browna Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Hi, I'm doing a Product Design course for AS Level. We have been given the task to design anything! It's harder than you think!! I have an interest in Technical Production. So I thought I should ask professionals, what product would you like to be invented, that could help you in your everyday life? It can include electronics, low cost to manufacture, and preferably small (smallish!) Thanks! Moderation: C'mon people, this was a sensible query, let's have some sensible answers. No "skyhooks" or the like. There's a thread elsewhere for that sort of stuff, into which some responses have been moved... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRW Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Maybe some sort of SM console which incorporates a show control system so the SM could cue up sound and lighting? Not very useful for the large shows, but something that may be quite handy in schools/amateur productions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browna Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 Hi, More ideas would be nice! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_beal Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 An electricians screw driver with a mini torch built in that points down towards the business end. It would be really useful for those "trying to wire stuff in the dark" moments and also for setting dip switches etc. My apologies if one already exists! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 I don't know if this fits the bill, but I really HATE the mess that the USB connector range has become! Why couldn't we have had a simple system of one plug, and one socket? One panel mount - one cable - hermaphrodite - whatever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ike Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 USB connectors are always going to be a tricky one as there is a fair bit of current available and they are designed to be used by idiots, you can't therefore have a system where two "inputs" can be connected together. A lot of "USB connectors" aren't just USB either, my camera for example has USB audio and composite out on the same connector. My phone has USB, audio in and stereo audio out. I'm assuming the larger USB inputs are still used on printers and the like due to there higher physical strength where as they obviously wouldn't be suitable for a small MP3 player. Having said that with a bit of thought it would certainly be possible to come up with a nicer range, the chances of actually getting it accepted though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeStoddart Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 How about re-visiting the podger/ratchet spanner/gerber multi-tool. I have a great quad spanner (4 sizes of ratchet spanner) but for some reason it doesn't have any sensible way of attaching a lanyard. It would be good if there was an easier way to identify the sizes as it always seems to take me a couple of goes - but perhaps that's a stupid idea. And perhaps controversially including a wing nut spanner. Picking up on the screwdriver with built in lamp (I'm sure I used to own one of those) if it's for setting dip switches - how about the body incorporating a binary decimal conversion - so that you can see what pattern you need for a required address (and vice-versa) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedd Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Ok, remembering my A level electronics days, I seem to recall there's far more work in the write up than in the actual product, so don't go over-complicating things. It also doesn't have to be wholly original, as long as it's your own work with your own twist. So here are a few challenges for you; Que light system - only one 3 core XLR cable to each outstation providing flashing standby, solid standby, acknowledge and go lamp. Master station has a clock (that you can build yourself too), dimmable gooseknecks, FOH mic with on/off switch and a cup holder!I promise you all those functions can be done down one 3 core cable without the need for digital multiplexing, just standard relays, a 555, capacitors, resistors and switches.The beauty is, if time is short, you make one master output card, one outstation and call it modular! You just happen to have only built one module! (I've been there and done it all, you WILL run out of time, I promise you!). It isn't anything new and isn't going to go global, but it is a useful thing to have available on shows and has everything you need to get some decent marks. Alternatively there are plenty of drawings out there for cans systems! Or a meter bridge that goes into mixer insert points? A universal bridge in effect. It's what I'm currently building. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 There's a post in The Crew Room "What would you like invented" that has 13 pages of replies. Have you looked there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wako_jacko Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 If this is YOUR AS level product design - surely you should come up with a problem, then undertake research - if you are studying a similar course to what I did you will find it a lot easier to come up with your own problem - I found a problem - Storage and created a product that fitted the bill and got 110/120 because I went through the process as set out in the specification - unlike the year before where I had decied what I wanted to do and then based the written coursework around it - Hope this helps - Take a look at the product I designed http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=15377 you can see my initial research, and then after I had made it what it looked like - Don't try and be too complicated if it's product design I wouldn't worry too much about installing a cueing system, cans etc. put some rackmount in - then you can leave it up to the 'user' to install what they want'. feel free to PM if you want any more help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightsource Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 It can include electronics, low cost to manufacture, and preferably small (smallish!) One 'product' missing in the market place at the moment (as far as I'm aware) is decent PC based monitoring / cueing for dj's. All physical (standalone) DJ consoles, have a headphone output which allows you to cue the next track, whilst the other is playing, hence seamless music. However I am yet to find a single PC based solution, ( based around using 1 PC rather than 2) that allows you to cue the next track through headphones, whilst playing the first in Stereo. Some software seems to get around this by outputting the Main out in mono, while using the right channel for the headphones, but this is really not acceptable. Maybe a possible project? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauldub Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 the cue light system is something to work on.. I always thought it would be cool to have que light pannel with a LCD screen on it that reads out what the que is and who its for as pre programmed by the sm. this would be handy for sound ops who cant always have headsets on because they are mixing the show. It could flash yellow light as normal, but also read "standby SD Q13..." ect that way the op does not need to listen to the call. it would also be usful for actors who sometimes are not too smart... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggy Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I always thought it would be cool to have que light pannel with a LCD screen on it that reads out what the que is and who its for as pre programmed by the sm. I had to think how this system could help me when operating the lighting desk given that I already have cans. I suprised myself by coming up with a few ideas. 1). An LCD screen can continually update which would be annoying on cans (i.e. it could show estimated time to next que). This would be handy pre-show or during long sections without queues.2). If a multiline screen is used, more than one queue could be displayed.3). A screen would be handy when I have the headset off listening to musical items (for que timing).4). If the screen had a standby button, I could acknowledge the que without putting the cans on.5). It could be nice if you could choose which que's go to which outstation. i.e. cast to the dressing room, lighting que's to LX etc.6). I could see a benefit where non english speaking people are part of the crew. As a project, I would use a PC or laptop as the master (sm station). This is a good place to type in messages and will require software to be developed. The outstation would then form the hardware component of the project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 It can include electronics, low cost to manufacture, and preferably small (smallish!) One 'product' missing in the market place at the moment (as far as I'm aware) is decent PC based monitoring / cueing for dj's. PCDJ amoungst others alows two sound cards to be installed for seperate monitoring / mixer outputs. Sorry. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SceneMaster Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 For AS product design I would keep it simple (which exam board are you doing?) as most of the marks will be gained for communicating the design process and how you made design decisions within the folder work. A simple well finished product will achieve far more marks than a complex ambitious unfinished project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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