Ergonomics

[magic]

I have been playing around with my girlfriends DFX and have found a way to make it lighter and more comfortable.
She had that carpel tunnel surgery a while back and after a long day of hunting, her wrist starts to bother her.

I found that by taking the arm strap off of the detector and wrapping it under the bar just in front of the box and then around her wrist, She says she can hardly feel the weight of the detector. Its all on her arm now and not supported by her wrist. I was thinking of something that is sorta C shaped that would be padded and maybe adjustable that could be attached at the bar that would allow the user to put it on either side they wanted. It would be padded and of course be a accessory that you could buy separate from the detector. Easy to slip into and out of and it wouldn't be attached to you like the swingy thing. I am going to try and build a prototype and see what I can come up with.
I tried it myself and it does make the detector feel weightless.


later today......

Ok,
Here are some pics. I just used what I could find around my garage. I let her try it out for a while and she really likes it. You can hunt with it on or without it and it lays down out of the way. This is just a rough idea and could use improvement but it works great for now..

 

[magic]

-- moved topic --

 

[GoGoGopher]

Now that looks sharp...WTG!!

 

[gobble-gobble]

GREAT job. Thats where you'll always find us in the garage, making new ideas. Again , GREAT JOB

 

[srf2112]

Nice idea Magic ! Well engineered concept. I would like to look into doing the exact same thing for my friend. She feels the wear and tear on her arm also after awhile. For that matter. I'd like it for myself ! keep us updated on what you come up with.
HH
Scott

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Heck I would send this info to Whites as it might be incorporated in their new units and or be offered as an acc.and perhaps make an excellent design even better..
After using heavy spectrums I drew a prototype of a lightweight unit and sent it to Whites and looked very familiar to me when the XLT emerged...

 

[Larry (IL)]

That is a great idea Magic, you might have a part time job there making a bunch of them..........I see the line forming now...

 

[magic]

Thanks everyone! The steel rod is the bottom piece off of an old guitar stand I had and I just padded it up. If you want something temporary to try out, Just take the strap off of the arm cuff and strap it around your wrist and around the detector and feel the difference. It really makes it feel lighter. You dont even have to hold the grip with your hand because all the weight is shifted to your arm. I am going to try and make a nicer one with a larger wrist cover, something like a arm cuff upside down to expand out the weight better.