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How to control the On / Off state of button's powered devices
How to control the On / Off state of button's powered devices like desktops and laptops. They all can be powered off by keyboard and some might said that a few can power over the net, which is a viable option to turn on some machines, but there is an alternative with a friendly usability considering you can pack and go with all your equipment, connect them to the grid anywhere any time and by using a remote push button device you can power On any of those computers, then through a VNC connection do your business, even better allow others to connect to your machines and do their business remotely and that's it. A small network of non servers units used by a small decentralized group.
Why
Not all programs work over servers. The use of a remote push button could improve usability of already owned equipment. You can easily leave employees assigned equipment on business facilities and assign a simpler laptop to do remote work over a vnc service. The employee then will turn on and off their business equipment without further assistance from the IT manager, but still the manager can suppervice their work when needed.
You can power off and on at will, so you may decrease energy consumption.
How It works
I will give a brief description of how it is working nowadays in order for interested ones to brainstorm about improvements. for a deeper phase-to-phase during the development check references
The RPB is fixed with a silicon hot gun over the pushbutton of the equipment.
Through the teach cycle of the RPB, one can configure the displacement for pushing the button just enough. The RPB has a 26mm stroke length.
Once the displacement or stroke of the RPB has been taught, the device is connected to a wifi outlet.
The RPB can be triggered to run its remote push button cycle, which once is turned on, powers on the attached device and remains without further actions until it is powered off.
It first started with a huge device that through optimized sesiones where turn into a small device, but still lack feasibilities like:
How to easily install the RPB on every laptop and desktop design. The current solution is to install with help of a silicone hot gun on the equipment surface based on the plastic case needs.
Because equipment frames can vary a lot from model to model, and brand to brand, the legs of the RPB can be articulated; they are now rigid. How else can this issue be solved?
Can it be smaller, because of the pushing force needed?
Would it be useful to integrate the RPB with a GSM/GPRS to avoid the wifi local configuration?
Does it need real feedback from the device to acknowledge the push button was truly pushed (for example, when the mechanism fails, how will it be noticed?)
What other applications and/or improvements do you find useful?
I’m planning to put together project information and push it on a contributed platform like github or bitbucket so others can contribute on an open license basys.
If the easy way to install it is with a silicone gun just give one with the remote push button.
Marco AgudeloSep 05, 2022
In the photo can be seen the evolution of the remote push button (RPB for short) from an external power supply to a compact usb compatible device. The work has been made mainly at an electronics level and mechanical enclosure. This is by putting together the code into a smoother one with an easy user interface to teach the position, easy to screw those fixed legs which grants that a flat position will receive it, looking for a clean yet compact presentation, easy to connect, easy to set to do the work.
After two year continuous tests have been confirmed that the silicone monture works fine. It does not fail, it holds to manage the react force created during the cycle. Yet installing the RPB has been a thing that seems like it needs to be solved, but what if it is not. What if the RPB is indeed installed with silicone by potential users and can be shown some ideas on how to use the silicone gun (hot glue) for the task.
The thing here to brainstorm would be in the field of product experience. Considering the market of the product, does it really bother to install it with a silicone hot gun?
I see the following situations:
A) The user group has no one with fine motor skills that can stick the RPB without making a mess, even following instructions with graphics, etc.
B) The user group prefers a more elaborated product but can’t use cloud servers due to machines configuration or due to the expenses.
C) The user group involves to the project and contributes by designing their solution to install it.
Considering the product is for persons that use computers a lot and not exactly as office typing machines, scenario A is less probable considering the majority of those have some degree of fine motor skills . Scenario B and C holds and that is what this brainstorming would be about.
I see the RPB can be on a stage where it can be put into the web for contribution and see what happens.
What do you think about the silicone installation situation post here?
What information would you consider necessary to share and upon what license?
[1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GASGYJ1LX1Y
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General comments
Marco Agudelo2 years ago
One possible solution for the universal clamp would be to analyze clamps for machining fixtures, these fixtures solve in machining a similar situation to the one we are dealing here with. The clamps for machining fixtures must hold steady horizontal and vertical objects of different height so they can be machined by a mill for example. Those Fixtures could be difficult to use from some target users, but we can suggest that it would be easier than gluing them with a hot gun.
Studying this alternative will require thinking too on how to fix the machining fixture like structure to laptops and desktop as well and it seems to be a serious problem, so how can we validate its viability with fewer steps prior to taking this path?
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Darko Savic2 years ago
Hot glue detaches with time. It would also be an option to clamp the RPB on with some kind of universal clamp that is big enough for any laptop size. If you open the monitor at a 90 degrees angle, you could clamp the RPB to both the monitor and the keyboard part
Alternatively, the RPB could be weighted down to keep it in place above the on/off button. This would be an option only if there's nobody there to mess with the laptop.
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Marco Agudelo2 years ago
Darko Savic Would be an option to explore the universal clamp considering both screen and body. One must take into account different thickness between laptops. But I guess the coolest trick to solve the universal clamp is that work as well on desktops.
Even though we know hot glue is for “temporal” fixes, I must say RPB number one (I will try to get a photo) was for a desktop and the hot glue never fails, it first fails one part of the PLA mechanisms because of a screw joint. The presentation of the RPB will have an improvement once it is solved a standard clamp method.
The weighted solution even though can work once one does the math to counterweight I think would be better to have a rigid solution. Once installed there will be no accidents. The force needed to push those buttons are about tens of grams.
Marco Agudelo Jun 18, 2022