A repetitive stress harm (RSI) like carpal tunnel syndrome happens as the results of gentle forces utilized many a whole bunch or hundreds of occasions. The forces concerned are often so minor that they don’t seem to be a difficulty whenever you really feel them, however they add up over time. For heavy pc customers, the keyboard is a typical supply of RSIs as it’s common to faucet the keys a number of thousand occasions each single day. Prevention is essential and an necessary step is studying correct typing method. To assist with that, Chris developed the Mild Typing Coach.
There are some things you are able to do to stop an RSI attributable to typing. An ergonomic keyboard could make a giant distinction, as can a wrist pad that lifts your fingers as much as the correct top to your keyboard. And whereas we lack conclusive literature, there may be anecdotal proof to counsel that mechanical keyboards will help, as they supply tactile and auditory suggestions whenever you’re pushed a key far sufficient.
However crucial change you can also make is to kind with much less pressure. As a substitute of pushing a key arduous and shoving it down so far as it’ll go, push it gently and solely far sufficient to register. However that may be a troublesome behavior to ingrain, which is why Chris created this system.
The Mild Typing Coach sits beneath a keyboard and detects harsh typing. When it does, it flashes a light-weight to inform the person. That reminder, given persistently, ought to assist to strengthen good typing habits.
This works utilizing a quite simple circle consisting of two piezoelectric sensors, a Microchip ATtiny85 microcontroller, an LED, and a button. The button lets the person configure the detection threshold for harsh typing, which is beneficial for tailoring the system to a selected keyboard and for gradual coaching. Energy is available in by way of USB and the elements mount onto a customized PCB that matches within a easy polystyrene tube.
In case you’re involved about RSI — and also you most likely ought to be — then Chris’s Mild Typing Coach could also be very useful.
