SimplyTouch USB bar

[dhansen]

Has anyone tried one of these?

http://www.simply-touch.com/document.php?
project=h2i&locale=en&doc=products&leve

Seems like a cool way to control your JB software...

Thoughts?

Doug

[Generic Eric]

That looks cool, I could see myself using something like that.

Now, I am just surfing compgeeks to find somethingelse I am interested in buying to see if I can save on shipping.

Cool find

[Lilwolf]

I wonder if you could get it to work without anything being displayed on the screen?

Or how about remove it from the screen... And use it as turning any surface into a touch screen / surface.

It would be pretty sweet and allow me to use existing monitors for a mp3 project.

[RacerX]

You could design a skin for DOSCab/WinCab and put the button graphics in the corner to utilize that.  That would be sweet.

[Lilwolf]

Just got a reply to the email...

To sum up.. It will work ANYWHERE!  so you don't need it on the monitor at all!

You CAN use the software for the MediaPad (the non-monitor one) that doesn't show anything on the screen.  

And you can get these for 30 bucks at compgeeks and another place (other place was a few bucks cheaper... check their site).






support@h2i-technologies.com wrote:

> Will the OpticalBar work if its not on a
> monitor (on a desk for instance) and will it work without anything on
> the monitor? Will the MediaPad work with cutting off the pad itself (or
> can it be safely removed). Also, is this being sold yet? I haven't
> found it anywhere. I'm trying to purchase something to control a MP3
> player. There will be a monitor in a kioske style cabinet with a panel
> below the monitor. I was hoping to have one of these sticking 1/2 in and
> 1/2 out of the cabinet above the panel where people would hit to control
> the mp3 player. Thanks

Hello,

Thanks for your interest for SimplyTouch products.

Although designed to work on computer monitors, the OpticalBar may work
on nearly any surface. However, the exact position of the virtual "keys"
the OpticalBar provides will of course not be displayed by the
OpticalBar software; but they keys may still be printed or otherwise
displayed on the surface of your choice.

Regarding the MediaPad, it will still work if the pad is cut off (it
normally cannot be removed). The MediaPad works on the exact same
technology as the OpticalBar, but is provided with a different packaging
and with different software. You may, if you want, use an OpticalBar
with the MediaPad software.

You may buy the MediaPad online at Expansys. For the USA, the Expansys
site is http://www.expansys-usa.com/ .
(http://www.expansys-usa.com/product.asp?code=106226 for a direct link
to the MediaPad.)

Best regards,

--
Philippe Plantier
SimplyTouch

[dhansen]

Nice followup Lil Wolf, I need to pick up one of these!  Touch screens are sooo expensive..

Doug

[JackTucky]

But I can't just put this on the top of my monitor and let it control VMJ for instance, correct?

I have to use their Icons/software?

Art

[RacerX]

The way I understand it, you don't have to use their icons.  You can just design your VMJ skin so that it has 14 buttons placed near the edge of your screen in two rows of seven buttons each.  Then get the OpticalBar, but use the software for the MediaPad since that software doesn't show icons on the screen.

[JackTucky]

that might be worth a try then. .....

Art

[Ted_Striker]

Hey fella's... I just picked up one of these things for work...   thanks for the heads up as I have a direct application.  My boss said "you found this thing on what website?" .... hehehe but I digress.

This thing is very cool.  It could easily control VMJ or any other jukebox with a little tweaking.  I have not downloaded the media pad software that lilwolf  got the response about.  but right out of the box .. the basics are there.

First off, I mounted mine "upside" down on the bottom right of the screen,  and it still worked.  However  it still was detecting button presses based on the icons on the top left corner (gave me a bit of a mirror effect... imagine flipping your monitor upside down with this thing)).  You can not move the icons in the left corner to the bottom right.

However all the icons can be configured to be key presses.    So with mappable icons, you can just  map them to your vmj commands and you would be set.

Their icon window also  has a transparency setting.  So you can set  their window to completely transparent (so you would never see it in vmj).

I am going to test this thing at home with vmj and see how it works... If  I can overcome these little issues.  This could be the cheapest interface method available.  

Thanks for the heads up on this little unit.

I will post more when I get home and test.

[SteveJ34]

.....
Their icon window also  has a transparency setting.  So you can set  their window to completely transparent (so you would never see it in vmj).

I am going to test this thing at home with vmj and see how it works... If  I can overcome these little issues.  This could be the cheapest interface method available.  

Thanks for the heads up on this little unit.

I will post more when I get home and test.

I'm very interested to learn the results of your testing.

I, too, have been looking to use VMJ for a juke project but was wanting to do something touch screen ...... seeing as this might allow for the greatest flexibility in the future over building a specific control panel.

If I understand correctly, this is limited to 14 controls... a consideration is how to skin VMJ differently to get around the +- 21 it currently is designed to use.

Any thoughts/suggestions on skinning VMJ differently?

[Lilwolf]

SWEET to hear.

I have a few questions for you.

1) how does it work unmounted?  I heard it would work sitting on a table just as good (but the icons would be in the wrong location).

I want to sit one ontop of a board that I print the directions on for a mp3 player so my sicky fingered kids don't touch the monitor

2) Can you combine button areas?  IE, I want the left 2 buttson on the top and the bottom row to be move left or move right.  Can I do that?  Or is there a bunch of 'empty' space between the buttons?

I would like to remove most of the buttons... but left, right and Enter I want bigger and easier to press.

I would love to see some screenshots!

[JackTucky]

I'm very interested to learn the results of your testing.

I, too, have been looking to use VMJ for a juke project but was wanting to do something touch screen ...... seeing as this might allow for the greatest flexibility in the future over building a specific control panel.

Let us know how you did!

Art

[Ted_Striker]

Sorry guys, I got busy the passed 2 days at work and home.  haven't been on my pc.  I will test this weekend for sure.  Lilwolf  I can answer some of your questions though.

1.)  works great unmounted.  I haven't  put it on my screen yet  (well I held it up there for testing.  I wondered the same thing so the bulk of my testing has been with the unit sitting on my desk.  It  makes hitting the icons just right difficult  (because I haven't printed out the icon bar  going it blind).  But I have yet to have it miss a keystroke.  From my initial results, it should work just fine on your board.  This was exactly my intention at work.  I am an EE at a newspaper.  we have touch screens.  and sometimes guys get ink on their fingers and the touch screens don't work or they gum the screen all up with ink.  My intention with this optical bar was to mount  it on their work table, print out some icons.  then inky fingers won't damage my touch screens.

2) from what I can tell so far, button positions and size are static.  There are no options  for adding buttons or resizing them.  You could have 2 buttons  right next to each other with the  same shortcut, that might possibly  have the effect of  "1 big button".   I will try and test this out for you this weekend.  I'm not sure how much dead space there is.  It might be interpolating the key presses and "forcing you to an icon".  As I said, I'm playing with it blind right now and  I haven't  had any misfires.  So concievably, I may of hit a dead spot between the two icons, the program figured out what I was closer to and activated that one..  I don't know, this is just conjecture at this point.  

I still haven't downloaded their  media pad software stuff... maybe these options are available in that... but in the optical bar version they are not.

I'm still very optimistic about this thing for  VMJ control.

Maybe I should fire off and email to this company and link this thread.  Maybe they would be receptive to rewritting their software or adding some features to it if they thought there would be a market?  Other companies have listened to us in the past (act -labs comes to mind).

I'll keep you guys posted (pun intended I guess

SWEET to hear.

I have a few questions for you.

1) how does it work unmounted?  I heard it would work sitting on a table just as good (but the icons would be in the wrong location).

I want to sit one ontop of a board that I print the directions on for a mp3 player so my sicky fingered kids don't touch the monitor

2) Can you combine button areas?  IE, I want the left 2 buttson on the top and the bottom row to be move left or move right.  Can I do that?  Or is there a bunch of 'empty' space between the buttons?

I would like to remove most of the buttons... but left, right and Enter I want bigger and easier to press.

I would love to see some screenshots!

[Lilwolf]

Another question...

does it work upside down?  Do you see any wierd lights (red? whatever)?

I was next thinking I might add it to the bottom of a monitor for controls...  I knew I didn't want it on the top... but the bottom might not be bad...

but still thinking that having it on a board would be great.

And if your testing... How about on the sides?

[walls83]

Let me get this strait.

It doesnt have to be mounted on a monitor. right?

So heres the question.

I have a bar in my basement.. Could I have a Computer monitor say built into the bar top.  So if you were seated at the bar you could look down and see the monitor, and have the USB bar on top of the bar.?  what Im thinking is that I could have the monitor somewhere where every body could see and the USB bar on top of the bar(not in a fixed postion) so anybody at the bar could just slide it down to someone who wanted to play a song.

is that possible?

[Chris]

Let me get this strait.
I have a bar in my basement.. Could I have a Computer monitor say built into the bar top.  So if you were seated at the bar you could look down and see the monitor, and have the USB bar on top of the bar.?  what Im thinking is that I could have the monitor somewhere where every body could see and the USB bar on top of the bar(not in a fixed postion) so anybody at the bar could just slide it down to someone who wanted to play a song.

is that possible?

Probably, but wouldn't it be just as good to take a USB numeric keypad and put it on a long extension cable?  You could even have two USB keypads if the bar is long...

The bar is not going to project icon images, so it would have to be mounted on something with the buttons printed on it.

--Chris

[Lilwolf]

Yes... works without monitor.

So you could mount it under your monitor and project it on a board that your print.  

Just a nice way without having to build buttons.  Also could be veryvery thin.

Just a different solution.  Touchscreen monitor is best... Then I would like this as a second solution.. mainly because I have a ton of monitors around I could use.  

[walls83]

I have a touch screen but it doesnt work..    It fires up and then the screen just goes black.

Ya I though about the keypads but I thought this projected on to things.  I just thought it would be cool to have if it did that.

[oznetradio]

I'll keep you guys posted (pun intended I guess

Ted,
How did this gadget work out?
Ultimately, I would like to print a control panel (keeping within the 14 button limit) and glue it to the face of my jukebox. I would then fix the SimplyTouch bar on top of the printed panel.
Would this work?

[chuggy]

Im thinkin this might be the way to go in a car jukebox application, my question for someone who has this would be can you make the on screen buttons display larger. My problem would be that i would be using an 8" screen, so would i be able to make the toolbar go all the way across the top of an 8" screen or will it be relative to the size of my monitor? thanks

[Chris]

Im thinkin this might be the way to go in a car jukebox application, my question for someone who has this would be can you make the on screen buttons display larger. My problem would be that i would be using an 8" screen, so would i be able to make the toolbar go all the way across the top of an 8" screen or will it be relative to the size of my monitor? thanks

The toolbar won't be any larger than the SimplyTouch hardware.

[Ted_Striker]

Hey sorry I haven't been diligent on this thread.  As I posted, I bought these for work, and my boss wanted them put in place.  So I didn't have the testing time I wanted with them.  Now the machine we are using it on is going down sometime near Christmas.  I will be able to pull the usb bar and test it.  I will get back to you guys ASAP.    My apologies as it has lingered way to long. 

[sWampy]

I ordered one of these last week, should be here tomorrow.  If it works ok, I'm going to modify one of the skins for wincab jukebox to use it.

[sWampy]

It finally came in tonight, and I started playing with it.   It seems to work ok with wincab, but isn't as responsive as I would have hoped.  You have to put your finger in, wait a second, lift, select next button, wait a second, lift.   It won't be real natural, unless there is someway to speed up it's input, and/or fix wincab to give some feedbadk.  Also custom skins may be needed for every resolution and monitor dimensions. ;-/   It  requires the on screen buttons to be around 13cm x 1.5cm, so you would have to at least know the size and the screen to resize the button section to that size, and know exactly where on the screen they attached the bar.   

[Chris]

It finally came in tonight, and I started playing with it.

[sWampy]

WinCab will handle the resizing automatically.  You can make the buttons give visual feedback; look at the Icon settings at the end of the default skin as an example.  And by popular request WinCab will soon be able to trigger sound events for icons as well.

--Chris

Can it really auto resize?   The buttons are going to need to be a set size one the screen,  x cm by y cm,  and that's going to vary by size of display, not resolution of screen.

For it to intergrate well, into the jukebox, you would really need an sdk from them to let you read the device directly.  I emailed them to ask if they had one available.  The way it works out of the box, is you application sees nothing till after you finish selecting an area, then you are passed the letter/number/an application is launched/etc.   It may be best to just leave a blank spot on the wincab screen for their overlay, and make custom button icons for thier application, and let it handle everything, and just pass A/B/1/2/etc to wincab.

[Chris]

Can it really auto resize?

[sWampy]

Can it really auto resize?   The buttons are going to need to be a set size one the screen,  x cm by y cm,  and that's going to vary by size of display, not resolution of screen.

Yes.  Go into jukebox.ini and set any resolution you like; WinCab recalculates the sizes of all elements to make sure that the displayed image is always the same size.

For it to intergrate well, into the jukebox, you would really need an sdk from them to let you read the device directly.  I emailed them to ask if they had one available.  The way it works out of the box, is you application sees nothing till after you finish selecting an area, then you are passed the letter/number/an application is launched/etc.

When WinCab sees the keystroke, it will "press" whatever onscreen button is assigned to that keystroke.  You can see this is the default skin; press whatever key is mapped to "A", and you will see the "A" button on screen "press" itself.

--Chris

But a 640x480 image on a 13 inch monitor isn't going to be the same size as an 640x480 image on a 26inch monitor, that is the requirement of the touchbar.

I was hoping for feedback before you actually select the button, where as you slide your finger around the buttons go up and down, and is only selected once you pullback.   It's sortof hard to hit the buttons correctly everytime due to different angles your finger is entering the field. 

[Chris]

But a 640x480 image on a 13 inch monitor isn't going to be the same size as an 640x480 image on a 26inch monitor, that is the requirement of the touchbar.

Sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying.  Yes, you're right, a separate skin would need to be created for each monitor size.

I was hoping for feedback before you actually select the button, where as you slide your finger around the buttons go up and down, and is only selected once you pullback.

[sWampy]

I'm happy the bar works at all... WinCab doesn't read the keyboard queue, it looks directly at the key matrix (so it can support control and shift keys, etc.), so the bar must simulate the keyboard at a pretty low level.

--Chris

Well I haven't tested it extensivelly, it did send ctrl-alt-del that brings up taskmanager, and tried esc to exit wincab and that worked.

[sWampy]

Damn some reason I can get it to respond to esc, but nothing else.  I guess it doesn't simulate keystrokes well at all.

[Chris]

I might have to put in in option to read keys from the queue, with the caveat that you would not be able to use CTRL or ALT keys in that mode.

[sWampy]

That would be really cool, they haven't gotten back to either of my emails asking about an sdk, but maybe they will after the holidays.  If they have an sdk, I want to write a little program to pop up a touch screen keyboard, that lets you scroll up and down 10 or so keys at a time so you could enter any letter into any app with out a keyboard attached to a cabinet.    It's such a pain to have to drag out a keyboard just to change a few chars in an ini file or such on my cabinet.

[Chris]

That would be really cool, they haven't gotten back to either of my emails asking about an sdk, but maybe they will after the holidays.

[sWampy]

Windows 2000 and Windows XP have an on-screen keyboard under Accessories/Accessibility.

--Chris

I know, but that requires use of mouse or trackball, and doesn't work at all well on 640x480 or even 800x600 screen since it takes up so much screen space.  The ultimarc trackball I has has horible resolution, and you have to scroll a lot to get anything entered with that.

[SirPoonga]

I just came across this. 
I have some questions for those of you that have one.  I hear the button position is static, so is there a template or has someone made a template?

Sometime in the future I plan on converting an old vacuum tube radio to an mp3 player.  My original plan was to find one with a slide out turntable drawer (I have seen several in pictures) and mount a touch screen in that.  That way the radio still looks like its old fashion self.  However something like this owuld be easier and cheaper.  just need a screen to display queue info and have this bar handle the controls.