TempoTreadle. Why TempoTreadle? Treadle Tracking System for Traditional Looms

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1 Why TempoTreadle? TempoTreadle is a device you add to your loom to make your weaving process more accurate and stress free. With an audible error beep upon any treadling mistake, you can quickly correct the misplaced pick and get back on track. This system does not alter your rhythm of weaving, that s why we named it TempoTreadle. Unlike other treadle tracking software, there is nothing to touch to advance the pick, and the system knows whether you pressed the correct treadles. Normally you don t watch the display while weaving, but if you do want to check the display screen you ll see the current, previous and next treadling sequence, color code (if applicable), what treadles are currently pressed (if any), pick counters, total time weaving and optional interval counter. TempoTreadle is extremely useful for highly complex and long treadling sequences, but even a plain weave project can benefit from using the system. For example, if you had a warp for plain weave napkins, you may way want to set alerts when the pick count had been reach to end each napkin, or be reminded when to change colors, and when your project is finished, you can know exactly how much time you spent weaving. If you have been interested in the benefits from a computer or compu-dobby type loom, but prefer to treadle a traditional loom, then this system should be a very nice option for you. It s a little technology that goes a long way towards enhancing your traditional weaving to be more enjoyable and efficient. There s no modification required to your loom, just a little Velcro to attach parts in a few places. TempoTreadle is appropriate for professional as well as beginning handweavers. 1 P a g e

2 How does TempoTreadle Work A small magnet is attached to each treadle and a hall-effect sensor detects when the treadle is depressed. Depending on the style of our loom, the magnet will either be secured by a Velcro strap to the underside of the each treadle (towards the back of the loom), or on the end of the treadle (for those looms where depressed treadles hit the floor at the back of the loom). TempoTreadle has a 3-d printed case that holds the tiny hall-effect sensors and thin cabling, called a treadle array. This treadle array runs the length of your treadles and is placed such that it is not in the way of weaving or warping. Each time a treadle is pressed, the corresponding sensor detects the magnetic field, sending the signal along a small ribbon cable to the Logic Unit. The Logic Unit holds the custom software and electronic circuitry necessary to interpret the weaving design, and the feature described below. When setting up TempoTreadle for the first time, you will go through an alignment process to be sure that each sensor is directly in line with its corresponding treadle magnet. We have developed a process to make this fairly simple. Since looms are hand-built and very unique, often treadles are not standard widths apart, so the design of the treadle array utilizes a Velcro strip and flexible tiny cables that allow precise alignment for your unique treadle configuration. We also are aware that the tie-up for certain looms will cause the pressing of one treadle to cause other treadles to go down. For example, if you have treadle 3 tied to shafts 3 and 5, and treadle 5 tied to shaft 5 only, treadle 5 will go down on many looms when the weaver presses treadle 3. That s ok, the software understands this and will compare impacted shafts based on treadles that go down against the shafts that should have been impacted based on the weaving design file. 2 P a g e

3 Loading your Weaving Design If you use Weaving Software, chances are your software is capable of saving your design as a WIF file (standard weaving information file format). This same format is the standard used for downloadable weaving designs from the internet. TempoTreadle only uses the tie-up, treadling sequence and colors; unfortunately TempoTreadle cannot help avoid threading mistakes! If you do not have Weaving Software, you can simply use a text editor and fill in your own tie-up and treadling sequence based on a template we provide. The TempoTreadle system does not have, nor need any type of internet connectivity. To get your design on to the TempoTreadle system, you simply copy your WIF file to an SD card. If your computer does not have an SD card slot, an inexpensive adapter is available for a USB port. Using TempoTreadle Once you have warped your loom, simply be sure the SD card with your design is inserted into the TempoTreadle display unit. Use the rotary dial on the display unit to turn and push to select the menu option to Load WIF. Once loaded, you can select Start Weaving and that s all it takes to start your project. One note about weaving Projects. A project is started for any WIF you load. For each project, a few things are tracked and saved (so if power is turned off, the values are retained): 1. Sequence (treadling sequence, for example, if the last successful pick was at sequence 10, then the system remembers this and will show sequence 11 as the current sequence) 2. Weaving Time (total time weaving; timer stops if no treadle activity is detected in 20 seconds). 3. Up Time (total time the project is loaded and the system is powered on) 4. Pick Counter 1 - pick counter that automatically increments with each successful pick, and decrements when unweaving. This counter can be reset at any time. (error picks are not counted, also picks aren t counted if you pause Weaving mode) 5. Pick Counter 2 a second counter that works the same as Pick Counter 1. For example, when weaving towels, you may want to track total picks thrown in the warp, and also track total picks in each towel. 6. Interval Picks this is another pick counter that works like pick counters 1 and 2, but with this one you set an interval limit so you are notified audibly when you reach that interval; then by default the interval counter starts again at zero. For example, suppose after 520 picks, you want to be 3 P a g e

4 alerted so that you can do something like start a hem, change a color, or take a measurement. This would not be represented in your WIF file, but is something we often do as weavers. The interval counter is shown on the display, and a special alert sounds when that interval counter has reached the limit. TempoTreadle features a few simple modes that are easily selected on the menu: Weaving, Unweaving and Free Weaving. Weaving Mode - TempoTreadle waits for a treadle to be pressed. Once any treadle is pressed, the detected treadle(s) show on the display. Once treadles are no longer depressed (the shed is closed), TempoTreadle instantly determines whether or not to advance the sequence or raise an error condition. On a successful pick, a quick ok beep will sound (unless you have turned this off in settings). On an error, an obnoxious beep will sound to get your attention. Unweaving Mode - assists you in backing out picks by stepping you through the correct sequence in reverse, decrementing the pick counters. If you only need to back out a pick or two, you can simply stay in Weaving Mode and ignore the error beeps as you unweave. Free Weaving Mode - increments the pick counters, allows you to set interval limits, but does not follow a treadling sequence. The screen will show detected treadles, but there is no possibility of an error; each closed shed is a successful pick. Suppose you had a complex border, represented by your weaving design, followed by a 12 inch section of plain weave. You may want to switch the menu to Free Weaving to weave the plain weaving section. Color Changes - Weaving designs with color changes are made easier with TempoTreadle. The colors, coming from your WIF, are indicated with the color code on the screen, and an audible notification reminds you to use another shuttle for the upcoming color change. Picks per Inch and Woven Length a calculated (theoretical) woven length is available for any of the pick counters if you choose to enter your picks per inch. Ignore Treadles on certain weaving designs, you may choose to ignore certain treadles. For example, on an overshot WIF you may choose to omit the tracking of the tabby treadles. 4 P a g e

5 Another useful menu option is a display of the tie-up sequence where a simple listing of the treadle and shafts is presented. This is a handy screen to double-check your tie-up before starting to weave a project. Tie-ups from drawdowns are sometimes hard to follow when there are many shafts. TempoTreadle cases are 3-d printed from environmentally friendly PLA filament (sourced from plants). You can choose from a number of colors, as well as a wood option. The display unit measures approximately 4 X3.75 X.75. A small processor box (Logic Unit) measures about the same and is generally mounted on the side of the loom. The Treadle Array is as wide as your treadles, and is about 2 tall. TempoTreadle has very low power consumption and can either be plugged into a power outlet or powered from a USB power supply battery. Included with TempoTreadle: TempoTreadle Display and Processor Units Treadle Array and Ribbon Cables SD Card and USB SD card reader (including sample WIF file) USB Cable (in case you want to download a future version of TempoTreadle) Rare Earth Magnets (2 per treadle) Velcro Ties or Endcaps, depending on style of treadles Velcro strips for easy sensor adjustments Velcro tape for mounting display and logic units Instructions for setup, alignment and usage If you are interested in learning more about TempoTreadle, we d love to hear from you! Please use the contact information on our website, and we can arrange a time to speak or answer questions via . 5 P a g e