Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
goal is to shape the keyboard to better fit the human hand. The most common of these
designs splits the keyboard in the center, bending the sides outward. Some designs al-
low the angle between the sides to be adjusted, while others are fixed. The split or bent
designs more easily conform to the hands' natural angles while typing than the standard
keyboardallows.Theycanimproveproductivityandtypingspeedandhelppreventrepet-
itive strain injuries (RSI), such as carpal tunnel syndrome (tendon inflammation). A good
source for highly ergonomic keyboards, pointing devices, and furniture is Ergonomic Re-
sources (
www.ergonomicsmadeeasy.com
)
.
Because of their novelty and trendy appeal, some ergonomic keyboards can be consider-
ably more expensive than traditional designs, but for users with medical problems caused
or exacerbated by improper positioning of the wrists at the keyboard, they can be an
important remedy to a serious problem. General users, however, are highly resistant to
change, and these designs have yet to significantly displace the standard keyboard layout.
Ifyoudon'twanttospendbigbucksonthemoreradicalergonomickeyboardsbutwantto
giveyourselfatleastlimitedprotectionfromRSI,considerkeyboardswithabuilt-inwrist
rest or add a gel-based wrist rest to your current keyboard. These provide hand support
without making you learn a modified or brand-new keyboard layout.
Keyboard Troubleshooting and Repair
Keyboard errors are usually caused by two simple problems. Other more difficult, inter-
mittent problems can arise, but they are much less common. The most frequent problems
are as follows:
• Defective cables
• Stuck keys
Many older keyboards, such as the heavy-duty units made by IBM, had replaceable
cables. Defective cables are easy to spot if the failure is not intermittent. If the keyboard
stops working altogether or every keystroke results in an error or incorrect character, the
cable is likely the culprit. Troubleshooting is simple if your keyboard has a detachable
cable, especially if you have a spare cable on hand. Simply replace the suspected cable
with one from a known, working keyboard to verify whether the problem still exists. If it
does, the problem must be elsewhere.
Most modern keyboards have nonreplaceable cables, at least from the outside. In some
cases you can open the keyboard case, and you will see that the cable is internally con-
nected via a removable plug. Unfortunately, those cables are not sold separately, meaning
that the only source for one would be from another keyboard, making a replacement im-
plausible.
