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Gadget Freak Case #202: Frankenkindle – An Easier-to-Use Kindle

Article-Gadget Freak Case #202: Frankenkindle – An Easier-to-Use Kindle

To help his sister, who has cerebral palsy, Glenn Johnson created an easier-to-use Kindle by taking the controls from a children's V.Reader and routing them into the Kindle's interface board.

Glenn Johnson, an electrical engineer, wanted to help his sister. She has cerebral palsy, which makes it difficult for her to manipulate modern electronics. Glenn’s goal was to modify a Kindle into a gadget his sister could use.

He took the controls from a children’s V.Reader, which has large controls that his sister could use easily. Each silicone button on the V.Reader has two wires attached. He routed those wires into the Kindle’s interface board. The result is a Kindle that can be manipulated by his sister. He calls his gadget the Frankenkindle.

This is what your completed Frankenkindle will look like.

To program the Teensy++ board, you'll need the Arduino software, as well as a utility to program the Teensy itself.

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