The LS-512P model of The Learning Station - Below Desk VDT

Summerland is pleased to introduce our newest model line, The Learning Station™. Our company focus is on logic, practical engineering, and user-friendly designs. We concur with the majority of ergonomics experts who believe natural viewing offers the safest and most practical computing environment.

Towards this end, for younger students, we have created the LS-K4 model.

For older students and adults, there is the remarkably versitile and convertible LS-512 model

There are applications, however, for which a below-desk VDT model could be beautifully suited, providing the original concept of below desk monitors could be carefully re-evaluated, and the design properly re-engineered.

Now it is.

A WORD ABOUT
Below-desk VDT style computer desks:
Pros and Cons to help you decide which model best suits your needs. WE OFFER BOTH.

While the overwhelming majority of ergonomics experts recommend adjustable computer workstations with monitors designed for natural viewing, the remaining group find "paralax" or below-desk VDT style desk designs appealing.

Offered by a variety of manufacturers, below-desk VDT type computer desks have received mixed reviews because of their historically inflexible design. Semi-recessed monitors have generated similar feedback, in addition to comments from users who regret the near total loss of desktop utililty.
See staff feedback offered by a representative of Michigan's Northville District Library (mirrored here for faster loading).

Prior to making a decision, to determine whether the below-desk VDT (video display terminal) style of computer furnishing will be appropriate for your application, we recommend the following test:

Open a newspaper and lay it flat on a table top that measures approximately 30" above the floor. With a color marker, towards the leading edge of the newspaper, sketch an 18" x 18" area. This simulates your glass viewing port. In the middle of that simulated glass area, sketch a rectangle the size of your monitor screen. If you have a glass tabletop, so much the better. Scotch-tape the simulated monitor viewing area below the surface of the table, and turn on an overhead light. Now position yourself in a chair a full 8" away from the leading edge of the table to simulate keyboard spacing between you and the desktop.

Can you read the words on the newspaper comfortably or do you find yourself leaning forward to get close enough to see the text? Below-desk VDT's can add ten inches or more to the distance between your eyes and the below-glass monitor viewing area.

Changing the standard display setting on your monitor from 800 x 600 to a 640 x 480 display will magnify screen typestyle, so will selecting "large fonts", but at the same time it will also distort on-screen page content. The change forcibly repositions graphics and text to make them fit into what is now a significantly smaller display area. In many instances, only the left portion of the page you wish to view will be visible on your screen, with the remainder requiring left and right scrolling to read each and every line of type. Picture holding an open newspaper behind the monitor screen and trying to read what's on the far right hand page.

Summerland's focus is on logic, practical engineering, and user-friendly designs. We concur with the majority of ergonomics experts who believe natural viewing offers the safest and most practical computing environment. For those applications which require a below-desk VDT, and many do, the adjustable, convertible LS-512P model of The Learning Station is the only below-desk monitor design which provides its user with ergonomically responsible, efficient, and practical working conditions.

ERGONOMICS and development of
The LEARNING STATION™ models of The OFFICE™

A member of Summerland's engineering team underwent Carpal Tunnel surgery in the early '70s, long before most of the world had even heard of RSI's. We are particularly attuned to ergonomic considerations in product development.

Electro-entopic (from the Greek - entopos meaning: in its correct place), describes ergonomically correct placement, within the unit, of electric, electronic, and mechanical components, as well as functional task areas.

ERGONOMICS
Courtesy of
Colorado State University
"Preventing Computer Injuries"

Ergonomics is the science that seeks to fit the job or task to the individual rather than expecting the individual to conform to the job or task. It seeks to adapt work or working conditions to suit the worker.

Recommended Working Posture
1.Sit with your lower back against the chair and your feet flat on the floor or on a foot rest.
2.Adjust your table and chair so that your elbows are bent at right angles and your forearms are approximately parallel to the floor.
3.Keep your wrist neutral (straight) by using a wrist rest that is the same height as the keyboard.
4.Place your mouse on a surface close to and at the same height as your keyboard.
5.Position your monitor directly in front of you, approximately an arm's length away, with the top of the screen slightly below eye level. Tip the monitor back at an angle similar to that used when reading a book.
6.Use a document holder to position work at eye level.
7.Adjust your lighting and monitor to prevent glare or use an anti-glare filter.
8.Use adjustable tables and chairs to correctly position the keyboard or monitor.

ERGONOMICS
Recommended Reading
Penn Printout, newsletter of the University of Pennsylvania Office of Information Systems and Computing
COMPUTERS AND HEALTH-- INDIVIDUAL AND lNSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIVE MEASURES
by Daniel A. Updegrove and Kimberly H. Updegrove
(Daniel Updegrove is University Director, Information Technology Services, Yale University, New Haven, CT)
Site location: http://pantheon.yale.edu/~danu/ce91.html
(initial page mirrored here for faster loading, links provided to authors current updates)

Computer assisted learning, melded with The Learning Station's functional workspace, is a practical system solution for education and training. Select the model which best meets your needs.