Photoshop Assistive Technology Controller
by maemccarthy in Circuits > Assistive Tech
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Photoshop Assistive Technology Controller
This piece of assistive technology is specifically made for people with cerebral palsy or any other condition or disability that causes Photoshop to be challenging to navigate. It allows users to toggle between tools in the Photoshop toolbar with ease, and create lines, points, and shapes through head movement. I created it because Photoshop is a tool that's incredibly valuable to me as an artist, and I believe it should be accessible to everyone.
Setup Tutorial:
https://youtu.be/b1DU3MdRmy0
Supplies
- One 11x14 Foam Core Board
- Hot Glue Gun and Gluesticks
- One Classic Makey Makey Kit
- Zipties
- Rubber Bands
- One Roll of Copper Tape
- One Exacto Knife
- One Roll of Electrical Tape
- One pack of Alligator Clips with Pigtails
- Dongle Adapter
- 3D printed Components
3D Printed Components: https://a360.co/3CHhPMT
Hot Glue Gun and Gluesticks: https://www.amazon.com/Gluerious-Sticks-Crafts-School-Repairs/dp/B08FTHWC94/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=JXNV0RGFY390&keywords=hot+glue&qid=1666041432&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjA0IiwicXNhIjoiNC44MiIsInFzcCI6IjQuNjAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=hot+glue+%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1
One Classic Makey Makey Kit: https://www.amazon.com/JoyLabz-MMCE-Makey-Invention-Everyone/dp/B008SFLEPE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HYYFFJ6KOK55&keywords=makey+makey&qid=1666041490&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjU5IiwicXNhIjoiMS42MiIsInFzcCI6IjEuMTEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=makey+makey+%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-1
One Roll of Copper Tape: https://www.amazon.com/Shielding-Repellent-Electrical-Repairs-Grounding/dp/B01I1XNY1E/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=30ZQLFMVCV5V6&keywords=copper+tape&qid=1667871507&sprefix=copper+%2Caps%2C1215&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
One Roll of Electrical Tape: https://www.amazon.com/Electrical-Tape-Black-Waterproof-PVC/dp/B0948Q9LNN/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1MZU5U95YPJ91&keywords=electric+tape&qid=1667871559&sprefix=electric+tape+%2Caps%2C220&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1
One pack of Alligator Clips With Pigtails: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14303
Cutting Discs
Take your 11x17 sheet board of foam core and cut two circles with a diameter of around 6 inches. Cut one circle with a diameter of around 9 inches. I would recommend finding rolls of tape, bowls, or any other circular objects to trace these circles onto your board. Cut these curved edges by making lots of straight lines. It's much easier to cut many straight lines than try to cut a clean curved line. You'll find that by using this technique, your edges won't be jagged. In the center of one of your 6 inch diameter circles, cut a small rectangle. This hole will be used to feed wires later on.
Cutting Channels
Cut a 15inch x 1inch rectangle into your foam core. If your 6 inch diameter circles end up having a diameter greater than 6 inches, make sure to make this strip a few inches longer than 15 inches. Now you'll begin cutting channels into this strip. The 2-minute mark of this video shows in great detail how to cut the channels for this strip. Don't forget to cut a small rectangle between channels like the one shown in the drawing.
Assembly
Take your 15x11-inch strip and glue it together to create a ring. Make sure that the side with visible channels is facing the INSIDE. Wipe off any extra glue to make the seam nice and neat. Take your 6 inch diameter disc (the one with the rectangular hole) and make a thin ring of hot glue very close to the perimeter of the circle. Carefully attach the ring you just assembled to the disc by lowering it down onto the hot glue and applying pressure for 2 minutes.
Copper Tape
Take your foam core disc with a diameter of 9 inches, and completely cover one side with copper tape. One face of the disc should have no foam core visible. Try to avoid overlapping the copper tape as much as possible. Flip over your disc and cut off any access tape with an Exacto knife.
Makey Makey Wiring
It's time to start working with your Makey Makey! Take your classic Makey Makey, and 6 alligator clips with pigtail ends. Take the pigtails, and insert them into the WASDFG slots in the Makey Makey. Plug in your red adapter cable that came with the kit into the top right corner of your Makey Makey. Finally, take one of your alligator clips with an alligator clip ending (there should be a few supplied in the Makey Makey kit) and clip one end into an Earth slot at the bottom of your Makey. At this point, reference the youtube video in the introduction of this instructable to begin remapping the Makey Makey. Once you've finished remapping your Makey Makey, Accessibility Settings, and Photoshop, you can come back here and move on to Step 6.
Wiring
You've just finished remapping your devices, so now it's time to finish assembling this controller. Wedge your Makey Makey into the saucer you've just created, and pull the red adapter cable through the hole in the back. Then, take all 6 of your WASDFG wires AND your Earth wire and pull them through the rectangular hole in your disc. Make sure that everything is secure and in place. You shouldn't need to tape your Makey Makey down, it should be securely wedged into the foam core.
Alligator Clips
Flip your creation over, and identify which wire is attached to the Earth on your Makey Makey. DO NOT touch this cable at all while working on this step, you'll need to use it later. Take your 6 WASDFG wires, and tape them down evenly so that they point in every direction along the circle. Use your electrical tape for this step, and make sure you're only taping down the CABLE, not the exposed metal part of the alligator clip.
Copper Tape
Now it's time to make sure these alligator clips will conduct. take your copper tape, and UNDERNEATH your alligator clips, put down a small piece of tape onto the foam core. Then, take a small piece of tape and tape it OVER the alligator clip, You should have a little alligator clip sandwich. It's very important that each clip remains isolated, no sandwich should touch another sandwich. There should be no way for one alligator clip to conduct with another alligator clip.
Cuts
Now it's time to create some incisions in the foam core. This will be a little trickier than cutting the foam core on a flat surface, so make sure you're careful and keeping your fingers out of the way. Cut a small incision on the face of the disc, and on the ring as shown above.
Zip Ties and Rubber Bands
Now that you have incisions in the foam core, thread zip ties into each of the 6 cuts on the disc, and then through the ring as shown above. Keep them in a loose loop, don't tighten them yet! Take 6 rubber bands, and cut them so they're a straight line. Tie one rubber band onto each zip tie loop before tightening the zip ties all the way, and cutting off the excess zip tie. At this point, print the CAD file in the supply section of this instructable before moving on to step 11.
Assembly With 3D Components
Now that you've printed out your 3D component, take the top section (It should look like a bowl with a hole in the center) and thread the Earth wire through the hole. Make sure the inside of the bowl is facing away from your disc. Then, thread that same Earth Wire through your second component, (This one should look like a sphere on top of a plat, with a hole going through it) with the sphere facing towards the disc and the first component.
Attaching the Copper Plate
Take the disc that's covered in copper tape, and cut 6 incisions equally spaced apart like in this drawing. Make sure you cut ALL THE WAY through the foam core.
Sealing Everything Up
Now it's time to seal everything up. Take your first 6 inch disc, and glue a thin ring of hot glue near the perimeter of the disc. Carefully lower it down on top of the ring and apply pressure for 2 minutes. Now, your Makey Makey should be completely sealed away. This face is what the user will place their hand on to use the controller.
Gluing Down 3D Components
It's finally time to glue everything together. Glue the upper plate of your first component down onto the wire of your alligator clips so it attaches to your 6-inch disc. It's okay if some hot glue gets on your alligator wire, just make sure that none of it touches any copper tape or metal parts of the alligator clip.
Copper Tape
Take your 6-inch copper taped disc, and all of your other components, and tape your second 3D component down to the 9-inch disc with copper tape. Your earth wire should stick out under your 3D component a little bit. Make sure it's taped down to your 9-inch disc and is in contact with the copper tape on that disc. This alligator clip's contact with this disc is CRUCIAL to the functionality of the controller.
Zip Ties and Rubber Bands
Thread zip ties through the incision in your 9-inch disc (just like we did before), keep the zip tie loops loose, and then knot the connecting rubber bands to the zip ties. Tighten the zip ties, and then cut off any access. Make sure that each zip tie is equally taut, this will make sure that your controller is easy to maneuver, and will snap back into place with each command.
Grippers
Flip your controller over, and take a look at the bottom. This face will come in contact with the desk or table the user is using. We want to make sure that it's not sliding around and distracting the user from their device. Take your hot glue gun, and make small evenly spaced dots of glue that cover the entire face of the disc. Give them several minutes to dry before proceeding to step 18.
You Did It!!
Yay!!! You did it!!! I would recommend watching the video posted in the introduction of this instructable one more time to make sure all of your remapping in your computer is ready to go. If everything looks right in photoshop and your accessibility settings, you should be good to go! Happy photoshopping!