1970's digitizer tablets

From: Peter Turnbull <pete_at_dunnington.u-net.com>
Date: Mon Jul 14 19:07:01 2003

On Jul 14, 11:53, Fred Cisin wrote:

> What about an under $10 one for a MICROCOMPUTER/PERSONAL COMPUTER?
> I will lay claim to the dubious honor of inventing that. (even though
> it was so obvious that MANY people must have done so)
> In 1983, I wanted a digitizer for blackboards. As a "proof of
> concept", I attached a one foot long piece of clear plastic (a
> ruler) to the shaft of a potentiometer. At the other end of it
> I attached another potentiometer, with another foot long piece
> of clear plastic attached to the shaft of that one. That made
> for an upper arm hinged at the edge of the board with a
> potentiometer, and a forearm hinged at the end of that with a
> potentiometer at the "elbow".

There was a very similar device around in the early 1980s; I can't
remember what it was called but it hooked up to one of the machines at
the college I worked in then, so it must have been for a BBC Micro
(around 1983) or an Apple ][ or PET (about 1982). Its operational area
was about an A4 sheet.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York
Received on Mon Jul 14 2003 - 19:07:01 BST

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