Hi Everyone.
Lately I've been experiencing more discomfort at my desk, so I've been rethinking my ergonomic setup, and trying different tent stands, chair and monitor adjustment, and keyboard placement. I finally (after years of thinking about it) ordered a longer ribbon cable for my TS and I just installed it last night.
It really wasn't hard at all to change the cable. I gently pulled the existing cable out, and replaced it with a new 18 inch long cable. I didn't bother trying to push the new cable through the slot in the frame, but just went underneath the frame into the socket. I'm typing with it right now.
If anyone is curious, I did have a method for deciding on the 18 inch ribbon. I set up my TS in front of me, and put some masking tape on my desk. I then placed my hands on the TS, as though I was using it, and marked a line on the tape to represent the location of each of my thumbs. I then relaxed, allowing my arms to rest more naturally at my sides, and resting on the arm rests of my chair. I then marked the location of my thumbs again. Measuring, I found that I needed about 7 additional inches on each side. So, that would be 14 inches, plus the two inches of the original cable. My "ideal" cable would have been 16 inches. Digikey sells them in either a 12 or 18 inch length. So, fearing that the 12 inch would still be too restrictive, I went with the 18.
Anyway, I'm sure it's going to take some time, and more experimenting to get the pads set up nicely. I may end up fabricating a new tent-like stand later. For today, I have the pads placed on two empty 3 ring binders on my desk. That has allowed me to get a decent spacing, and a bit of an angle to each pad. So, I'll have to just see how things work out.