There is little doubt that I am an aspie , the real question is will I use this super power for good or evil . I'm not sure if the above picture answers that but it certainly does have some pretty colors . My model above is headless, (and armless) so it may be difficult to tell what is going on here but this happens to be my invention to get on Shark Tank . (Totally kidding, they would eat me alive . ) I do think I created something that meets a specific need that I could not find on the open market .A little tweeking and I might look into getting a patten ....but I doubt it .
My goal was to find a way to support a 7" tablet while allowing the wearer to avoid the neck strain of looking down at the screen but still be able to drink coffee AND pet the cat . Mostly I just wanted to avoid the neck strain thing but the cat demanded I add the free hand option . It is still easier to stabilize the base with one hand during manic AngryBird game play then trying to hold it in one hand at eye level....arm gets tired .
I do plan on making a trip to Menards to look for other "parts" options but the goose neck does seem like the best fit for being able to adjust the tablet stand for several uses and different eye levels . Ideally I would like to find a plastic gooseneck that can go around the neck, wrap under the breasts ,(to create support and replace boring bras) and connect in the middle of the breast bone with the actual tablet holder...oh, and it should only weigh a few ounces . Will see if Mendards can come up with something because googling for 3 days has left me more confused then ever .
Anyway...I decided to "make do", something that I think is an aspie "hoarder" specialty . I ran around the apartment looking for anything I thought might work as well as my usual decorative materials and tools . I never know what I will need when crafting at work so I tend to arive like a pack mule .
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| I also needed something for the base of the goose neck |
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Above are some of the bases I thought might work for holding the tablet...
an old book cover
thick board from picture frame
dividers from an old DVD shelf unit
A DVD case
an old record(wasn't sure if I could cut this)To the left are the metallic paint and
wood sealer , and old photo album. ( I chose the scrape wood that I covered in leather, paint and sealer for my base)
Above and below are a few other odds and ends I thought might come in handy for construction and decoration ...below list are just the things I actually chose to use...
Two sided tape
two sided iron on fabric stuff
goose neck (recycled from an old lamp)
iron
leather
velcro
plastic arch shaped object (used to be the light shade for a solar lamp) It actually had a hole that with a bit of widening, fit the gooseneck and added support to stabilize the whole thing...arches provide great stabilization !
Above are some other things I thought I might need but got very little use .
Below items came in very handy and should be in everyones crafting tool kit .
The insert for the DVD player made a good basci pattern for covering the DVD case that I chose to use as the first tablet holder . I used two glued together shelf dividers for the second holder and both were covered in leather and fabric which were then sealed to make wiping them clean easier .
This isn;t a step by step instructions, just a few tips to get seome one thinking about how to create their own with what they may have around the house or nearest thrift store . This was how I began, covering the wood base with some leather and gold paint with sealer . I painted the inside of my inverted plastic bulb cover and added a bit of enamel paint on the out-side . I then threaded the goose neck male part through a small hole in the top(bottom) of the bulb cover and held it in place with a nut . I used the lock tight super glue to attach the wood base to the plastic bulb cover .
I couldn't find any more nuts at my house ......most of my family lives out of state : ) ....so I tried an old wooden spool and much to my surprise, it fit perfectly ! The wood was soft enough that I could just screw it on but tight enough to hold with the advantage of being able to remove it at any time . I just left the thread on because I liked the color and used some blue permanent marker to paint the wood and coverd it all with several layers of sealer . I then used my indispensable super glue to glue the back of the tablet holder to the top of the spool .
To hold it in place on your chest is an old purse strap with open clips but I plan on making a more comfortable "sling" out of some fleece fabric . The important part is just clips that fit over the goose neck and can be slid up and down for repositioning comfort .
I was originally intrigued that the 7' tablet fit so perfectly into a DVD case which even has plastic clips inside to hold it . I cut off the top part where the DVD goes and tried to use some two-sided tape and leather and cloth to decorate but....
it was hard to decorate with the weird little angles and below you can see that my added screen protector cover was....a bit short for it's intended goal . I do think this would work Ok if you sewed a cover for the plastic . Again, you just need to glue the back to the top of the thread spool .
The small black "thing" is the actual case I bought to keep the tablet safe...the tablet "holder" you see sitting inside of it actually has a little fabric "lip" on it to hold the tablet BUT....I am going to add the soft bit of a strip of velcro to the back of the tablet and snaggy side of velcro to the tablet holder/tray .
Anyway, I will probably start felting again if I can actually get this stand and the tablet to my sister this week .....(will I go through angrybird withdrawl ???)
