1 Topic by jp

  • jp
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Topic: A second form-factor for Chumby

I can certainly see plenty of uses for the existing "desktop pod" form-factor for Chumby, but I think it could quickly become a force-major in the home control industry with one additional form-factor.

Specifically, I would like to see a Chumby that is designed to replace an electrical switch as a wall-mounted "intercom/background music/light dimmer/whole-house-voice-controller".  With a similar price-tag as the desktop version, it would quickly replace the existing more expensive and less capable units currently available.

jp

Many people are concerned about the condition of Politics in America today.  What they don't understand is that the Fathers of our Nation were shooting for maximum comedic value.  In that regard, our system of government has only improved with time. -- Mark Twain (if he were alive today and inhabiting my body)

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  • Duane
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Re: A second form-factor for Chumby

The electronics module can be removed from the soft enclosure - it's about the size of a pack of cards.

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3 Reply by jp

  • jp
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Re: A second form-factor for Chumby

On some very long ago micro-controller with an LCD controller built in solutions I'm familiar with (pre-ARM PalmOS dragonball for instance), I seem to recall there was a simple bit in a setup register you could flip that would change the orientation of the screen between portrait and landscape.  Does the Chumby's ARM have the ability to easily make it rotate the LCD like that?

If so, then all that's left for some enterprising person/company is to suffer through the process of getting UL approval on a case that would house the Chumby's electronics module and include a light dimmer circuit.  Unfortunately, UL approval is neither easy or cheap.

I hope somebody decides to do this so I don't have to.  smile

jp

Many people are concerned about the condition of Politics in America today.  What they don't understand is that the Fathers of our Nation were shooting for maximum comedic value.  In that regard, our system of government has only improved with time. -- Mark Twain (if he were alive today and inhabiting my body)

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  • Duane
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Re: A second form-factor for Chumby

I don't think the MX21 has the ability to rotate the display - however, Flash is a vector graphics system and includes rotation as part of its basic functionality, so you could simply create the movie in landscape and rotate it to portrait mode, and everything will work.

The opposite is done in most iPods - they are typically constructed with portrait mode LCDs, with the corresponding memory layout, and the code is written to simulate a landscape display.  On the photo-capable iPods, the full-screen photos are actualy stored as raw dumps of the LCD's memory space, in column-major order, and in the display's pixel format.

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5 Reply by jp

  • jp
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Re: A second form-factor for Chumby

Thanks Duane, I sorta thought that would be the answer.

cheers,
jp

Many people are concerned about the condition of Politics in America today.  What they don't understand is that the Fathers of our Nation were shooting for maximum comedic value.  In that regard, our system of government has only improved with time. -- Mark Twain (if he were alive today and inhabiting my body)

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