Annoying automatic left/right hand recognition, iGesture Pad

[David.P]

Hi forum,

is there anything at all anyone can think of that could be done to prevent automatic left/right hand switching by the gesture processor? This happens to me literally hundreds of times a day and disrupts my work process all the time. Maybe it is due to my pinky being rather short compared to the other fingers (not sure what that means in terms of my personality though)

This obviously leads the gesture processor to confuse pinky contact with thumb contact (or something). Anyway, it happens to me all the time that the pad switches to left hand mode for some reason, possibly related to the finger lenght issue.

Any tricks to prevent automatic left/right hand recognition for good?

Thanks already
David.P

[TorbenGB]

I had similar experiences, and I can offer you two suggestions.
1) Reset the device by placing a flat hand on the surface -- five times in a row. That might help.
2) In the configuration software, there's a slider to set your hand size -- use a significantly smaller setting.

Best of luck!

[David.P]

Aahh Torben, just saw your post by chance (somehow I wasn't notified).

Thanks very much, I had not thought about the hand size setting. Actually, this happens literally every minute or so (almost every second or third time I use the thumb-and-pinky "Enter" gesture) and terribly disrupts my concentration and work flow.

I'll try the hand size setting, and will report back!

Cheers David.P

[The00Dustin]

If it's always that same gesture that throws it off and the hand size thing doesn't work, you could try rotating the pad a bit to help it look more like the appropriate hand. Obviously this could potentially affect other gestures, but it's worth a shot.

[David.P]

Thanks -- actually what I've done is I've gotten rid of that Thumb/Pinky gesture altogether. It just would not work reliably (only if the hand size was set way too small for other gestures to still work).

Fortunately, I found an unused gesture that I'm now using for "Enter".

Cheers David.P

[David.P]

Guys, I can't believe that (after like years) I'm still suffering very much from this issue all the time.

The pad auto-changes to the left hand literally HUNDREDS of times a day

Any ideas always welcome

[David.P]

Guys, this kills me.

I love my iGesture Pad, but it still does that unwanted hand swap HUNDREDS of times a day (like once every minute or so).

The thing is, i have NEVER managed to evoke the behavior intentionally. But as soon as I forget thinking about it, the behaviour surely starts again.

[TorbenGB]

I'm really sorry to hear that this problem hasn't been solved yet, David. It's good that you post again.

- Have you run the device diagnostics, does the board pass with all green sensors?
- Have you tried a complete software reset, i.e. load the default firmware onto the device again? This will wipe your customizations but I'm sure that's the lesser pain for you.

[David.P]

Thanks Torben, I'll try and do as you propose (if I can find a XP installation somewhere...)

Actually I don't think it is a software or hardware problem, since it happens overly often when I'm tired or in a hurry. I could be doing something wrong myself. If I only could FORCE that behavior one single time intentionally, but no chance.

However, I might try one of my other iGesture Pads that are sitting in the cupboard.

Thank you again
David.P

[TorbenGB]

If you suspect it's neither a configuration nor a hardware fault, then try to adjust the "hand size" setting. On my TSLP, I found that the medium hand size worked better for me even though I do have fairly large hands. Keep in mind that the hand size looks smaller of course when you bend your fingers more.

[David.P]

Yes Torben, I already played around with the hand size setting -- however not with much success so far unfortunately.

[David.P]

This is truly a feature from hell.

The thing is, and I am not kidding -- if I am tired, the iGesture pad swaps hands nearly EVERY time I touch it for pointing or scrolling.

I can even FEEL it before it is going to happen -- but only unconsciously. If I try to reproduce this error intentionally, it NEVER happens, no matter what crappy movements I try to make on the pad.

Anyway, thanks @all for commiserating.

Cheers David.P

[The00Dustin]

Very interesting. No doubt even more frustrating being that you're tired when it happens. Are you friends with a potential third partywho is analytical enough to watch you use it when it works and when it doesn't and spot the slight physical difference that you're obviously unable to intentionally create thus far? Alternatively, maybe a video camera? It could be that the pad just hates you, but I tend to believe you are more tense or something and it causes a slight difference that just crosses some threshold that isn't being considered.

[TorbenGB]

Anyway, thanks @all for commiserating.

Hey that is the very least we can do, David...
I'm wondering whether this can be a hardware malfunction, because if it were software (or firmware, same thing) then it would be a consistent behaviour. Do you have the FW software installed? Is there any change in working surroundings when you're tired; is it perhaps somehow time-dependent -- different room humidity at night-time, or something like that?

[David.P]

Sorry guys for not coming back to you sooner. Somehow I don't get notifications from the board anymore. Will have to check that.

I don't think the problem is hardware or ambient conditions-related because it scarcely occurs when I'm fit and alert.

I tend to believe you are more tense or something and it causes a slight difference that just crosses some threshold that isn't being considered.

This is exactly what I feel is the reason for the pad's behaviour. Some day, I will outsmart my unconscious self and nail down that fatigue tourette or whatever it is I'm exhibiting here

Cheers David.P

[David.P]

Can you guys believe that this feature from hell has pestered me like a 100,000 times now -- and I still didn't manage one single &%*$§ing time to reproduce it intentionally?

Anyway I will carry on trying very hard.

[TorbenGB]

Hi David!
O man I'm sorry t hear that you're still troubled by this. I haven't had any similar experiences and no ideas to help you on.
Do you have more than one FW device, and if so is only that one affected? That could reveal whether it's a device problem or operation.

[David.P]

Thank you very much Torben for your compassion. Although I think that I have already tried some of my other iGesture Pads, I will try again and report back if anything should improve.

After all, our Fingerworks touchpads and keyboards are still unparalleled, indispensable, and in a class of its own by far.

Best regards,
David
--
[edit]: first occurrence of the feature from hell after like 30 seconds, with the other iGesture Pad

[David.P]

Guys, I start to suspect that the four-finger up/down scrolling gesture is the main culprit here, because most often, the 'feature from hell' occurs just after scrolling (about one time per minute, day in year out).

Therefore, I thought I'd use five fingers for scrolling instead -- this would also be more comfortable. Now before I start to search for an old laptop that runs my XP copy -- is there any faulty reasoning involved on my side? I suspect that yes, since probably I have tried 5-finger scrolling before, but for some reason I don't remember anymore it was impractical.

Best Regards
David

[The00Dustin]

Since the cause is clearly not obvious, I wouldn't rule anything out. Trying five finger scrolling sounds especially reasonable if you want five finger scrolling anyway, and it sounds like you do. However, I'm curious as to whether your four finger scrolling is with your fingers together or spread. I'm guessing spread, because if they were together, I don 't think there would be any way for the device to attempt to detect which hand was being used. When I had a TSLP, I used four finger gestures for scrolling and cursor movement at the very least, but didn't have to deal with your issue due to having a left-hand pad and a right-hand pad. Is your pinky finger as long as or longer than your index finger by chance? If so, and/or perhaps depending on the length of your ring finger vs your middle finger, four finger scrolling with spread fingers could certainly be the culprit. Personally, I always placed the tips of my fingers together (or at least lined up almost horizontally) to do the four finger gestures (same as the chords). It's difficult to describe how I held my hand to do that (middle and ring finger bent the most, pinky finger extended the most, but not straight, all comfortable), but I have a feeling it wouldn't trigger what you are seeing and likely isn't how you are performing the gesture.

[David.P]

Hey Dustin and thank you for the reply,

Trying five finger scrolling sounds especially reasonable if you want five finger scrolling anyway, and it sounds like you do.

Yes I think that it is very comfortable. However I still suspect that there was some weighty reason to not choose five fingers for scrollling. I guess I'll have to give it another try.

However, I'm curious as to whether your four finger scrolling is with your fingers together or spread. I'm guessing spread, because if they were together, I don 't think there would be any way for the device to attempt to detect which hand was being used.

Actually the gesture I use is "together", not "spread".

Is your pinky finger as long as or longer than your index finger by chance?

No, it is actually rather short.

Personally, I always placed the tips of my fingers together (or at least lined up almost horizontally) to do the four finger gestures

Actually, I place my hand very naturally on the pad, so the fingertips describe an arc on the pad.

The problem must have to do with the moment of changing between gestures. If I am tense or tired, I obviously move my fingers somewhat sloppy (unconsciously), like if when your'e talking indistinctly when very tired (or drunk). It is literally like the pad then misunderstands the talking of my fingers, which surely has become mighty fast over almost a decade, like playing an instrument virtuosically.

[The00Dustin]

No, it is actually rather short.

Obviously you'll have to try anything you can think of, but figuring out what is happening inside the pad could lead to an a-ha moment, so sorry if the questions about your finger length seem personal, but here is another: Is your pinky so short that the pad could think it is a thumb in a different gesture (one that either isn't programmed or wouldn't negatively affect most of what you do anyway) when one of the other three fingers comes off the surface before the pinky?

[David.P]

so sorry if the questions about your finger length seem personal

but here is another: Is your pinky so short that the pad could think it is a thumb in a different gesture

Actually not quite*, but if it were, and if the pad would think it is a thumb, it would not scroll! So that can't be the problem. Even if I put the pinky where a left thumb would be, the feature from hell does not occur.

Actually, scrolling also works with any number and position of fingers, if it was only started with 4.

*)

Short little finger people may:
Miss verbal signals and nuances in conversation.
Mistrust sarcasm and irony.
Have trouble making themselves understood.
Avoid foreign languages.
Don’t read much.
Feel insecure about personal finances.
Aren’t all that curious.
Often look years younger than their actual age, and are typically vivacious and fun-loving.

[The00Dustin]

Good point on the scroll gesture being active until all fingers are removed. I forgot. Been far too long since I've had a TSLP, but that particular behavior applies to most gestures on most touch devices anymore.

[David.P]

This is magic, or something. Accidentally, I felt rather energetic the last 2 hours (doesn't happen SO often here), and the feature from hell has not struck me one single time.