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A Word About Comfort and Safety
Computer User Health Information
In recent years, medical attention on occupational and recreational injuries has identified normal,
seemingly harmless activities as a potential cause of a wide range of problems collectively known as
Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI) or Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD).
It is now recognized that any repetitive motion may contribute to these health problems. As a computer
user or gamer, you might also be at risk.
The most commonly accepted causes of this type of disorder are repeated, forceful actions, usually in
anawkward position or posture, without sufficient rest to allow the body to recover, especially in the
presence of cold or vibration. These repetitive actions may cause tendons, ligaments, and other soft
body parts to become irritated and inflamed. In addition, experts have noted that stress, both on the
job and at home, can be an important contributing factor in the onset of symptoms.
By paying attention to the way you perform your work, use your computer and phone, play video
games, and work around the house, you can identify the behaviors that may be putting you at risk.
A thorough work site analysis by a qualified expert is important in order to reduce the risk of repetitive
motion injuries. If you experience pain, swelling, numbness, or weakness in your wrists or hands
(especially during sleep), see your physician immediately. These symptoms could mean that you
are developing a repetitive stress injury that requires prompt medical attention. For more detailed
information, consult your doctor or a reputable book.
Comfort and Safety Tips
• Place the items that you use regularly within reach. Avoid reaching and stretching.
• If you use a keyboard drawer, try to place the input device in the same tray as the keyboard. If you
can’t arrange this, try to place the input device nearby. Try to avoid reaching up, away, or to the side
for the input device.
• Don’t sit in one position for too long.
• Take breaks. Frequent short breaks are probably better than a few long ones.
• Stand up and stretch during your gaming. Try to do this frequently.
• Look into stress-reducing techniques that might work for you.
• You should not have to reach or stretch to use either the keyboard or the input device.
CLEANING YOUR X-ARCADE™ TRACKBALL
Input devices using mouse or track ball technology need to be cleaned periodically. Cleaning frequency
for your X-Arcade™ Trackball is much less than a normal trackball or mouse due to it's design, but this
depends on how you work with it, and can be affected adversly by spilling liquids on the ball or using
it with sticky/dirty fingers. When moving the ball of the trackball feels slow or rough, it’s time for a
cleaning.
To clean your X-Arcade™ Trackball:
NOTE:
Do not open the plastic trackball housing upside-down (ball facing down) as this will cause all
of the parts to fall out.
1. Turn off your computer if using the PS/2 mouse port connection.
2. Unplug the X-Arcade™ Trackball from the computer.
3. Turn the X-Arcade™ Trackball over, laying it on a surface so that it does not touch the ball.
(example: between two books, or on your legs with the ball in between).
4. Remove the screws on the bottom of the X-Arcade™ Trackball that are recessed in the rubber feet.
Your X-Arcade™ Trackball may have small rubber covers over the screws in the center of these
rubber feet, if so just pop them out.
5. Remove the bottom wooden panel. This is easiest done with a flat object like a butter knife (careful
not to cut yourself) or some other wide flat object. Simply pry in between the cracks of the
X-Arcade™ Trackball base and the panel, being careful not to scratch that beautiful veneer.
6. Remove the 4 bolts holding the plastic trackball housing into the wood casing.
7. With a phillips screwdriver, remove the 4 screws holding the trackball plastic
casing together. Do not attempt to open the trackball plastic housing in this step.
8. Grab the bottom and top part of the plastic housing with both hands, holding them closed/together
firmly, and turn it over so that the ball is facing up.
9. Remove the top half (ball side) of the plastic housing.
10. Remove the ball, and clean it with tap water and, if needed, dishwashing
detergent. Dry it with a lint-free cloth.
11. Clean the rollers and idler (the 3 metal cylinders that the ball sits on) using a
premoistened cleaning swab or cotton swab with rubbing alcohol. Allow surfaces to dry completely
before reassembling.
12. Reassemble following the above steps backwards.
Your X-Arcade™ Trackball is cleaned, and ready for action!