FlyBoy Vario
Lately, I've been working on a vario for hanggliders, paragliders and balloonists.
This vario has the following features:
It's packaged as an enhanced game cartridge that will plug into any gameboy
and convert it into a quality flight instrument. This brings the following
advantages:
- A gameboy includes all necessary user interface
hardware/software including color bit mapped display, sound,
impact resistence.
- There is variety of accessories for the gameboy including wireless
headphones, etc.
- There is a variety of gameboy models including ones with built-in
- On long, boring flights, you can remove the cartrigde and plug
in donkey kong.
rechargable batters and backlit LCD for you pilots who fly at night.
- Reasonable cost. I will be selling only the cartridge. The purchaser
will purchase his own gameboy at a price from $5.00 to $80.
My hope is to provide a reasonable cost instrument that is much easier
to use and much more helpful to pilots who desire to improve their
thermaling skills and judgement. To this end much emphasis has been
placed on exploting the bitmapped display provide the relevant information
in an clear and intuitive manner.
Current Prototype
Here's a picture of the pre-production prototype inserted
into a GameBoy Advance/XP.
Operating Instructions
Here is the draft Owner's Manual as a
web page, as a
Microsoft Word document and as a
PDF
In order to print the Word Document as a handy pamphlet, this is
what I have to do:
- Download Manual.doc to any directory.
- Open up Manual.doc with Microsoft Word.
- Select
Page Setup from the File Menu. On the Margins Tab:
- Orientation = Landscape
- Pages: Multiple pages = Book fold
- Pages: Sheets per booklet = All
- Select
Print from the File menu:
- check Manual duplex
- Press OK to start printing the front sides of the sheets.
- A dialog box will appear telling you to remove the printed sheets
from the output bin and place them into the output bin.
Ignore this for now.
- When the front sides of the sheets are printed, remove them from
the output bin and, leaving them face up, reverse the sequence
by dealing them like a deck of cards. Place them in the
printer input bin.
- Press the OK button on the dialog box.
- When the backsides of the sheets are printed, remove them
from the output bin, reshuffle again and fold them in the
middle to make
a pamphlet.
There is probably a simpler and better way to set this up but I haven't
been able to find it. Any ideas here will be appreciated.
You can also print the pdf files. First print the
front, shuffle as above
and then print the back.
Be at Test Pilot!!
I'm currently flying with my prototype and pleased with the
operation and performance. I'm interested in getting opinions
from my fellow local pilots - expecially paraglider pilots.
If you're interested in helping me out by taking a test flight
with my prototype and giving me a written critique, please
email me.
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