Sign In

Close
Forgot your password? No account yet?

Draw-on-screen devices by Tiido

So I have been thinking about the draw-on-screen devices, like Cintiq is for example. That thing is really expensive though, and seems the alternatives are not too cheap either... except some stuff, from older times...

The laptop-tablet combos !

I have my eyes on a Thinkpad X60 or X61 Tablet, and they seem plentiful and at about 100€ on ebay.
Drawback is that most of them have 1024x768 res, only some got 1400x1050, and they are 12.1" so kinda small.
Pressure sensitivity is dependant on the pen, default one lacks it, but you can use any wacom pen with them so not an issue.

I also have my eyes on a Toshiba Tecra M4. That one is guaranteed 1400x1050 res and screen being 14.1" is really naiss to have too. But it is not as available, and it kinda seems the construction is shit. Also nvidia in it, and sadly the kind that fries itself to death... I found quite a few dead ones on ebay.

I don't have the money to buy those anyway for now (well I do, but I need to keep some for whatever I may encounter) but those are the main contenders.
There's some newer stuff too but most of them have lower resolution 12" widescreens and that is fair bit smaller than 12" 4:3 as far as surface area goes, also they cost more.

There's also option of building something fun like that. Unfortunately I lack the time for now. I do have several designs that will work and possibly match and maybe even exceed currently available things. Prototype would use a COM port though, as it requires no driver so i can jsut focus on design and a client program that translates input from tablet bits to windows side, later on it could be switched to a COM to USB setup.

Buuuuuut.... Money, Energy, Time.... Pick any two....

Draw-on-screen devices

Tiido

Journal Information

Views:
227
Comments:
8
Favorites:
0
Rating:
General

Comments

  • Link

    Hey do you have a tablet (not a drawing one, like an ipad of a galaxy tablet) ? If yes, why not one of those Wacom stylus pens that allow you to draw on screen via tablet.
    Hmm If I were you, I would maybe look into an older model of a wacom. you can get one that's great for hobby people for less then $50 now. Even the bamboo or the intuos has more capabilities then my Graphire4, which I have used for about 8 years. Just because its not high end doesn't mean its not great. I've been able to do some really nice (imo) artwork with my graphire4. I've been reduced to a mouse now though because I dont have nibs for my pen :U However, if you really want to be able to draw on screen, Id say a Ipad or something and a wacom stylus might be the better way to go. The ipad could serve many purposes not only drawing, and I've heard those pens work really great and that tech is advancing fairly quickly. I've never tried one though, but It might be something to look into.

    • Link

      The "paper replacements" I cannot work with, and I have tried to get things happen.
      But yes, old is not necessarily bad and that is where my sights are.
      I don't have any ipad or some other tablet, nor do I want one, or have money to buy one that is big enough. I want a large surface and those laptop+tablet combos are perfect. They have all the power of a normal laptop aswell as all the power of some tablet things. And the cost they are available is fraction of whatever the new stuffs are, and they aren't worse by any means so I'm definitely going to stick to that route.

      • Link

        Maybe you just lack the hand eye coordination? It takes some great practice for certain people, to look at something other then where your hand is. It's a big adjustment.
        Anyways as long as the pen works with then I'd say its a great alternative to the very expensive cintiq. Man I would love one of those but it is way to far form my budget.
        Also if you can get any wacom pen that works great, you are so lucky as some of the older model pens are pretty damn cheap these days

        • Link

          It wasn't really about that, I could draw and a bit faster than with a mouse but It is just too unnattural and started colliding with my pen+paper skill haha. "Absolute mode" was somewhat usable, but vooming in and out makes things whole lot more cumbersome to me than its worth.
          From what I have read, any Wacom pen works on those laptops so there's no worry.
          In the end it'll cost me at most 200usd, I can live with that.

          • Link

            Thats not bad at all, and you get a laptop lol

            • Link

              I actually have 4 working laptops, from various eras some more useful than others haha. I have many more desktop computers though... around 10 and enough parts to build several more.

              • Link

                Whoa bro, can you build me a computer? :P

                • Link

                  If you lived anywhere near haha