of the pen

A cover at the end of the pen closes the batteries and can be removed. The batteries have a flat side and a rounded side. They have to be placed flat side up in the battery compartment.
The pen’s filling is replaceable. A plastic filling and a normal filling are included with the pen. These fillings are placed in the pen’s top and firmly lock in place. Quite some strength is needed to pull them out again.
The plastic tip can be used best when exploring an audio-tactile diagram, to prevent ink from spilling on the diagram. The normal ballpoint tip is advisable for drawing tactile lines on the TactiPad, so these lines instantly become visible.
The button on the side of the pen does not have any function. Every option of the TactileView software can be operated with the pen, using only short and long clicks.

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04. Digital Pen – The holder for the receiver

The holder is made of black plastic, and has two protruding magnets on both sides of the front side of the holder. The receiver is inserted into the holder from the front side. At the back the receiver is held in place by two small blocks. When the receiver is pushed against both of these blocks, the receiver is straight in the holder. The mini-USB cable can then be attached to the rear of the receiver.
For accuracy, the receiver has to face straight forward and has to be placed in the exact same position in relation to the upper left corner of a drawing. The magnets in the sides of the TactiPad and TactileView ClickPad attract the magnets in the holder, pulling it to the correct position. The receiver’s paper clamp is not needed when using the magnetic holder.
The receiver ‘sees’ almost a semicircle to its front side. The receiver cannot see the full 180 degrees, and is therefore placed slightly outside of the drawing surface. This way, the upper edge of the drawing sheet lays a little in front of the receiver.

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03. Digital Pen – Combined with TactileView Drawing Board or TactileView ClickPad

The TactileView digital pen is combined with the TactiPad or the TactileView ClickPad. The TactiPad is mainly meant to enable the user to make a digital version while drawing a tactile diagram, whereas the TactileView ClickPad is only meant to explore audio-tactile diagrams with speech and sound.

This is how it works

The TactileView digital pen’s receiver is attached to the side of the TactiPad or ClickPad, overseeing the whole drawing surface. The pen transmits a signal, and the receiver receives it when there are no obstacles such as fingers in the way. This means that the receiver needs to have a clear sight of the pen’s tip to work properly.
The transmitter only sends out signals when the tip is pressed. The TactileView software calculates and processes the position of the pen’s moves and clicks. Every function in the TactileView software can be operated using the TactileView digital pen. Using the keyboard is not needed.

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06. GraphGrid – Coordinate systems and 3D shapes

Coordinate systems and 3D shapes – Using diagonal rubber bands

GraphGrid Coordinate systems and 3D shapesThe 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.

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05. GraphGrid – The trigonometry tool

Sine, cosine and tangent – Basic functions with the trigonometry tool

GraphGrid the trigonometry toolThe 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.

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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.

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03. GraphGrid – Basic usage of the GraphGrid

Basic usage of a GraphGridIn 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.

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02. 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.

TactiPad GraphGrid rubber bands

(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.