[senit] Re: [sld-forum] switch activated music

You've got me thinking now... I thought there used to be a switch-latch

Just had a play on my £12 ALBA cheapo CD player, and pressing the  PLAY/PAUSE 
button does what it says almost instantly. A couple of monostable  flip flops 
and a 555 timer or two should do it, and switch adapting the player  of 
course.

There is however another way of doing it. Assuming your CD player has a  
headphone or audio out socket, use some external speakers and put a simple  switch 
in a box with a battery a timer, and a relay in line with the  speaker. The 
track you wanted would need to be on auto repeat, or record it over  and over 
again onto another CD. The bits would probably cost £20, and take about  2 or 
so hours to make and document. No modifications to the CD player, no  expensive 
GEWA module to programme and the action would be instantaneous.

Let me know if you are interested.

Geoff Harbach  I.Eng  MIED  IIPEM  RegBHTA
Clinical Technologist
Proprietor - LEPMIS
_Geoff at LEPMIS.co.uk_ (mailto:Geoff at LEPMIS.co.uk) 

In a message dated 20/11/2007 14:31:44 GMT Standard Time,  
sally.millar at ed.ac.uk writes:

Yes,  well...
The point is, that  there are lots of different uses for  switch control of a 
CD player or other music device,
Many of you engineery  and ICT folk are thinking of the relatively 
cognitively able but physically  challenged user who wants to have full control of their 
music and therefore  wants to stop and start music and also hop forward or 
back through tracks  etc.  independently.  That's certainly one important set of 
  functions.
And yes, all possible solutions for that scenario are gratefully  received, 
as many parents, family and respite carers etc. may not find it easy  to buy / 
tackle full on computer and EV set ups.

But what I'm looking  for  - ie the timed play - is for a completely 
different kind of user, ie  the person with profound and complex learning difficulties 
and possibly  additional physical and/or visual disabilities  who needs to 
learn basic  cause and effect (and who happens to be motivated more by their 
favourite  music than anything else).  Quite simply, it used to be easy and  
relatively cheap to get immediate motivating auditory feedback from a switch  
press with a PowerLink and a tape recorder and now it is inordinately  difficult 
because of the way modern CD players work.
Interesting how  technology marches on.....
Sally Millar

>You've got me  thinking now... I thought there used to be a switch-latch
>timer that  had an 'edge' mode - i.e. it sent a pulse when you pressed OR
>released  a switch... If there was, this would mean you could use a
>switch-latch  timer plugged into this box, plugged into a GEWA Prog (to  send
>play/pause at the beginning and end of a timer  period)...
>
>Perhaps the box doesn't exist though, and it is just  a box I assumed exists
>or once made!
>
>Er, well, i've been  no use at all, unless anyone can find the source of the
>magic box...  (or, like David says, you can get someone (your friendly AT
>team maybe)  to make one for you)...
>
>I'm not sure i'd suggest this activity  in many 'real life' places though -
>isn't it really infuriating if your  CD player keeps turning off every 20
>secs?!! Isn't is a better  motivation (in non-supported environments) to give
>control over next  track and/or on/off...
>
>Cheers.
> 
>Simon
>  
>Senior Clinical Scientist
>Assistive Technology  Team
>www.barnsleyrd.nhs.uk
>  
>simon.judge at nhs.net
>01226 432159
> 
>Dept of  Medical Physics
>Barnsley District General Hospital Foundation  Trust
>Gawber Road
>Barnsley
>S75 2EP
>  
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:  senit-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
>[mailto:senit-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk]  On Behalf Of sally millar
>Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 10:20  AM
>To: ICTSLS at yahoogroups.com; senit at lists.becta.org.uk
>Subject:  [senit] Re: [sld-forum] switch activated music
>
>thanks for all  your replies . To clarify, I am looking for a way of doing
>what the  powerlink does - ie. carefully calibrated TIMED play of a CD or
>other  mains device  ie hit switch, CD plays IMMEDIATELY (if not, cause  and
>effect is not established) for, say 12 seconds, then stops. Hit  switch
>again, plays 12 secs then stops again.
>
>The  Liberator switch adapted CD does not do this - it only switches  on
>(slowly)  or off. I do have a Big Jack as well but as far as I  can see it
>only switches or or off and cannot do 'timed'  either.
>
>So it's going to have to be a computer then.....thanks  for your pointers on
>this.
>
>But couldn't somebody invent  a doodah that just allowed you to switch a CD
>or  ipod or MP3  player off /on with an adjustable timer, without the
>computer in  between - for home use/day care/ respite care etc and all the
>many real  life  places where nobody has/can work a  computer????
>
>Sally
>
>******
>
>
>
>>Hi  Sally,
>>Approx 2 years I purchased a switch adapted CD player/radio  from Liberator.
>
>>It can be used with any type of simple  switch in CD or radio mode.The
>>switch simply plugs into the side of  the machine and then you select
>>either CD or radio. This allows the  pupil to start/stop the music in
>>his/her own time. I think this  type of CD is still available.
> >
>>Kim Hopkinson- Jack  Tizard School
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  
>
>
>--
>
>Sally Millar FRCSLT,  M.Ed,
>Senior Research Fellow / Joint Coordinator
>CALL  Centre                    
>University of Edinburgh           Direct  Line +44 131 651 6077       
>Paterson's Land   Office +44 131 651 6236
>Holyrood Road     Fax +44 131 651  6234
>Edinburgh EH8 8AQ               
>Scotland, UK
>     
>   
>Web:  http://www.callcentrescotland.org.uk/
>
>
>
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--  

Sally Millar FRCSLT, M.Ed,
Senior Research Fellow / Joint  Coordinator
CALL Centre               
University of Edinburgh         Direct Line +44 131 651 6077         
Paterson's Land        Office +44 131 651  6236
Holyrood Road                 Fax +44 131 651 6234
Edinburgh EH8 8AQ       
Scotland,  UK

Web:  http://www.callcentrescotland.org.uk/