Tablet Based Magnification System for Low Vision Reading By: Dan Beacom

My father suffers from Macular Degeneration. It has impacted his ability to read correspondence, magazines, directions, etc. He uses a Kindle successfully for book reading and his computer for online newspapers.

After searching what was out there in terms of camera based systems, it seemed that there was either the very expensive and immovable CCTV systems ($3,000 and not at all portable) and handhelds which have fairly small screens and still cost around $500$600. After noodling and googling for a few weeks and playing around with my iPad, I ordered some parts. Building your own device and using a tablet or phone with a magnification app is not a unique idea, but I could not find a good set of instructions or even good pictures of another setup, so I tried the DIY method of doityourself.

What we ended up with looks like this:

Parts:

iPad Air 2 64GB ($600, any retailer like Best Buy or Target). Wifi only is fine, does not need a cell plan.

Brighter and Bigger app by K Asada (Free from the app store)

MountIT Laptop stand (laptop tray plus monitor mount. ($60 on amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Mount MI 3352LTMN - Adjustable Notebooks Compatible/dp/B00K7 NDBZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455649159&sr=8 - 1&keywords=laptop+monitor+stand

HDMI Cable 20" LCDTV (<$100 at best buy): Insignia™ 19" Class (18.5"

Diag.) LED 720p HDTV Black

Insignia™ 19" Class (18.5" Diag.)- LED 720p HDTV ...19" Class (18.5" Diag.) LED 720p HDTV,Read customer reviews and buy online at Best Buy.

Adapter to lightning and HMDI cable (to connect iPad, TV, and power) Apple Lightning Digital A/V Adapter White

Apple Lightning Digital A/V Adapter WhiteLightning Digital A/V Adapter, Read customer reviews and buy online at Best Buy.

View on www.bestbuy.comPreview

(It may be possible to use AppleTv or Google Chrome and skip the HDMI cable, I was trying to keep the technology simpleless things to trouble shoot over the phone if problems arise).

Two small U plates from hardware store for the right edge guide. Used a ½”#10 Bolt, washer, and locknut. Simply overlapped them, one facing left and the other right to make an adjustable guide.

Step by Step Directions: The first step is to attach the main support tube of the Mount to a

table. A smaller table about 30” across would be perfect. Dad’s table is 36” and he has a little trouble getting close enough to the monitor.

Then I attached the arms to the mount. The laptop tray on the bottom and the monitor mount on the top:

Rear facing camera aligns with drilled out hole in tray. Right edge guide made from flat U plates. Note: home button is to the right.

Next was aligning the iPad Air 2 to the tray. We were fortunate that by placing the iPad against the laptop holder, one row of the perforated holes in the tray lined up with the rear facing camera very well. We did drill out the specific hole to make alignment a little easier and to avoid shadowing. Filing the hole is recommended as well. Sharp edges after drilling!

Then we attached the flat plate guide on the bottom right using the U shaped plates, bolt, washer, and lock nut. Probably lots of things would work, this is what we came up with the guy at the hardware store. Now the placement is exact every time.

We tied the tray into position with a cable tie (through holes towards the back of the tray around the arm). We may have missed a locking bolt on the mount. Note the tray will tip forward a little, it does not lay flat. That is OK. It works fine as is. There is an angle correction feature in the Brighter and Bigger app should you need it.

Next we mounted the LCD TV. We used a 19” Insignia from Best Buy. The main thing it needs is standard mounting holes on the back. We used the shorter mounting screws plus two washers to secure it to the monitor mount securely.

We used the shorter mounting screws plus two washers. Nothing fit quite right so we improvised.

We discovered late in the process that the locking blots to fix the positions of the mount are hidden in these rubber boots. Simply pop them off with a flat screwdriver, tighten and replace.

Next we connected the adapter to the iPad to allow for both power and HDMI connection to the TV.

Then we positioned the two mounts arms to keep the iPad high enough off the table to get a reasonable field of vision (too low and you can only focus on a small section at one time, too high and you have to crane your neck to see the TV). As I mentioned before, Dad’s table is a little too big front to back at 36”. We think 30” is probably ideal.

We mounted the tray arm at 8” above the table and the monitor arm at 15” above the table. Essentially the TV is sitting just above the tray. It was still just a bit too tall, so I had Dad get a cushion to sit on to raise himself another inch or two. Lots of opportunities for custom adjustments. Might even be possible to put the monitor to the side?

Final Notes: Now you should be in business. You will need to learn how to use the app (there is a guide in the app). You can adjust magnification, brightness, contrast, etc. You can create a negative view (black on white becomes white on black). You can pause on a particular view and you can also take a picture for later.

Tapping once in the middle brings up buttons and sliders for the features. There is also a setup button for more advanced features. Try it with and without the autofocus enabled to see what works best for you. I emailed the app author and he suggests having it disabled and using the double tap described next:

Double tapping in the middle will make the camera focus.

More details can be found at : http://asada.tukusi.ne.jp/brighterandbigger/e/

Dad simply moves the paper he is reading under the camera. We tried a used XY reading table, but the one we bought did not work well. Dad’s hands are very steady. You will need to experiment to see what works best. It takes some getting used to.

I would caution against really long sessions as you could get a sore neck, back, or arms. Books are better left to the Kindle OR, if you don’t have one, then download the kindle app for the iPad and read books and other media directly on the Ipad screen, or connected to the monitor.

We also experimented with portability. We found stabilizing both sides with a ruler and two cans (could be books and a piece of wood, whatever is handy). That would work for longer sessions like reviewing bank, medical, or legal paperwork in an office. For restaurants or quick things, its works to stabilize one side (on top of a drinking glass?). Example pictures below.

Remember, the tablet can do many other things, you’ve spent about $800 but most of that is the iPad. Dad is using FaceTime and Skype with his kids and grandkids. You can download a kindle app or other book reader. I get my magazines on the iPad. We picked him up a case for carrying around safely (make sure to get one that you can easily put the iPad in and take it out when you want).NOTE: You can download the BARD Mobile App to the iPad for free and use the Braille and Talking Book Library service on the iPad for audio books! It is quick and easy!