[Elecraft] rig size

[Bill W5WVO]

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 <john at johnhuggins.com> wrote:
>> Another question is, for the contester, which transmitter and
>> receiver parameters deserve their very own control knob?
>>
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