Tactor Set Up 

Materials Needed:

Rubber Bands, Paperclips, Sponges, Tactors, and PLA printed parts

Measurement Protocol:

Measuring your fingers:

NOTE: All measurements are done in millimeters (mm)

--> Measure the width of the joint closest to your fingertips for your pinky, ring, middle, and index fingers respectively (as seen on the dashed lines below).   

--> Compare the width measurements to the sizing table (i.e. what size do the measurements fall in between: S, M, or L?) 

Sizes	Small (S)	Medium (M)	Large (L)
Range	<13mm	13-16mm	16-19mm

Manufacturing Protocol:

--> Go to the Git Hub and download the corresponding size for the top and bottom tactor housing files. 

Note: The following table contains the nomenclature of the tactor housing files. 

	Small (S)	Medium (M)	Large (L)
Top Tactor	E1_S	E1_M	E1_L
Bottom Tactor	E2_S	E2_M	E2_L

Here is the link to the Github where tactor files can be downloaded: *insert link to GitHub* 

--> Print the tactors!

Note: Make sure to print a pair of tactor housings (top and bottom) for each finger of both hands. You should be printing a total of 8 tactor housing pairs.

We recommend printing with the following settings:

- Fine print detail (~0.12mm)

- Print with supports enabled 

- Print in the following orientation: 

 

--> After Printing:

Make sure to remove supports carefully

Optional: Post-process by sanding to smoothen areas 

--> Print the tactor bead and bead template!

The purpose of the tactor bead is to localize the vibrations on the fingertips and the bead template helps with the installation onto the tactors so that they are centered. 

The two parts can be seen in the following image: 

To put the bead onto the tactor, do the following steps:

1) Add minimal glue to the bottom of the bead

Note: We recommend using crazy glue or something similar

2) Add the bead onto the tactor using the bead template

3) Push the bead down onto the tactor and hold for ~10 seconds

4) Lift the bead template off carefully 

You now have your bead installed on your tactor!

Assembly Method:

Now that you have your sized tactor housings for each of your fingers, you can now assemble it!

Begin by:

1) Attaching the two parts together like so: 

2) Bending the paper clip straight to be used as a hinge and inserting it into the pivot hole: 

Note: We recommend using pliers and wire cutters for this task 

You can then bend the sides and cut off the excess of the paperclip to ensure a secure fit. 

Now repeat for the jigg hook hole (the purpose of this will be referenced in the JIGG section)

3) Adding glue to the sides of the tactor cavity on the bottom tactor housing and install a precut sponge: 

Note: The sponge was cut into a rectangular prism of the the following dimensions (8x11x11mm)

4) Add your tactor with the bead (it should just plop in)  

Note: This is not a secure attachment since we want the tactor to freely move. Additionally, the rubber band will be the mechanism to keep the tactor in place.

5) Attach the rubber bands

Note: The strength and/or number of rubber bands is down to personal taste 

...and voila! 

 You have now completed your first tactor! 

Repeat the previous steps to create a tactor for the rest of your fingers.