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<table width=100%> <tr> <td width=100%> Hello </td> <td> wikifile:Home/030820_4_address.jpg </td> </tr> </table> This is <b>Norwood Harrison's</b> page, showing some devices created for convenience at home. Anyone is welcome to copy what is shown (and I'll be happy to correspond, if this will assist), but I'm generally not in a position to reproduce actual hardware. === Eyepiece attachment for digital camera === With some digital cameras, for example the Olympus FE-110, the monitor provides the only means of composing the picture. For me this proved inconvenient as I do not usually wear glasses and without them I cannot focus on anything closer than arm's length without some eye strain. It is particularly difficult to see the screen clearly in bright sunlight. I have overcome this problem by means of a short (60 mm) focal length eyepiece positioned behind the monitor screen, and able to be folded away when the camera is not in use. It is attached via the screw socket in the base of the camera provided for a tripod. The lens is set to give an image of the screen in focus for the relaxed eye. Photos below illustrate the difficulty of taking a photo with only normal vision to view the screen, and the convenience of the eyepiece attachment; also the eyepiece in the folded-away position, and set to view the monitor screen. wikifile:Home/060423_Arms_length_b.jpg wikifile:Home/060423_Using_eyepiece_b.jpg wikifile:Home/060423_Camera_1b.jpg wikifile:Home/060423_Camera_2b.jpg With older types of camera, apart from those fitted with a complex reflex mechanism, the image in the eye-level viewfinder did not always represent accurately the boundaries of the actual photograph – feet or heads of subjects could be lost. The external eyepiece as illustrated shows exactly and immediately what will be captured in the picture. Further advantages of this arrangement over the usual type of eye-level viewfinder are: * Settings and other data displayed on the screen can be read at the time the picture is being taken. * The green “ready” signal is in the field of view. * Optical zoom does not give rise to any complication of the viewfinder. * The displayed image is in focus for the relaxed eye, even if the subject is very close to the camera. * After the photo is taken, its contents are affirmed by the image shown on the screen. === Bread Cutter === wikifile:Home/050122_Cut.jpg wikifile:Home/050122_Mechanism.jpg wikifile:Home/050122_Storage.jpg Bread takes on a whole new meaning if you bake it at home, but it doesn't come out of the bread machine already cut into slices. Cutting freshly baked bread with a bread knife and no other assistance is just about impossible as the loaf is soft and the cut slice distorts all over the place from the action of the blade. After the slices have been cut it's no good just letting the remaining loaf sit on the bench as the cut surface dries out. If the loaf is put into into a plastic bag or other container the crust will quickly become soft. With the bread cutter as above, the columns and vertical plate hold the slice in place as it is cut, and also help keep the cut flat and square. Crumbs are caught in the fold-out crumb catchers, which enable the bread to be cut anywhere without scattering crumbs. Thickness of the slice is controlled by the position of the vertical plate, which is adjusted using the mechanism shown in the second photo. The loaf is stored as shown in the third photo, with the cut end resting on a pad which shapes itself to the profile of the cut surface and so prevents it from drying out. The crust remains crisp because it is not enclosed. The pad is constructed from layers of polyurethane foam, with holes cut in the inner layers to make the surface more compliant - otherwise even very soft foam is too stiff. Gladwrap encloses the polyurethane to prevent crumbs becoming embedded in its surface. === Set-up for cooking two pizzas in a microwave oven === wikifile:Home/030810_1_Pizza_Best.jpg The frame with the two discs is designed to rest on the tray of a convection microwave oven. The discs are taken out of the frame and the pizzas set on them. With the frame in place in the oven, temperature and time are set for convection cooking. When pre-heating is completed the discs with the pizzas are placed in the frame using the tongs. During cooking the tray rotates and hot air circulates freely round both pizzas, cooking them evenly at the same rate. The tongs are then used to remove the cooked pizzas on their supporting discs. The frame remains in the oven and is removed at a later time. === Doorstop === wikifile:Home/030812_Doorstop_&_Shoe.jpg wikifile:Home/030812_1_Doorstop.jpg If there is no pressure applied, an internal spring holds the two discs apart. Foot pressure on the column brings the discs together, allowing the door to be set over them. When the pressure is removed, the discs separate and hold the door in position. This doorstop can be set behind the door, where it is out of the way of traffic. Unlike a wedge it does not have to be set pointing in a particular direction. As it does not have to be moved over the surface of the floor it can be used on a carpet, or at the edge of a rug, as well as on a clear area of smooth floor. By contrast a doorstop which holds the door by friction from its weight is difficult to manoeuvre on carpet or near a rug. === Switch for reading light === wikifile:Home/030824_7_Switch.jpg wikifile:Home/030824_1_Switch_with_Hand.jpg The switch is placed so the light can be turned on or off with the least amount of effort. Compare with alternatives: * Switch at the top of the column - stand up to turn the light off. * Line switch - reach round behind the chair. * Foot switch - tripping hazard if it is in front of the chair; otherwise stand up to operate. The switch shown also allows a tidy disposition of the cord. === Toothbrush Rack === wikifile:Home/040314_Toothbrush_Rack.jpg With toothbrushes one tends to be a bit concerned about hygiene - you don't want your toothbrush touching anyone else's toothbrush, or the part which goes in your mouth resting on a surface which might not be absolutely clean. Once upon a time there was a hole at the end of the toothbrush handle, which could be used to hang the toothbrush on a peg. Several toothbrushes could be hung on a row of pegs, which ideally fulfilled the criteria for hygiene. It appears that a hole in the handle is not a stylish attribute and so now one rarely, if ever, finds a toothbrush handle with a hole. Deprived of the ideal means of hygienic storage one might consider putting toothbrushes in a cup, but they will then touch one another. You can buy racks having a row of holes to thread the handles through but these leave the bristles resting on a horizontal surface which in time will become contaminated with toothbrush residue. If anything less than a perfectly clean cloth or tissue is used to wipe the surface clean it will be a site for growth and transmission of bacteria. The toothbrush holder shown in the above picture keeps the toothbrushes separate and free of contamination. The end of the handle is inserted upwards into the holder. The underside of the holder consists of a sheet of rubber backed with aluminium, cut so the toothbrush is held by friction as shown in the diagram below. wikifile:Home/Diagram_1.png
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