This is a great idea -- but I wonder if you're actually thinking of it in
terms of PHYSICAL controls, rather than SCREEN IMAGES of physical controls?
The former would be the ideal, really -- a custom-designed UI with physical
controls that suit the individual user.
Think about how high-performance aircraft cockpits are designed. Lots of
knobs, switches, lights, and other "analog" controls -- except they aren't,
mostly. They're digital behind the front panel, but they behave as if they're
analog. Why? Because human beings are analog! That's how our bodies and brains
work. For the highest real-time efficiency, you need an analog user interface
to control the machine. Not just the familiar knobs and buttons, either, but
creative, highly adaptive analog controls as well.
Now, here's the idea. You provide a kit that consists of knob, button, switch,
lever, screen, light, and other analog control and display modules. These
modules (including various sizes of space-filler dummy modules) are shaped and
sized such that they can function as plug-in building blocks. You plug them
into the connection panel and do some very simple point-and-click programming
(with a PC temporarily connected) to tell the controller what each one is and
how it is to function, and voila -- custom analog control panel. The whole
thing then plugs into the radio, which is a black box situated somewhere out
of sight.
I think this might actually work, with a little development brainstorming...
:-)
Bill / W5WVO
Julian G4ILO wrote:
That would be the advantage of a CAT program software interface - at
least, a theoretical advantage since I haven't seen a program that
actually does this. You could allow the user to design their own
interface. Give them a palette of knobs and buttons and displays, let
them set properties to say what parameter they controlled or showed.
I actually thought of writing a program like this, but it is easier
said than done and programming is not much fun, especially when it's
more or less what you do all day for a living, so the idea never got
off the drawing board.
On 9/7/07, John Huggins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Another question is, for the contester, which transmitter and
receiver parameters deserve their very own control knob?
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