One of our customers had a requirement for a more portable version of rfid Learning Table. While they went about procuring a suitable UMPC for running the Learning Table software, Alex Bell who is a NECS technician and myself tried to work out what was the best way to make a suitable slimline enclosure.

Now while I say “we” it’s really a case of me “imagining’ what such a case might look like and Alex actually having the skills to make one.

We are fortunate to have Alex as he always seems to have the tools and not inconsiderable skills needed to make pretty much any electrical or hardware component we need. In this case Alex went into a CAD application and designed us a new slimline case. Here is an early CAD drawing of it.

This is the first batch being cut on the mill.

And here is the final product.

It includes a modified circuit board that lowers the height of the final unit even more and a special shortened USB plug, that features an L shaped plug, to make it easier to tuck the cable around the back of the UMPC.

Of course this design will work just as well for Tablets, Laptops or the new Asus EeePC's as well.

Here is a side profile. The reader is approximately 6mm in height.

Thanks Alex and job well done!

We are currently working out final costings for these units, but expect these to be made available in our catalogue in the next month or so. If you have any questions about these, please feel free to drop me an email.

Marcus Ragus a teacher from TAFE Tasmania, was one of the early pioneers of RFID as a tool for vocational education in Australia. He has started up a new web site called situated learning where he talks about their experience with RFID and more recently with rfid Learning Table.

Well worth a look!

www.situatedlearning.net

Some organisations have a policy of testing any new software in a virtual PC, before they deploy it on their networks and looking forward, many applications might permantly run in such a configuration. We are pleased to say that rfid Learning Table works just fine in a Virtual PC space as you can see below and indeed, we run it like this often, when building and deploying interim builds for testing.
We use and recommend VMWare (www.vmware.com) which supports virtual USB ports, so even the reader works fine in this environment. :)

Simon Brown a teacher of Stone Masonary has blogged with an update on his use of rfid Learning Table here. It's always great as developers to read these kind of stories, so if you have one to contribute or have blogged your experiences with rfid Learning Table, then please let us know!

Dan

http://cafechat.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/learning-table-in-the-classroom/

Recently at the M-Learn Conference in Melbourne, I had the good fortune to meet Jim Plumber, a lecturer in Environment, Conservation and Horticulture from South Australia TAFE.

Jim’s presentation on RFID and his practical application of RFID in learning was one of the conference highlights for me. So it was a real thrill to me when Jim asked about taking back an rfid Learning Table with him to South Australia.

It didn’t take long before I received an email and these photos and an explanation of what he had come up with it. Its called “Ducks and Frogs” and uses rfid Learning Table to help explain to staff and students how a water recycling system works. Each duck or frog sits on a map that represents a part of the water recycling system. If you pick up and scan any of the ducks or frogs, the rfid tags embedded in the toys trigger an instructional video that explains that part of the water recycling process.

Jim noted that the rfid Learning Table was very well received by everyone and he has received a number of requests to demo the technology to other departments.

Thanks Jim for sharing your project!

The ducks and frogs laid out on the map of the water recycling system. The reader can be seen, just to the left of the map.

Some teaching staff give the rfid Learning Table a try.