pen & tablet....

[dar]

Sorry if this has already been discussed but I searched the archives and couldn't find any info. Is anyone out there using a pen & tablet instead of a mouse? My wrist is starting to tingle and I want to nip it in the bud before it gets any worse. First off, does it help with carpel symptoms? Does it make operating PT any better or worse? Which one works the best w/PT?
Thanks in advance....

Dar
PT5.0 Mix+
Beige G3 233mhz desktop
FibreChannel drive array
1 sore wrist

[KingTor]

I know a guy who uses nothing but the pen & tablet and swears by it. I don't know the exact model, though. I also know several people who have a pen & tablet standing by and switch from the mouse to it occasionally just to offer some relief to their wrists. I keep threatening to get one for my studio, but I haven't done it yet. One question I have is how they work with two monitors. Do you need two tablets? Anyone out there know?

[audio1]

No you don't need two tablets. It works like any other inpput device.

[Steve Cohn]

Along these lines, here is a very cool series of products:
http://www.wacom.com/productinfo/pl300.html

This is the way computing should be.

Steve

[KSutton]

I've had many years of good luck with the original Kensington Trackball. It is an ADB device so you can use it with your beige G3

[Postman]

I tried a Wacom (pronounced "wah-cum", emphasis on the "wah") tablet, and it worked fine. If I had to choose one over the other I would still stay with the mouse, but that is because I mix with a console. Keeping track of the pen was not a skill I developed. I think it would be more valid in other circumstances, and I really enjoyed drawing waveforms and other curves with it! I finally abandonded it because it cluttered my space more than it helped my wrist.

As far as the wrist problems, I've found that mouse shape makes a difference (I personally like Kensington). Strength exercises for wrist and fingers and attention to relaxed hand positions have helped me greatly. Frequent breaks to change hand positions for a few moments help, and don't necessarily stop the work flow. One of the reasons I like keyboard shortcuts is because they reduce mouse dependency and these kinds of problems.

Good luck, and definitely address the problems now, while you can reverse any possible consequences!

[spigots]

I've tried using the WACOM, and unfortunately I keep getting SCSI conflicts with CDR, DDS3, etc. Anyone know a work around? I miss my tablet.
Frank

[Postman]

But the Wacom is serial, not SCSI, isn't it? Why would it cause SCSI problems? That seems odd.

[spigots]

It seemed to be extension related. It was crashing our CD-R drive when writing with Toast/Jam, and made Mezzo do some weird stuff with our DDS3 ("Device has crashed" errors).
According to online docs at various manufacturers sites,these were known conflicts. It's been 6 months since we stopped trying, so I don't remember all the details.
Frank

[Postman]

Ah, I see. When I had one connected here, I didn't have Toast on the system, and I didn't experience any problems. I remember reading something about it, now that you mention it.