u/Thick-Panic6683

I have been posting about my attempts to make a mobile writing platform for e-inks and tablets, showcasing my crude carpentry skills and plastic device stand integration. It was a cry for help, really.

Someone in the comments suggested magnetic ring holders so I checked them out. They were exactly what I needed. There are a lot of products available. They are an iPhone innovation. Since I use Android I missed that in my initial product search. But it's safe to put magnets on Boox and other Android devices. Check before you try it though.

I chose the Mosenvka brand shown in the photos because the lower ring had a 1/4-20 bolt hole in the center of the ring, which is convenient for mounting (~$22). The ring came with stick-on metal rings for attaching to devices for the magnet ring to grip to. I also bought a pack of 3M stick-on metal pads for the same purpose (~$5)

It works perfectly. The sticky pads adhere well to the Boox 7, Lenovo tablet, and wood lap trays. With two rectangular pads on a folding wood tray configuration the ring holds the tray stiff for typing. Photo 2 demonstrates how well it holds the weight of the folding tray.

Photo 3 show the Boox and folded tray footprint. This would fit easily into a daypack.

The ring bracket also holds the 8 inch Lenovo tablet securely (photo 4). Even that extra weight does not tip the tray.

The ring can also be attached securely with a screw as shown in the photo 5. If the wood was milled out the bracket could mount flush with the tray, but as shown doesn't seem to need it. Photos 5 and 6 show this arrangement.

Typing is very comfortable on this setup. With a Boox 7 and Omikami folding keyboard shown the weight is about 1.5 lbs.

The last photo shows a 3.5 inch wide folding setup if you want to go ultralight.

Add a trackball and the travel load increases. But it works ok on the Boox and would be worth the extra weight. I also added better trackball support to DOSwriter.

A backlit tablet is better for web browsing and streaming . But an e-ink can still manage basic web tasks and is a better writing experience. The Boox e-ink loos good outside but the Lenovo tablet suffers a lot of screen reflection.

So there you have it. If you want to patio-maxx or indulge in minimalist travel, this nomadic writing getup may be all you need. A folding option puts you in tactical mode.

In that case you would also need DOSwriter, my free Android writing tool : doswriter.com

I made a couple posts about my attempts at making a suitable platform for mobile writing. The basic requirement is that the keyboard tray must be wide enough to rest comfortably on my lap while sitting in a chair.

I also wanted a folding tray that would fit in a daypack and made a crude prototype. This is an interesting design challenge and I will pick that up again later.

For now this configuration works pretty well with a Boox 7. It's simply a 16-inch wide piece of 5-1/2 inch by 3/8 inch pine board with a short slat attached to support a device stand. The slat is a heavy duty paint stirrer you can get at the hardware store along with the pine board. I experimented with an extendable support to increase the viewing distance to the e-ink but having it right at the keyboard works well enough.

Third photo shows the slat attached to the board. I used Johnson screws so I could remove it but a couple wood screws would work as well.

The second photo shows the plastic device stand with the Boox e-ink mounted. I also put a lot of thought into how to attach both the plastic stand to the tray and the e-ink to the stand so it would not fall out. A simple problem that has many solutions. Eventually I just used some 3M double-sided tape to attach both objects.

That works amazingly well. As you can see from the 4th and 5th photos the e-ink stays in the device stand even when inverted. You may also notice a small wad of kneaded rubber eraser that I wedged into the stand for additional support.

Photo 6 shows the sticky tape. The drawback of the tape is you would have to pry the e-ink off and replace the tape if you wanted to stow the setup in a suitcase or use the e-ink as a reader. But around the house it's not a problem.

About the plastic device stand (photo 7) : The one I am using is a MOKO brand from Amazon which sells for about $2.50 each. The MOKO example is good quality with a metal hinge pin. The plastic is good thickness and quality. The middle unit came free with the Omikamo folding keyboard from Amazon (about $25) and is reasonably good, but an obvious lower-quality unit than the MOKO. The 3rd unit to the right is a cheap knock-off. I bought 24 stand for $16 on amazon or about 50 cents apiece. Overall they are much lower quality than the MOKO but still function as device stands. This deal would be ok if you wanted to give out free stands to students or co-workers.

Anyway with the nomadic writing getup R&D on hold for now I can finally get started on my novel using my minimalist writing tool for Android devices and e-inks : doswriter.com

Note : the text on the Boox is from Grimm's Fairy Tales.

In my last post I demonstrated how a plastic cutting board could serve as an expat novelist keyboard tray when coupled with my free minimalist Android editor.

The photos show recent attempts to refine this idea using lightweight pine. The ultimate goal is a foldable keyboard tray that holds the display securely while mobile writing. You don't want that expensive e-ink device clattering on the ground if there is a drunken fracas nearby. Just grab it as a unit and go.

I also tried not to overanalyze it in pursuit of engineering perfection. Being overly-analytical I feel like I have to understand and solve universal truths about mechanical constraints using minimal materials to achieve the most stable yet lightweight platform.

One just has to pick up some materials and prototype. I am visiting my son and he doesn't have much in the way of tools so the precision shown here is pretty abysmal.

But it works. The tray is adjustable depending on leg and device size. It needs fasteners that can't be lost and some kind of clamp for the device stand. Could be as simple as a rubber band.

As an added bonus, the top cross-piece which stabilizes the arrangement while typing furiously can be used as an expedient weapon should the situation get dicey.

The fasteners shown are "Johnson screws", which have an internal threaded shaft useful for attaching wood and leather items together. The tray is 5 1/2 x 3/8" inch pine. The length is 16", which works with my long legs yet could still fit in a backpack. The cross-pieces are heavy-duty paint stirrers. I am considering adding a "piano hinge" and latch so it could be folded, but maybe that is overkill.

Now that I have a proper minimalist editor for Android e-inks and a real-world structural writing platform I can finally begin work on my novel. It will be semi-autobiographical.

https://github.com/ElmerWorks/DOSwriter

In my last post I overanalyzed requirements for a keyboard lap tray to enable mobile writing.

I have experimented with cutting boards and other materials to support a keyboard and device.

The plastic cutting board in the photo was $6 at Target. They sold a 3-pack for $12. It is lightweight enough for the task, though could be a little stiffer. The tray should be at least 9x15 inches. The Target tray is 9x13, which may work for you (I am 6'3").

The device stand came with the folding keyboard.

A few improvements and this could work great. I might try 2 pieces of plastic that slide together to make a wider platform. Also add more tilt to the device stand. Then some means to make the keyboard and stand "adhere" to the plastic, though it's not bad as it is.

The photos show the device stand and the backpack load including the keyboard, Boox 7, an 8 inch Android tablet, and a small notepad. Maybe a couple pounds total.

If you only carried a phone this would be a very lightweight option.

The keyboard is an Omikamo : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1XHYSKW

I am on travel now and testing out my app for its primary use case : mobile writing.

I put a lot of time into the app and have not yet explored the Boox document workflow. Overall the Boox user interface seems well laid out with minimal screen clutter.

I bought the folding Omikamo keyboard in the photo months ago and have only now started using it. Positive impressions so far. Also came with a nifty plastic device stand. The one thing I want in a BT keyboard is LED backlit keys (the keyboard shown is not backlit). I tried out this model for the ergonomic key arrangement. Seems ok and not too strange for my 40 years of keyboard muscle memory to compete with. There are similar backlit models from other vendors. I am also interested in the smallest keyboard I can get away with.

The keyboard/device stand is a Geekra "Compact Keyboard Case, Vegan Leather Travel Case with Phone and Tablet Holder" that has worked well enough so I haven't sought alternatives.

The missing piece to this puzzle is a lightweight lap tray that will support the device and keyboard. I have experimented with cardboard, foam kneepads, and cutting boards. In the photo is a thin plastic cutting board I picked up at Target. It almost works but could be about 2 inches wider. Also the tray needs a back support for the device stand. Finally it needs to fold up compactly to fit in a daybag (or even a cargo pocket?). That is a tough set of specs.

I am also a big dude, standing 6'3" in my socks. The proposed lap tray needs to work with my absurdly long legs.

I have not seen a product that matches my requirements. This could be my next project. The folding mechanism intrigues me and while simple, is actually difficult to pull off. The keyboard shown uses a wire loop and recessed slot to lock into. There are also many vintage camera and consumer product examples to borrow ideas from.

Before I developed DOSwriter I designed and built a programmable color shrine lamp. It brings beautiful light and color into any room. My wife loves it for her ancestral shrine. There is nothing like it out there. And I didn't even use AI, just straight up engineering analysis and design. Nobody cares. Nobody cares. I fear DOSwriter will meet the same fate. I should direct my energy towards more noble and useful pursuits.

https://youtu.be/wLzgkRreQLg

DOSwriter is a keyboard-centric writing tool for Android devices that uses an 8-buffer file paradigm similar to the Alphasmart Neo. As I developed the app the elegant 8-buffer concept led naturally to some useful text visualization tools and writing workflows.

There is a wide selection of compact, lightweight Bluetooth keyboards and even heavier mechanical or ergonomic keyboards. Android devices are cheap and ubiquitous. This is an easy combination for building a writer deck if the writing software leverages the keyboard interface.

The github and youtube links are below. Many thanks for the encouraging comments and suggestions I received from earlier posts about the app. They really helped improve the project. It was a ridiculous amount of work to document the app and make videos but without good Help people will not be inclined to try it out. It really is easy to use and you probably know most of the keyboard commands already since they borrow from Linux and Windows conventions.

Originally I called it ElmerPad but changed it to DOSwriter to convey the retro appeal. It turns your Android into a DOS-like editing experience.

All DOSwriter functions are available through the keyboard so you don't have to use device finger-gestures to perform file operations or task switching. As I used the app I found that the Android file manager would break the immersive workflow because it is designed for phone display finger scrolling. The screen space also seems poorly utilized. The Android file manager presents a lot of useless icons and forces you to scroll to find your files. I added a dedicated file manager with a simplified DOS-like keyboard file interface with text and image preview that operates from your working folder structure by default. You can use either file manager.

Now that the app is done I am going to test it out on the use case it was designed for : mobile writing while on travel. I have a couple months now to thoroughly road-test DOSwriter and smooth out any rough edges.

Some DOSwriter features for ergonomic writing on small devices :

• 8-buffer Workspace with Instant Buffer Layout View and Navigation
• Keyboard-first navigation
• Minimalist Screen by Default
• Typewriter Mode
• Dedicated File Manager for your working folders
• Bookmarks and Text Collapse
• Text Macros
• Layout and Filmstrip Viewers for large documents
• Split-Screen Editing and Image Viewing
• Markdown Editing with Live Preview
• Reference PDF viewing and bookmarks
• Outline Manager for saving files and references into projects
• Desktop File Sync and Android Sharing

DOSwriter looks great on Android phones and e-inks but it's a challenge getting good photos of light-emitting devices in action.

Here is a YouTube video on the Buffer Layout View, which is a fast way to access your buffers and keep a mental model of your writing workspace :

https://youtu.be/o8U3ulJxO6g

I also made a playlist of most of the DOSwriter functions. The app has good integrated Help and the GitHub repo has more documentation.

DOSwriter YouTube playlist :

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbcgBXS1TE1U

DOSwriter now has a GitHub repo :

https://github.com/ElmerWorks/DOSwriter

APK download link :

https://github.com/ElmerWorks/DOSwriter/releases/download/Pre-release/DWTEv0.9-app-release.apk

I posted about how my editor works with a Neo keyboard but the photos aren't very clear and I can't seem to edit the post photos.

Here is a screen recording of how the Buffer Layout View works on a Boox 7.

I borrowed the idea from MS Word where you can zoom out and see all your pages in a layout. So in my app if you are in a buffer and press 'Esc', it will open a tiled buffer view, to which you can attach thumbnails or text. In the Buffer Layout View, CTRL-T will display the Thumbnail, CTRL-P will show the buffer Preview, ALT-T will show text, and if an option is set CTRL-T shows Text overlayed with Thumbnail.

In Buffer Layout View, the Arrow keys will move between tiles. Tab will cycle through the tiles. F keys, number keys, or Enter will select another buffer.

'Esc' will return to your buffer instantly.

The 8-buffer workspace paradigm also matches the hipster PDA I posted about a month ago. The PDA is a separate workspace in my app that you can edit and export to print as shown in the post :

https://www.reddit.com/r/pocketnotebooks/comments/1ulvoe3/my_pocketable_pda/

The latest installation APK is on doswriter.com

I have been developing my Alphasmart Neo-inspired Android writing app for a few months but only just now hooked it up to my Alphasmart Neo. And it works perfectly.

The Neo buffer keys File 1- File 8 match my app's buffer key assignments. Also whatever Neo buffer you are in, when you press Send it will paste it into my app's current buffer.

I will be posting a github link in a few days with a lot of documentation but thought you would find the following feature interesting. My app design has Neo-like functionality, but looks like it would make a good Neo companion when the Neo is used as the keyboard.

I borrowed an idea from MS Word where you can zoom out and see all your pages in a layout. So in my app if you are in a buffer and press 'Esc', it will open a tiled buffer view, to which you can attach thumbnails or text. In the Buffer Layout View, CTRL-T will display the Thumbnail, CTRL-P will show the buffer Preview, ALT-T will show text, and if an option is set CTRL-T shows Text overlayed with Thumbnail.

In Buffer Layout View, the Arrow keys will move between tiles. Tab will cycle through the tiles. F keys, number keys, or Enter will select another buffer.

'Esc' will return to your buffer instantly.

The 8-buffer workspace paradigm also matches the hipster PDA I posted about a month ago. The PDA is a separate workspace in my app that you can edit and export to print as shown in the post :

https://www.reddit.com/r/pocketnotebooks/comments/1ulvoe3/my_pocketable_pda/

Here are some screenshots. The latest installation APK is on doswriter.com

The Android device is a Moto G circa 2023 connected via USB printer cable with micro-USB phone connector.

I have been working on the problem of comfortable writing production. I developed a text editor for Android that is inspired by the Alphasmart Neo, which is convenient for writing on your patio or just about anywhere else without the encumberance of a laptop or operating system.

In developing ElmerPad, my primary design driver is writing ergonomics. I am hardly thinking about it as a requirement but more from an innate desire to actualize obstacle-free writing. It's an interesting design problem and my solutions spring from decades of writing on computers. I made money through my writing skills and always spent a lot of time developing a workflow for the production side of writing : formatting the document for readability, managing the text sections, compiling to PDFs etc. The other side is text acquisition : capturing the vision that sells.

With modern phones and e-inks the possibility is there to do serious text development with small portable devices if editors exist that are optimized for that format. These devices have a small window outside the scope of the immediate sentence or paragraph, and with this a problem arises. When writing, focus is required at the immediate sentence and paragraph level, while being cognizant of the overall document structure is also important.

This is also drawback of the Alphasmart Neo and similar writing tools, which are great for capturing thought streams but no so great at handling large text. In the small screen worldview one struggles to see the crucial ten-thousand foot view of the entire work.

So it's hard to look outside the device viewport to the overall structure. Printing it out for markup is one strategy. On desktop apps like MS Word you can zoom out to a page layout view that provides a structural map of the entire document.

But without that then how? In improving my editor I devised some intuitive tools for managing large text files on small devices. The first ones were bookmarks and text collapse, which help a lot and are a feature of most desktop editors.

An idea came from my background in graphics and photography : a "filmstrip viewer" and layout "proof-sheet" visualizer for large text files. It's like having a magnifier that you can slide through your document to see the structure or to jump to a different section for editing.

I will spare you the agony of describing it in detail because you can just watch the video.

What the video shows is a large text file (50KB or about 8000 words) loaded into the editing buffer. CTRL+/- is used to demo changing the font size. Next it shows the Layout View (CTRL-Q). This makes a small page out of each paragraph in the document, which are presented in a 4 or 8 page grid. You scan through the grid pages and select one to examine. If you press Escape you return to the grid view. If you press Enter you return to the text buffer at that selected paragraph.

The next sequence shows the Filmstrip View. The settings are adjusted for a 3x4 inch view page and using only the first sentence of each paragraph. Then you can scan through the document quickly and select a paragraph to edit based on that sentence. Pressing Enter returns to the text buffer at that paragraph.

The Filmstrip Viewer could also be a flashcard maker with a few tweaks. The Layout and Filmstrip views can be compiled to PDF in the app. I will add a "proof sheet" function so the grids can also be printed out.

What tools do you use or know of that help with the problem of large file editing on small devices like phones and tablets? Have you seen anything like this in other editors?

This screen capture was taken on a Lenovo 8 inch tablet. My editor runs on phones an e-inks also. I have tested it a lot on the Boox Go 7. I am working to clean up the app documentation but the integrated Help is pretty good at this point and will walk you through how to use it. You can take a look and download here :

https://late-scene-3cfe.elmertjonez.workers.dev

I have used this analog PDA for years to help me stay organized. Update it on the computer, then print it out and fold it up for a shirt-pocket PDA. Sometimes I will carry it for months marking it up until I update it for printing again.

A feature shown in the first photo is the Personal Development Activities on the left side. I have found it's better to do daily activities towards a goal instead of writing down the goal and feeling unproductive about it.

When I travel I put my flight info on the outside panel for a quick glance without pulling out my phone.

I also used to keep a contact list on the back side along with other useful info like email recovery etc.

More description and OpenOffice/PDF examples here :

https://late-scene-3cfe.elmertjonez.workers.dev/instructions/ElmerPDA

After finishing my minimalist editor for Android I needed some glamour shots with the Boox Go 7. Was not in the mood for a product search and another $30 spent. So I scrounged in the garage and found a TV mounting bracket from a previous failed project.

At first I mounted a piece of wood on the bottom of the bracket for the tablet to rest on and of course that didn't work. Then I thought about using the Boox box as a template to cut a piece of wood...then came to my senses and just used a couple of popsickle sticks. I always overcomplicate things.

Can rotate the Boox portrait or landscape. Can also adjust tilt to suit your viewing comfort. With ElmerPad it makes a great writer deck.

Wish I hadn't tossed out the box to my Lenovo tablet.

When you are done mirin my Boox stand take a look at ElmerPad :

https://late-scene-3cfe.elmertjonez.workers.dev

Here is the TV bracket :

www.amazon.com/Ogetok-Monitor-Bracket-Articulating-100x100mm/dp/B0C4B62MXV

Hello,

I developed ElmerPad, a minimalist text editor for Android that's pretty solid now and has many fine features such as visual control, typewriter scrolling, local PC network file transfer, app sharing, and a virtual keyboard. ElmerPad is optimized for fast editing with a Bluetooth keyboard. Works well with a trackball or mouse. It's free, no ads or email requests etc.

After some e-ink users gave it positive feedback I bought a Boox Go 7 Color GenII and optimized it for e-ink readers. It looks great on the Boox and has good keyboard latency. I loaded sample texts up to 100K words and it can manage them with decent text navigation.

Here are some Boox screenshots : https://late-scene-3cfe.elmertjonez.workers.dev/screenshots/boox-screenshots

ElmerPad is designed for writers and is powerful enough for long-form text generation such as a novel. Use it to capture and organize your thoughts for later formatting with publishing software (typically on a PC or laptop). It is great for travel with a small BT keyboard and you can share your text files through Dropbox, Gmail, or other common apps. The virtual keyboard is auto-enabled when a BT keyboard is not attached. It can compile your text buffers into a PDF.

ElmerPad has a built-in outline manager for organizing writing projects, which can be linked to a remote host file folder. You can edit your text on Android then switch to Linux or Windows to continue editing the text in another app. This is nice for working at home with minimal resistance to continued writing on separate devices.

It works on my Lenovo Tab One, Samsung S24 phone, and Moto G phone. Also runs on Supernote and Bigme 6 e-ink devices. (It may not install on an old device however. I could not get it to run on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A circa 2019).

You can read about it in my initial post and follow the ElmerPad website link to more information and the Android apk download :

https://www.reddit.com/r/writerDeck/comments/1t98o3j/i_coded_a_free_app_that_turns_android_phones_and/

Hello,

I developed ElmerPad, a minimalist text editor for Android that's pretty solid now and has many fine features such as visual control, typewriter scrolling, local PC network file transfer, app sharing, and a virtual keyboard. ElmerPad is optimized for fast editing with a Bluetooth keyboard. Works well with a trackball or mouse. It's free, no ads or email requests etc.

ElmerPad is designed for writers and is powerful enough for long-form text generation such as a novel. Use it to capture and organize your thoughts for later formatting with publishing software (typically on a PC or laptop). It is great for travel with a small BT keyboard and you can share your text files through Dropbox, Gmail, or other common apps. The virtual keyboard is auto-enabled when a BT keyboard is not attached. It can compile your text buffers into a PDF.

ElmerPad has a built-in outline manager for organizing writing projects, which can be linked to a remote host file folder. You can edit your text on Android then switch to Linux or Windows to continue editing the text in another app. This is nice for working at home with minimal resistance to continued writing on separate devices.

It works on my Lenovo Tab One, Samsung S24 phone, and Moto G phone. Also runs on Bigme 6 and Boox Go 7 e-ink devices. (It may not install on an old device however. I could not get it to run on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A circa 2019).

You can read about it in my initial post and follow the ElmerPad website link to more information and the Android apk download :

https://www.reddit.com/r/writerDeck/comments/1t98o3j/i_coded_a_free_app_that_turns_android_phones_and/

Here is the writeup, I will post more on my app soon :

https://www.reddit.com/r/writerDeck/comments/1t98o3j/i_coded_a_free_app_that_turns_android_phones_and/