http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/ en-us 2005-08-01T14:10:18-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000313.html Ousmane Samake, DtM's Field Representative in Mali, has completed his final redesign recommendations for the Kinkajou, following the conclusion of the first phase of the Kinkajou's pilot test. These recommendations are the culmination of observations and evaluations of the Kinkajou... Field Report Anne Lewis 2005-08-01T14:10:18-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000287.html .:thePooch:. , a group in the computing department of Lancaster University, UK, has developed a low-cost LCD multimedia projector. It consists of wooden casing, a stripped-down portable hand-television, a magnifying lens, and a high-intensity spotlight. Their site offers step-by-step... Prior Art Matt Eckelman 2005-05-19T17:56:51-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000311.html A human-generated power supply system, based on an easy-to-use and readily available foot treadle, can generate enough electricity to power the Kinkajou, concludes Lindsey Cameron, an Engineering undergraduate at Harvard. Lindsey recently accompanied the DtM team to Mali in March... News Anne Lewis 2005-05-15T11:30:59-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000286.html The most serious of the Kinkajou malfunctioned occured in Sendala, where the film advance mechanism had become stuck. The film had come off the spools and was jamming the machine, but did not tear. Despooled film inside the Sendala Kinkajou... Field Report Matt Eckelman 2005-05-11T16:30:21-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000285.html In the village of Sorocoro, the karamogo had some difficulty with keeping the battery charged using the solar panel. It was found that the panel was being placed in partial shade at an orientation that didn't capture the maximum solar... Field Report Matt Eckelman 2005-05-11T16:06:25-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000284.html Community ownership is a crucialissue in development work. If a community has no stake in a project, there is often no incentive to initiate local innovation or even maintain the project. It was encouraging to learn that, in an effort... Field Report Matt Eckelman 2005-05-11T14:56:53-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000283.html Literacy classes in the village of Songuéla I have been shifted to the daytime, providing an excellent opportunity to test the Kinkajou under different conditions. Field rep Ousmane Samake reports that the karamogo closes the doors and windows of the... Field Report Matt Eckelman 2005-05-10T10:59:32-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000282.html In the village of Dougabougou, the karamogo addressed the problem of low light in the classroom by splicing a wire off of the Kinkajou battery in order to power a 5W car lamp. Battery plug for lamp The Kinkajou, lamp,... Field Report Matt Eckelman 2005-05-10T10:48:46-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000281.html Low battery charge was also a common issue across the sites. In the village of N'goye, the karamogo has come up with an innovative process for charging the Kinkajou. He has set up a permanent housing for th solar panel... Field Report Matt Eckelman 2005-05-05T17:04:03-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000280.html As part of the ongoing pilot test of the Kinkajou in Mali, field representative Ousmane Samake and project technician Emmanuel Coulibaly have been visiting participating schools and evaluating the use and condition of the Kinkajous. Of the 10 schools visited,... Field Report Matt Eckelman 2005-05-05T16:50:10-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000278.html Local production of microfilm content remains a serious open question with the Kinkajou. Microfilming in volume involves three discrete steps: filming, developing the master film, and making duplicates from the master. Each step requires its own equipment and training. In... Market Research Matt Eckelman 2005-05-03T13:38:38-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000277.html Use of the Kinkajou projector by IF&LS in India for daytime primary group education in rural areas is being explored. IF&LS offers a multimedia based projection system for group learning, but its cost and power requirements are limitations in many... Current Design Matt Eckelman 2005-04-29T10:09:15-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000276.html Constant-current power supply for Luxeon 5W LED with low-voltage warning and shut-off Software Documentation, as shipped to Mali in first 45 prototypes, November 2004 Author: Tim McNerney Revision: 12/14/2004 17:21 Functional overview The microprocessor-based driver circuit for a 5W Luxeon... Current Design Matt Eckelman 2005-04-28T17:07:44-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000272.html The Mali team reports that the solar panel connector jack is emerging as another failure mode for the system. The problem appears to be that, once they've finished charging the battery, teachers tend to pull the solar panel connector out... Field Report Timothy Prestero 2005-03-28T23:20:58-05:00 http://www.designthatmatters.org/k2/archives/000266.html Kinkajou #135, currently being using in the village of Digani in the Segou region, rattled when I picked it up. Attached are pictures of what I found inside. A capacitor had broken off the board, perhaps as a result of... Field Report Timothy Prestero 2005-03-28T21:31:47-05:00