On 2/4/12 8:13 AM, J Forbes wrote:
Yes, the copper one. It is smaller than the production watch, it also
is not sealed in any way, there's a big hole in the front where water,
dirt, metal filings, etc can enter. The reason it took so long to
design the "real" watch is that it's a difficult design problem, the
idea of using a screw on, round cover was a novel thing for a
wristwatch, afaik. The size/shape of the components suggests the watch
should be rectangular....but it's kinda difficult to figure out how to
package it in a housing that can be made "simply", without having to
invest in a lot of custom tooling. I happen to think it's a nice
design, but then I have a pretty good understanding of the design
constraints.
Cobra007 wrote:
That prototype was the copper one, was it? I saw it somewhere on
youtube. It actually seems smaller than the "commercial" design, but
maybe not in a side-by-side comparison.
True fact. I gave myself a lot of usability constraints, which resulted
in the design that I eventually produced by the hundreds.
* Easy to buy battery
* Easy to replace battery
* Easy to set time
* Easy to replace a broken tube
* Easy to assemble in quantity
* No custom parts (the case doesn't count)
* Fits standard watch bands
* Comfortable to wear
* Looks like a wristwatch in the details
* Some amount of water resistance
* Sturdy, not prone to breakage or wear
I think I succeeded, but it did end up being rather big. For example,
the face glass crystal is 1.8mm thick. A thinner crystal would have
resulted in frequent breakage.
I also don't think that any of those items on the feature list are worth
giving up for smaller size, except that going with a smaller
rechargeable battery is such a size win that it's worth it for a certain
class of customer.
--
David Forbes, Tucson AZ
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