A microprocessor controlled page turner

The Page-A-R.A.M.A. (Remote Automated Manuscript Advance) was designed and constructed to turn a single page of a standard sized book. The design is intended to fulfill the needs of a handicapped user who cannot turn the pages of a book. The user starts the procedure by triggering a switch, that produces a TURN PAGE command. After a TURN PAGE command has been indicated, a DC gearmotor turns a page through a driver arm and suction device. When the page is attached to the arm, the gearmotor reverses, and lifts the page from the book. When the page reaches a certain height, a blower is activated and the suction device is detached from the page, allowing the page to be turned to the other side of the book. The above process is controlled by a Motorola 68HC11 microprocessor. Since this will be a single unit production the microprocessor evaluation board, MC68HC11EVB, was used. Construction of the Page-A-R.A.M.A. is not fully completed. The initial testing shows that the suction/blower device does turn pages. A problem exists because of static electricity between the book pages, causing the suction device to pick up more than one page at a time. A possible solution for the problem is treating the book by chemical means to eliminate the static electricity. Further testing and refinements will be performed on the Page-A-R.A.M.A.