Device needed for: Text Display + Wireless Communication + Remote control + Remote Power ?

Hello,

The following are the requirements for a piece or pieces of hardware:

A device which can stand on a table:

  1. Dimensions: Approximately 20 centimeters width, 3 centimeters heigh, 2 or
3 centimeters thick.

  1. The device should be capable of display text, about 20 to 30 characters. (Probably led display)

  2. The text should be remotely controlled by for example a PC.

  1. The device should have a network chip.

  2. The device should be uniquely identified because multiple of these devices are necessary.

  1. Each device should be remotedly controlled by the same PC and it should be possible to send different text to each device.

  2. The device should be able to work for at least 20 hours straight on for example battery power or other form of mobile power storage/accu.

  1. The battery/accu should be replaceable and possibly chargeable, should charge rapidly within 4 hours.

  2. Some kind of second device/pci express card (?) is needed for the PC, perhaps wifi, blue tooth or something else to controll all of these table devices, perhaps 20, perhaps 30, something like that.

  1. The device should look good/polished... no loose wires, it should have a nice black package around it or perhaps other color... something that looks decent/finished.

Recommendations ?

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck Flying
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Reply to
Robert Wessel

How about one of these beauties?

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Hello,

check

The part that's not the full-stroke, keyboard is just a little bigger than that.

40 char x 8 line display

I think that could be accomplished.

RS-232c is probably being done off of a chip.

check

Given answer on #3, check

check

check, 4 x AA

your pc is your business in this recommendation

you saw the photo?

Reply to
Grinder

Ok, correction of dimensions:

The device has to be 10 centimeters by 2 centimeters and not thicker than half a centimeter.

Please make new recommendations ?

Bye, Skybuck

The rest stays the same:

Hello,

The following are the requirements for a piece or pieces of hardware:

A device which can stand on a table:

  1. Dimensions: Approximately 20 centimeters width, 3 centimeters heigh, 2 or
3 centimeters thick.

  1. The device should be capable of display text, about 20 to 30 characters. (Probably led display)

  2. The text should be remotely controlled by for example a PC.

  1. The device should have a network chip.

  2. The device should be uniquely identified because multiple of these devices are necessary.

  1. Each device should be remotedly controlled by the same PC and it should be possible to send different text to each device.

  2. The device should be able to work for at least 20 hours straight on for example battery power or other form of mobile power storage/accu.

  1. The battery/accu should be replaceable and possibly chargeable, should charge rapidly within 4 hours.

  2. Some kind of second device/pci express card (?) is needed for the PC, perhaps wifi, blue tooth or something else to controll all of these table devices, perhaps 20, perhaps 30, something like that.

  1. The device should look good/polished... no loose wires, it should have a nice black package around it or perhaps other color... something that looks decent/finished.

Recommendations ?

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck Flying

" How about one of these beauties?

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"

No won't do.

No keyboard, no multi line.

Just a simple device containing one line of text.

And it should probably be very bright, it will probably be used in a somewhat darker place ;)

So red leds or some kind of shiny display would be nice I think.

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck Flying

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Unfortunately all I have looked at won't do. Either not enough characters or too big.

Reply to
Skybuck Flying

In case this specific device/dimensions does not exist I am also open to suggestion how to build this from parts.

So tiny led recommendations ?

Circuit boards perhaps ? Maybe wireless leds ?

Construction advices ? Hmm...

Computer/chips too hook up to it ?

Or if somebody can build it contact me via me e-mail address, skybuck 2000 at hotmail dot com.

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck Flying

The wireless requirement can probably be dropped if it's too much trouble.

However the device must be programmed to contain some text somehow... and it should be easy and fast.

Perhaps via an usb plug or something else...

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck Flying

Hmm I have doubts about this... perhaps these devices would be stolen, pretty quickly...

Idea might thave to go into the waste basket...

Not my idea anyway.

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck Flying

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"Power

Although LEDs are very efficient light sources, get enough of them in one place and the current really adds up.

A single 32x16 or 32x32 RGB matrix, running full tilt (all pixels set white), can require nearly 4 Amps of current! Double that figure for a 64x32 matrix.

On average though, displaying typical graphics and animation, these panels will use less. A 2A supply is usually sufficient for a single 32x16 or 32x32 panel, or 4A for a 64x32 panel. There?s no harm in using a larger power supply rated for more Amps (e.g. a 10A supply), but never use one with a higher Voltage (use 5V, period)! "

So while having a battery powered LED display sounds nice, 20 hours with a load like that is going to require car battery sized supply sources.

Also, be careful of getting a display which is too bright. A local business attempts to burn out your eyeballs, with their LED sign. The result is, no human can actually face their sign square, and people have to look away. As a result, nobody can see the "sale" items, or nice pricing. The person running the sign, is an idiot.

When a billboard sized LED sign was installed next to a local fire station, the staff could no longer sleep, due to the gigantic flashing LED light levels. For a period of time, a compromise was reached, where the billboard was turned down, to "human" light levels. Eventually, the billboard advertising company removed the sign, realizing it was just a stupid idea. The old mechanical rotating billboard signs, while crude, are a lot more effective. Using an "eye-blaster" near a highway, isn't all that clever. If you interfere with highway safety, run afoul of local bylaws, you could be in for a lot of visits from inspectors.

*******

Another possibility would be OLEDs. I quick check on Chinese pricing, shows about $200 a linear foot. Monochromatic. Yellow is a nice color.

*******

A $2.00 piece of white card plus a black marker pen, is a cheap alternative, has good contrast, and is just as effective.

Paul

Reply to
Paul

The theft part wouldn't be too hard to deal with. Use a protocol over the wireless link that verifies the serial number without broadcasting it. Then the displays can't be used by anyone else.

If you can't find something like this it would not be hard to build. The only real issues I see are the battery life (just need a large enough battery, but charge time might be an issue) and the number of devices controlled from one interface. I think Bluetooth has a limit of some 8 or so. However, since you don't need constant connections to the slaves, but rather only when you wish to download text to them, I think you can easily get around that limitation.

So figure out what size characters you want to use and pick an LED part to suit. Virtually any MCU will do the job of interfacing to the Bluetooth interface, the LEDs and managing the protocol. This should be a fairly simple project. You can get the HC-05 Bluetooth module for $5 or less. I expect you can figure out how to charge an internal battery. But then if you have to plug in the devices to charge, why not plug them in to program as well? Oh yeah, you didn't say what range you wanted on the wireless connection.

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Rick
Reply to
rickman

How about a phone or tablet ? Fits most of your requirements, apart possibly from form factor. There are a zillion to choose from.

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Regards, 

Adrian Jansen           adrianjansen at internode dot on dot net 
Note reply address is invalid, convert address above to machine form.
Reply to
Adrian Jansen

Perhaps you could re-engineer one of these to make it smaller.

Reply to
snafu

Raspberry Pi with LED panels controlled via Pi's 40-pin GPIO ports? :)

Reply to
Mr. Man-wai Chang

Ok, apperently theft less of an issue... hmm...

Would have to re-order...

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck Flying

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