I usually work alone but I'm finding that working alone takes more time and I can't fit anymore on my plate. With that said, I wanted to get this idea out so that maybe it could be worked on by others since I just don't have the time (or the know how in this case).
Could we 3D Print adapters that could go over touch screens to give you a button to press? Lionel announced the CAB3 system today and confirmed that the touchscreen smart devices are going to be big going forward. The CAB1L will still exist but I was thinking there might be a happy medium between touch screen and tactile feedback. MTH also has their app. I have used the MTH app and I can't tell what I'm controlling without looking at the screen and that's not convenient for switching. I did like it just fine when I was setting on a longer run.
I'm picturing a sleeve (printed in TPU?) or a dock that the phone is dropped into and secured with clamps. The overlaid adapter (part of this sleeve/dock) would have buttons that transfer capacitive touch to the screen so you can learn to feel where the buttons are and avoid looking down. We learn this with our TV remotes. I used to be able to type without looking at the old cell phones because the old dial pads were physical buttons and I could feel which key I was on. I'm asking what you guys think about replicating that with a 3D printed piece. I only designed this in thought. I haven't messed with it beyond that so I was hoping to get everybody to brain storm and see if this is a potential option or not.
Yes, there are hundreds of different sized smart devices but I think that's a problem for later. I don't even know if you can 3D print a stylus for touch screens. If we can, maybe this could give us back our buttons that we like. I see there are ways to make a stylus posted online. Does anyone know if TPU can transfer capacitive touch?
