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Originator.......Colin Hardman E-mail............colinhardman@yahoo.com |
THE PROBLEM: The client won a home entertainment system that included a clever Logitech Harmony remote controller that provides control of all devices and can learn the user's preferences. This remote has a touch screen and many small buttons near its edges. The client is unable to hold the controller, but he can push the buttons. He needed a holder for the controller that he could operate by himself, placed where he could get to it in his wheelchair and where it would point to all the devices to be controlled. It should also be easy to remove the remote for re-charging. The top of the controller is slightly crowned.
THE SOLUTION: The solution was a long, narrow, wooden box into which the controller slides. The following features are provided:
* The controller does not sit on its feet, instead it rests on one edge.
* To prevent the controller from rotating when the buttons are depressed, thin wood rails that match shape of the edge of the controller are screwed to the inside walls of the box - this enables them to be removed and sanded to provide a good fit
* The top rim of the holder is a thin piece of flexible foamed vinyl (part of a cheap placemat) with a large cut-out that provides access to the buttons. Two small wings on the vinyl match areas on the top of the controller where there are no buttons, and ensure that the controller cannot fall out of the holder. The wings also flex around the crowned top surface of the controller and over the buttons: this enables the controller to be inserted in the holder without any buttons being depressed. The vinyl is very flexible around its edges, so it is clamped in position with a U-shaped piece of thin hardboard.
* A large cut-out in the back of the holder enables the controller to be easily removed.
* A groove and notch are provided so that a standard rubber band can be used to hold the controller in the box, if needed.
* The wooden box was mounted at the correct height and angle to a large heavy U-shaped bracket that was sized to fit closely around the edge of a table. The bracket is made of ¾ MDF and 1/8 x 1 steel strip. The weight of the bracket, and the fact that it includes a large plate just under the top of the table, reduce the chance of the unit being knocked off the table accidentally.
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