RE: [Project] Kbd/LCD device

["Mick Furlong" <dorsai@xxxxxxx>]

> > Should the LCD be text or graphics
>
> I would say graphics.  This possibly makes things more complicated
though?
> Text might be faster/cheaper to develop.

Graphics.... the price difference is likely to be minimal and we dont have
to
use the graphics capability straight away if we dont want to.


> > How many keys do we want
>
> Are there are similar designs we can look at?  Things like Next,
Previous,
> Enter, Cancel spring to mind.

Just a thought ...a lot of the use is going to be AV Control(esp. MP3
selection). One of the more advanced fuctions we could consider would be
the
use of a telephone style keypad with 2 abc 3 def etc.

This would allow predictive selection of menus and even entering of text
for
the real masochists.

For example you press 2 once for A and it gets you to your environmental
control menu (AC/Heating etc) press T then and you are taken to the set
required temperature screen, type in 7 0 and # (for enter) and the
temperature
gets set to 70 degrees.

For mp3 selection it could go more like...press 6 once (M for mp3) press 2
once (A for Artist) press 777 for R then pause and press 666 for O...as you
type these in your MP3 source system is drilling into your MP3 files and
will
eventually get to the Rolling Stones.....Given that a lot of us have large
MP3
collections I think navigating them efficiently is going to be a key
requirement.

This does of course require a fair amount of processing to operate and
would
probably need a TINI or PC in the backgroundto provide the fullest range of
facilities.

>
> > How do want the keys positioned, under lcd for menu operation ?

If it is going to be a double gang socket then you could allow for both
vertical and horizontal style operation it would also be an idea to allow
for
both right and left hand versions because with horizontal positioning the
display could be obscured when typing . In my case I would probably try for
a
vertical format unit as I am right handed but her indoors is left handed. I
guess the best way to do this would be to have the keypad attached to the
main
circuit board by some sort of cable. This would give additional flexibility
in
layout and would allow the use of many different styles of enclosure.

Cheers
Mick

>



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