wearable fit-pc2 (looks easy)

Is fit-PC2 good for my intended application?
Post Reply
mrteeth
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:12 am

wearable fit-pc2 (looks easy)

Post by mrteeth »

So I was thinking it would be great to equip a fit-pc2 in the following way:
1. Vecro a battery to the bottom.
2. Velcro a frogpad to the top (USB version, why bother with bluetooth if we're attaching the units together anyway?)
http://www.frogpad.com/
3. Clip the whole thing to your belt or strap it to your arm or leg
Image
Image
I think strapping to your thigh on the side of your typing hand would work best because it would give a natural and relaxed arm position while retaining the ability to move/angle the keyboard itself with your leg in order to look at the keys or reposition the keyboard for extra typing precision/comfort (all the advantages and none of the disadvantages of the two setups shown above).
4. Connect to a Vuzix VR920 3D-headtracking display visor
Image
This 3 ounce unit is USB powered and there is an opensource driver for the headtracking. So it should be possible to get at least 2D mouse functionality out of it (ie turn your head to move mouse pointer up/down/left/right).
http://www.mygnu.de/index.php/2009/03/v ... for-linux/

Pros:
-Smaller and more ergonomic than a netbook; No more hunching over a desk or trying to type with the tiny netbook keyboard on your chest (that's where I like to put my netbook in order to bring the screen closer to my face when laying down).
-Probably uses less power than a netbook.
-Relatively cheap (~$800), modular/upgradable, and made completely from retail parts with no disassembly or hacking.
Cons:
-Not as cheap as a netbook.
-640x480 resolution is low. However, this might help speed up the underpowered fit-pc; Alternatively, a scrolling 640x480 view of a higher resolution desktop might be very natural with the visor (not sure if nonubuntu users know what I'm talking about, but such a scrolling desktop is easy to setup in ubuntu).
-External cabling and separate casing for battery, keyboard, etc will add a lot of dangling bulk and weight. Total unit should still be small, but could be much smaller. Of course in return you get modularity/upgradability, but I'm not sure if it's worth it.
-You need a VGA2USB or VGA2DVI-D connector to mate the VR920 to the DVI-D only fit-pc2, which adds even more bulk/weight and consumes more power. Maybe it'd be better to use a fit-pc slim, especially since the resolution is only 640x480?

Has anyone tried this setup? Am I missing something? I don't really understand why the guy at http://www.wearablepersonalcomputer.com/ did so much hacking to achieve a similar setup with his fit-pc when he could have built the whole thing with finished retail products (he even mentions all the products above on his site).

mrteeth
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:12 am

Re: wearable fit-pc2 (looks easy)

Post by mrteeth »

mrteeth wrote: I think strapping to your thigh on the side of your typing hand would work best because it would give a natural and relaxed arm position while retaining the ability to move/angle the keyboard itself with your leg in order to look at the keys or reposition the keyboard for extra typing precision/comfort (all the advantages and none of the disadvantages of the two setups shown above).
Maybe it'd be good to put the fit-pc2 and battery inside this thing and velcro the frogpad to the outside:
Image
https://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/9190/

Then you also have somewhere to put the visor too.

wireman
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2009 3:14 am

Re: wearable fit-pc2 (looks easy)

Post by wireman »

I eagerly looked forward to the new fit-pc2 because the slim version was slow. Big disappointment when I saw the dvi-d video out and could not find a suitable adaptor. The result was a lot of hours spent trying to find a faster pocket size computer. Maybe fit-pc3 will have a vga video out?

Note about vuzix. I contacted them and they do not offer any linux drivers. Another set back to my wallet as I had to install windows xp. I hate giving money unnecessarily to bill gates.

The biggest problem with the frog pad is no mouse. The second biggest problem is learning how to finger the keys. Worked with the device for about 5 hours and was disappointed. Liked the bluetooth connection.

A shirt pocket computer helps minimize the cable nuisance. My replacement for the keyboard and mouse, see http://www.wearablepersonalcomputer.com, runs the cable up my sleeve and out between shirt button holes and into the computer. The fact that it is not bluetooth connected is not a big bother because the cable is out of the way and under my shirt. The overly long vuzix cables can also be under my shirt. Simply wear a long sleeve button up shirt and the cable is barely visible and out of the way.

mrteeth
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:12 am

Re: wearable fit-pc2 (looks easy)

Post by mrteeth »

wireman wrote:I eagerly looked forward to the new fit-pc2 because the slim version was slow. Big disappointment when I saw the dvi-d video out and could not find a suitable adaptor. The result was a lot of hours spent trying to find a faster pocket size computer. Maybe fit-pc3 will have a vga video out?

Note about vuzix. I contacted them and they do not offer any linux drivers. Another set back to my wallet as I had to install windows xp. I hate giving money unnecessarily to bill gates.

The biggest problem with the frog pad is no mouse. The second biggest problem is learning how to finger the keys. Worked with the device for about 5 hours and was disappointed. Liked the bluetooth connection.
I posted a link to an opensource linux driver above. It's not created or maintained by Vuzix, but I wouldn't let this discourage you as it's not an uncommon scenario for opensource drivers. Perhaps with an optimized linux installation (gentoo?) the Fit-PC Slim would be fast enough? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't been able to find anything competitive with Compulab's products in terms of computing power vs electrical power consumption.

However, why do you need a driver at all? Doesn't the VR920 display normal VGA video and get power from the USB port without a driver? I want the driver because I want to try and use the headtracking feature for mouse input, but based on your criticism of the frogpad I take it that you weren't using this feature.

BTW, there are a few adapter solutions for using VGA on a Fit-PC2, namely, the HDFury (http://www.hdfury.com/) or a USB-VGA adapter (http://www.fit-pc.co.uk/USB_VGA_Graphics_Adaptor.html). However, both are rather bulky and consume power so you might not find them suitable for your application.

Post Reply

Return to “Using fit-PC2”