Several of you guys have suggested a stylus with a moving table, a moving
head, or both, as the best approach to numerically controled tactile
drawing. Romeo also mentioned this as a some what simpler engineering
design aproach.
While the stylus design solves some problems, it also introduces some.
The stylus point would have to be very fine, perhaps just a few
thousanths of an inch in diameter. This would be the case if the lines
are to be made of closely spaced dots. How close would they have to be
to compare favorably with the lines produced with the spur? Is anyone
prepared to count the dots per inch in a straight line made with the spur?
Then there is a matter of speed. Horizontal motion will have to halt
each time a dot is punched. This pause in horizontal motion will permit
the down stroke, stylus dwell and retraction. Clearly, this would be a
lot slower than dragging the spur smothly along straight lines and most
curves.
The best thing about the stylus approach is the simplicity of the
software required to drive it.
Could we possible get a resolution of one hundred dots per inch? I can
hear this thing running now. It sounds like a jumbo mosquito!
Keep the ideas coming. They will all go into the pot.
TVC
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