Inverted screens.....please

JoKeR III said:
I guess I was fortunate. I had a condition a number of years ago that caused one of my eyes to dry out and has led me need an eye exam by an eye care center every couple of years now. I believe going to a specialist was key in helping me get what I needed. When I finally needed glasses, the Dr. asked if I had any specific needs so I told her about playing guitar and needing to see the fretboard as well as things on the floor clearer. She wrote two prescriptions for me, one for general everyday correction and one for stage.

The eye doc that I used for the contacts is the head of the Penny's vision center here. I was surprised to say the least at how knowledgeable and helpful he was. What I ended up with was a blend of the two prescriptions.

I guess the key is to find a Dr. or specialist who is willing to take the time to understand what you need and work with you. I went through 4 different prescription tweaks of trial contacts before finding what worked. The contacts I wear now has an adjusted reader in the left eye, the mid-range in the right.

BTW: The stage prescription was basically the mid-range correction (6-10ft) and a slightly lower power of the reader correction (pushed out to 2-3ft) of my prescription. Might be worth exploring for those who are still trying to find a vision correction solution.
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I have been getting yearly retinal exams due to the diabeetus medicines being so hard on your intraocular pressure. They don't do an exam that measures for glasses, though. My overall experience in 30 years with medical in Arizona is that it is best to not get sick and need to see a doctor. Haven't had a doctor I really had any faith in since Dr. Fiore in Toms River, NJ 40 years ago. :/ Either AZ medical is just that bad, or I've been batting 0000 with finding good ones....
 
Scribble strip readability comparison:

IMG_0541.jpeg

Ignoring all other comparisons here (size, weight, # of buttons, functionality, etc), the FC scribble strip readability pales (pun intended) in comparison to the HXFX. Frankly, I am very disappointed in the usability choices of strip dimensions, font size and, most importantly, the poor choice to use black on white for an LCD screen. Also note that I am using ALL CAPS and S P A C I N G to help with readability.

Please understand that I am a massive FA fan that is on my 3rd AxeFx and am constantly impressed with almost everything this company does. I just don't feel that this aspect of the FC lives up to the rest of FA's awesome quality. I am only saying this out of a desire to constructively criticize in the hopes of an improvement to the existing FC line (if possible) or at least a better next gen.
 
SASouth said:
I have tried contacts and I've tried bifocals. Neither work for me. If I wear bifocals, I can't read the computer screen so I have to take off my glasses to use Axe-Edit or Logic. When I take off my glasses I can't read the scribble strips. What's worse my eyes can't tolerate contacts. They are easily irritated.

Without some flexibility in the configuration of the scribble strips such as far as font size and white text on a black background, I'm hosed either way. I really need this change.
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Progressive lenses allow you to read the things you mentioned. Bifocals are just not practical anymore. Just my opinion of course
Not being a smart ass, just a guy who hates glasses but does need them and I wear progressives when I play.
I think a small step forward would be to make the font DARKER-it looks light and flushed out, to me anyway
 
Stratman68 said:
I think a small step forward would be to make the font DARKER-it looks light and flushed out, to me anyway
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I don't think that's possible with that LCD strip. I've tried playing with the contrast, and got it as dark as I could, but it starts to darken the background behind the letters past a certain point, which doesn't help the darkness of the letters stand out from the background, but actually makes it worse, as the background of the letters is now surrounded by a brighter box that makes the darker stuff inside it harder to read. I think the maximum contrast of this particular LCD strip is just not quite sufficient. The optimal contrast also varies by viewing angle. The tech for the screens seems like what was used in early LCD calculator screens in the late '70s, early '80s, right down to the way the contrast setting starts to darken the background when you jack it up too high.

ADA/508 specifies a minimum contrast on web pages of 4.5:1 for small text at "AA" compliance level, and 7:1 for "AAA" compliance level. Ratios are relaxed a bit for bigger text, but 5/16" high text at your toes probably counts as "small text". I don't think these little LCDs are quite hitting the 4.5:1 at their optimal settings. In my FM9, 37% contrast and 37% brightness seems to be about as good as I can get them, so that the background doesn't flare and blur out the text. Sadly, the background dimming of the screens is also tied to the brightness/dimming of the ring LEDs, though the relative brightness levels seem as well chosen for operation via a common control as they could be....
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
I don't think that's possible with that LCD strip. I've tried playing with the contrast, and got it as dark as I could, but it starts to darken the background behind the letters past a certain point, which doesn't help the darkness of the letters stand out from the background, but actually makes it worse, as the background of the letters is now surrounded by a brighter box that makes the darker stuff inside it harder to read. I think the maximum contrast of this particular LCD strip is just not quite sufficient. The optimal contrast also varies by viewing angle. The tech for the screens seems like what was used in early LCD calculator screens in the late '70s, early '80s, right down to the way the contrast setting starts to darken the background when you jack it up too high.

ADA/508 specifies a minimum contrast on web pages of 4.5:1 for small text at "AA" compliance level, and 7:1 for "AAA" compliance level. Ratios are relaxed a bit for bigger text, but 5/16" high text at your toes probably counts as "small text". I don't think these little LCDs are quite hitting the 4.5:1 at their optimal settings. In my FM9, 37% contrast and 37% brightness seems to be about as good as I can get them, so that the background doesn't flare and blur out the text. Sadly, the background dimming of the screens is also tied to the brightness/dimming of the ring LEDs, though the relative brightness levels seem as well chosen for operation via a common control as they could be....
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Do you know if that strip could have inverted screen from a SW change?
 
fuzzyoctaves said:
Scribble strip readability comparison:

View attachment 90384

Ignoring all other comparisons here (size, weight, # of buttons, functionality, etc), the FC scribble strip readability pales (pun intended) in comparison to the HXFX. Frankly, I am very disappointed in the usability choices of strip dimensions, font size and, most importantly, the poor choice to use black on white for an LCD screen. Also note that I am using ALL CAPS and S P A C I N G to help with readability.

Please understand that I am a massive FA fan that is on my 3rd AxeFx and am constantly impressed with almost everything this company does. I just don't feel that this aspect of the FC lives up to the rest of FA's awesome quality. I am only saying this out of a desire to constructively criticize in the hopes of an improvement to the existing FC line (if possible) or at least a better next gen.
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One question, because I can't see Fractal's statement. Is it technically possible in current devices?
Could it be yet to come in the next version?
 
So people are eating glasses now to be able to use their axe fully? I'd just assume there be no scribble strips at all personally, unless they're usable.
 
I don't see how FAS has a responsibility to make or 'fix' a device that a user who needs vision correction can use because they choose not to use corrective lenses. While the inverted display may help some people to certain degree, for others like myself it wouldn't make a difference. I know this because I've used a Helix and HX Stomp, I still needed my glasses or contacts to read their inverted scribble strips when they were on the floor.

That said, I can still see the benefit that inverted scribble strips and/or larger text could offer to some people and if it is possible to do, hope there's a solution that can be implemented soon.
 
JoKeR III said:
I don't see how FAS has a responsibility to make or 'fix' a device that a user who needs vision correction can use because they choose not to use corrective lenses. While the inverted display may help some people to certain degree, for others like myself it wouldn't make a difference. I know this because I've used a Helix and HX Stomp, I still needed my glasses or contacts to read their inverted scribble strips when they were on the floor.

That said, I can still see the benefit that inverted scribble strips and/or larger text could offer to some people and if it is possible to do, hope there's a solution that can be implemented soon.
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No one in this thread has suggested that FAS has any responsibility nor have any accusations of any sort been made.

Just because corrective lenses work for you it does not mean that they work for everyone.

There are some of us with vision problems that can’t be corrected easily when the range is in between two fairly close objects such as a computer screen and the FC. Progressive lenses don’t work for me because the sweet spot is exactly in between. Believe me I’ve gone through several pairs of glasses trying to solve this problem over the years for this and other things.

I believe that if changes can be made to the scribble strips can be done there really isn’t any real reason that I can see against asking for it.
 
If you can't wait for FAS to offer a reverse display or release an update with an option for existing ones, you very likely can mod it yourself.

At home I tested with a polarizing film laid on top of the FC displays. Rotating the film showed it should be possible to invert the display - IF - the polarizing film already installed on top of the display was carefully removed. This is done all the time on dashboards, digital watches (as I mentioned in my post), and other displays.

Now, for whoever is willing to mod their FM9, FM3, FC6, or FC12 to get that inverted display, it can be a risky proposition that will definitely put your device out of warranty. But if you need to see your display, this might be the only option. Here's a vid with excellent instructions that would give you an idea of how it's done. Obviously, opening your FC/FM device is something you would need to figure out.

 
fuzzydude said:
If you can't wait for FAS to offer a reverse display or release an update with an option for existing ones, you very likely can mod it yourself.
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While I appreciate the thought behind this and have wondered myself if I could rip out the chintzy (to my layperson's eyes) LCDs and replace them with bigger and brighter ones. The problem is that ruins resale and I am holding out for Fractal to come out with a mark 2 device.

It would be great to get an official response on whether the screen can be easily inverted. I'll ask again, does this thread need to be reposted with a "wish" tag to get attention?
 
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