I have done all kinds of searches on ebay and can't find those optacons anywhere. Gord ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Oehm" <oehmelec@xxxxxxx> To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 3:42 PM Subject: two Optacons for sale! Hello Friends, Those on this list that are interested in acquiring an Optacon might be interested in two current E-Bay listings. Excerpts from these current E-Bay listings follow. E-Bay is a very friendly site for most screen reader programs and it's fairly intuitive and easy to use. There is an excellent and very well written article about buying and selling items on E-Bay recently published in the January 2006 issue of Access World. Access World is a free web based magazine devoted to access technology related topics, which is published by the American Foundation For The Blind. You can download current and back issues of Access World at the American Foundation For The Blind website HTTP://WWW.AFB.ORG. The January 2006 Access World article describes in step by step detail, how to buy and sell items on E-Bay. Some of you may want to go to E-Bay and check out the status of the following listings. These were lifted from the E-Bay website on WednsDay evening (May 17, 2006). TSI OPTACON II PORTABLE BRAILLE READER Item number: 9520648367 Starting bid: US $400.00 End time: May-22-06 18:24:53 PDT Shipping costs: Calculate [Event.] Ships to: Worldwide Item location: Southern Chester County., PA, United States History: 0 bids Meet the seller Seller: rotandi ( 2033 [Feedback score is 1000 to 4,999.]) Feedback: 99.8% Positive Member: since Aug-13-99 in United States Score: 2033 | 99.8% Positive Free PayPal Buyer Protection. See eligibility Description (revised) Item Specifics - Item Condition Condition: Used Up for auction is a Telesensory Systems Inc. (TSI) Optacon II Portable Braille Reader/Scanner. It is used, but in excellent condition. It was purchased out of a house and was hooked up when it was removed. It seems to be in working order and in great condition. It is a portable tactile reading system that gives the user direct access to printed material. A handheld camera (about the size of a cigarette lighter) is scanned across the printed page. The retina of that camera perceives the contrast between the light page and dark print and sends the image to a vibrating tactile array. The user rests an index finger on the tactile array and is able to feel the letters move underneath the fingers. The entire unit is approximately the size of a portable cassette recorder. The Optacon II can be used to read a computer screen as well as printed material, The Optacon II uses tactile access in combination with optical character recognition. The reading material is scanned and the letters felt on a tactile array. This is a portable reading device for the blind that does not rely on a knowledge of Braille. It consists of a tiny camera tethered to a tactile array of 5 x 20 pins covering an area approximately 1 inch long by 0.5 inches wide. As the user moves the camera over the surface on which the information is printed/displayed, the scanned image is converted into a vibrating tactile form that the user can sense with his or her fingertip. The device can also effectively convey simple graphics (e.g., straight lines) as well as text. When reading kanji, it is not always possible to display an entire character at once, in which case the user will need to scan the left and right halves separately. This item comes with a carrying case, 2 batteries, charger, battery pack. I do not have the manual or software, but it can be found on the internet. Because I am not familiar with this item and because it is an electrical item it is sold "as is", but I don't believe you will be disappointed. Seller's payment instructions Personal checks, cashiers checks, money orders, Bid Pay & Paypal accepted (Tracking is REQUIRED for our protection and is an additional $0.50). Credit cards processed through the last two services. I ship via USPS Priority Mail unless requested otherwise. INSURANCE IS OPTIONAL BUT PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE SHOULD YOU OPT NOT TO INSURE YOUR PURCHASE. Thank you for your interest in my auctions! Here's the second Optacon listing on E-Bay. TELESENSORY TSI OPTACON R1D BRAILLE READER SCANNER Item number: 9520651248 Starting bid: US $200.00 end time May-22-06 18:34:14 PDT Ships to: Worldwide Item location: Southern Chester County., PA, United States History: 0 bids Meet the seller Seller: rotandi ( 2033 [Feedback score is 1000 to 4,999.]) Feedback: 99.8% Positive Member: since Aug-13-99 in United States [PayPal Buyer Protection Offered.] Free PayPal Buyer Protection. See eligibility Description Item Specifics - Item Condition Condition: Used Up for auction is a Telesensory Systems Inc. (TSI) Optacon R1D Braille Reader/Scanner. It is used, but in excellent condition. It was purchased out of a house and was hooked up when it was removed. It seems to be in working order and in great condition. This item comes with a large vinyl carrying case and the unit is encased in sturdy leather. I do not have the manual or software, but it can be found on the internet. Because I am not familiar with this item and because it is an electrical item it is sold "as is", but I don't believe you will be disappointed. Shipping, payment details and return policy Services Available Service Transit Time* Available to US Postal Service Priority Mail superscript =AE Estimated delivery 2-3 days United States only *Sellers are not responsible for service transit time. Transit times are provided by the carrier, exclude weekends and holidays, and may vary with package origin and destination, particularly during peak periods. Will ship to Worldwide. Shipping insurance Not offered Seller's payment instructions Personal checks, cashiers checks, money orders, Bid Pay & Paypal accepted (Tracking is REQUIRED for our protection and is an additional $0.50). Credit cards processed through the last two services. I ship via USPS Priority Mail unless requested otherwise. INSURANCE IS OPTIONAL BUT PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE SHOULD YOU OPT NOT TO INSURE YOUR PURCHASE. Thank you for your interest in my auctions! I hope that posting this information to the list will be helpful to those of you who might be wanting to purchase an Optacon. P.S. This seller is also offering an old original Perkins Braille Writer for sale. Amazing! Richard Oehm E-mail: oehmelec@xxxxxxx To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject.