Clammy Modding

japala writes "Some people tend to have cold hands while they type the keyboard or use the mouse. Equally as many suffer from sweaty palms and that feels really annoying while using the mouse. MetkuMods have made couple of tutorials in true DIY spirit that will try to make your life easier. These devices may have started as a joke but trust me, they do work. See the MouseFan and BreezePad."

Comments

Palmar hyperhidrosis

[sstory]

People who have this condition so bad that their mouse shorts out have Palmar Hyperhidrosis, and it can be treated by applying antiperspirant to your palms several times per week. I read an article about it. It's totally weird. dripping hands all the time.

Re:Palmar hyperhidrosis

[Anonymous Coward]

I knew someone with it. He couldn't use pencils because the sweat would wipe around the graphite and you couldn't read what he wrote. Even then, every paper he used seemed like it was water damaged.

It really sucks.

Re:Palmar hyperhidrosis

[The Tyro]

Did you look into some of the aluminum chloride drying preparations that you can apply to your hands? It might be easier than soaking your hands in an ion bath.

You could also consider Botox if the ion bath stops working. You'd have to have a regional nerve block (injections into the palms tend to be VERY painful, particularly when you're getting the dozens per palm that HH typically requires), but you get months of effectiveness out of it. The botox also seems to work better/longer with subsequent usage. Of course, you can't tell that to the anti-botox crowd, who think that it's only used for cosmetics. It's even used by some cardiologists: they inject it into the intraventricular septum in people with Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis (IHSS)

I realize your medical conditions are none of my business, and you're probably already aware of the botox, particularly if you were looking into the surgery... just wanted to make a suggestion in case you were unaware, and your ion bath stops working for you.

Good luck

How about babypowder ?

[bobo333]

just a thought. Good enough for MJ before a game.

Sweaty Palms -- Dirty Mouse Pads

[srw]

I used to work in a computer store. One of our staff would spend most of the day sitting at a computer in the showroom playing Everquest or whatever other game was new at the time. Another employee would daily replace the grimey mouse pad. Seriously, after 8 hours of gaming the mouse pad would have a very noticable, ugly stain on it.

Reminds me of a mathmatical probability...

[TrollBridge]

"These devices may have started as a joke but trust me, they do work."

...I think it was something about the frequency at which suckers enter the world.

But seriously folks, this reminds me a lot of how pharmaceutical companies fabricate diseases, and then conveniently provide a treatment (never a cure) for said imaginary medical condition.

the Peltier effect is cool!

[sentientbeing]

I thought those ideas were a bit lame. I know the mouse fan was a joke, but I wouldnt want the fan generating all sorts of harmonics on the 5v power line anyway. Screw all the signals up I reckon. Especially on the optical variety which uses signal processing.
A Peltier cooling device on the 'other hand' (no pun intended) would be ideal and it can be molded to almost any shape mouse, and it uses constant current. Utilised in this project

Re:the Peltier effect is cool!

[SharpFang]

Not really. The mouse has 4 wires - 2 for data and 2 for power, and it has pretty high tollerance for power (at least my logitech has :). Even the data lines are quite "strong". I tapped into the data lines, connecting them to amplifier, powered it from power lines and made a LED "activity indicator" that blinks whenever something on the PS2 line happens (i.e. the mouse is moved :)

Note it's digital transmission, not analog, so you need quite strong line noise to break it.

Okay, but what about heating?

[SharpFang]

Can I get enough power to the mouse over existing wiring to add some heater device or do I have to replace the cable? What would you suggest as the heater - will a few plain higher-than-minimum power resistors suffice? Will I be able to run it from built in computer ATX power supply or do I need some extra external power?

(that metal "inertia wheel" is very cool for fast scrolling but it gets damn cold in winter.)

Re:What about sweaty fingers?

[josh crawley]

I don't know, maybe all these people have small hands, but I just lightly grasp the mouse with my fingertips. Thumb holds the left side of the mouse, ring and pinky on the right, and index and middle over the buttons and wheel.

I move mostly with my forearm (to avoid carpal tunnel problems) but that works fine. I find that if I do rest my palm on the mouse for a few moments, it does get sweaty, but that's why I don't do it.

Forget about blankers!

[SharpFang]

With vibrations coming from the fan, the mouse will be always sending SOMETHING. Not enough to make the cursor visibly move, but enough that a screen blanker will never go off.

Now, is it good or bad news? :)

Wrist heating pad

[Scumbag Tracker]

This may be filed under the "funny, laugh" department, but I would LOVE some kind of heating device for my hands. I work in an office which is always freezing cold in the summer (they crank the air conditioner, yet they complain about wanting to save money :-/ ), and my hands get so cold I find it very difficult to type.

I would love to buy an electrical wrist rest heater (like those wrist cushions for RSI), but nobody seems to make one. :( In the meantime, I go through one of those chemical heating pads every single day. I should try to get reimbursed for them from HR. ;-)

Wrist band

[NitroPye]

Ive started wearing a wrist band for long strenchs at the computer. Its the best thing to happen to LAN gaming for me. It helps with wrist support plus it wipes away sweat from my brow or my palms. So if you want a functional wrist and sweat saver device that also acts a a great "punk rocker" fasion statement get yourself a wristband.

Keyboard condoms... weird, but have their place

[redwolfoz]

If you send them a photocopy of your keyboard, most companies will produce a reasonable keyboard skin for you.

It's still very much a love it or hate it thing... you have to weigh up whether the weird rubbery texture and lack of key feel is worth ignoring to keep crap out of your keyboard. But if you're really jittery with your first caffiene source in the morning, it may be a cheaper option than constantly replacing fried keyboards.

Re:Now if only...

[BigBlockMopar]

Now if only...

...he'd hooked the BreezePad up to the exhaust of a vacuum cleaner rather than a wimpy little computer fan.

HoverMouse, anyone?

I should try mousing on the air hockey table to see how slippery it is....

Seriously, too. To cut acrylic (or most other plastics) neatly, use masking tape along the line you're cutting (helps avoid chips). Don't use metalworking tools if you can avoid it, the teeth are too fine and get clogged. Saw *slowly* because the friction will melt the plastic. Pouring water (ie. from a garden hose) as you cut is good to wash away chips and keep the piece cool. Leave the paper backing on the plastic until you're done *all* the cutting and drilling. Deburr the holes by using a countersinking bit BY HAND for a couple of turns. And finally, always remember: measure once, cut twice! [grin]

If you need this to work with an optical mouse, make sure any LEDs in the pad are a very different color. Mine, for example, has a red LED and I'd imagine that its sensor is designed for that, so blue LEDs would probably upset it very little... but I haven't tested it.

Once you've got the cutting and drilling done, you could take off the paper backing and take the piece to a sandblasting shop and have them blast it gently with walnut shells or other soft blasting media. That should frost it nicely so that it works with an optical mouse, and the whole thing would glow, too.

Smokers

[phorm]

How about mice/keyboards themselves? At work, it's pretty easy to pick out the ones used by smokers, as the yellow chunky residue makes its way onto their keys.

Having to do any service work that involves touching those keyboards is just gross - and it makes me wonder that if it's mucking up the keyboard that badly, what is it doing to their body?