Invacare Mk6 JOYSTICK DESIGN DANGEROUS

[wheel123]

to invacare,

the new mk6i controllers, to me are a bad design and very dangerous

im a quadriplegic, and need the joystick in the front of the controller with the buttons in the back of joystic box, like the mk4 joystick.

its DANGEROUS foir me to have toi reach AROUND the joystick to hit the control buttons in the front. you did this on joysticks years ago, i hit the joystick with my arm reaching buttons in the front and it sent me into walls or into people

plus, having the buttons in the front makes me not able to get closer to tables and sinks because the joystick box is raised in front and because joystic is in rear of housing, I LOSE 4-5 INCHES OF DEPTH cuz front of joystick housing hits desk/sink

poor design, and many others i talk to think so too. i know people who bought different chairs because of this, including myself.

you should have 2 different designs to pick from, front joystick and rear joystick. very easy to do

[giv-way]

I second the idea of having a choice in where you want your joystick located.

[KiwiJenn]

Invacare have 3 MK6 joystick controllers

SPJ MK6 Basic Joystick - single powered seating


MPJ MK6 Joystick Controller - multi powered seating


MK 6 Personal Switch Rehab Joystick

Your other option is have have a seprate switch for your powered seating and use that instead of having to reach for the Mode button.

its DANGEROUS foir me to have toi reach AROUND the joystick to hit the control buttons in the front. you did this on joysticks years ago, i hit the joystick with my arm reaching buttons in the front and it sent me into walls or into people

You may want to look into a Retractable Quad Link, the joystick controller sits on this and you can swing the joystick to the side of the chair, to enable getting closer to tables.  I know it would be annoy me, if I didn't have a retractable quad link.  I have my joystick right behind my armrest too so it's not sticking out, creating the armrest/joystick area to be any longer than it should be.

plus, having the buttons in the front makes me not able to get closer to tables and sinks because the joystick box is raised in front and because joystic is in rear of housing, I LOSE 4-5 INCHES OF DEPTH cuz front of joystick housing hits desk/sink

Good idea's and be interesting to see what the new electronics design will be in the future:)

[wheel123]

i wish invacare would hire me for design, hehe

thanks everyone

[Alin0s]

I remember on some of the older chairs MK4A or something like that, that the controls and buttons were in the rear of the housing. I have this problem awfully with my SPJ+, the SPJ+ is designed even worse than the MK6i MPJ to me. I am not quad paralysis, but my arm control is kind of poor and having to reach OVER the stick is a real pain in the controller. I think when I get my new MPJ i will be much happier. It is much easier and safer to reach to the side of the stick for me. The mode button appears to be in a bad spot, but that can be fixed using an externalized switch.

(A bit of background information below)

An old friend of mine had the MK5 MPJ and she had severe cerebral palsy, the controller worked well for her over an SPJ since the throttle and power/drive switch was on the sides of the stick instead of directly in front.

[John McKee]

I'm getting use to the TDX SP and the MPJ MK6 joystick. I liked the MKIV in that I could rest the side of my palm on the back of the joystick.

One nice safety feature, if the joystick hits the table, the chair backs up.

[Alin0s]

I'm getting use to the TDX SP and the MPJ MK6 joystick. I liked the MKIV in that I could rest the side of my palm on the back of the joystick.

One nice safety feature, if the joystick hits the table, the chair backs up.

I have had experience with the MK5 MPJ, definitely a nice joystick.

I am very unhappy with the way the SPJ is working for me. So whether they can do the ELR's or not I am getting the MPJ that I should have had from the beginning, it was on the original rehab justification / order from the doctor! I personally think Invacare should begin to phase out the SPJ's and make the MPJ the gold standard.

About the little "Safety Feature" thats an ironic truth. Could Invacare have threw that little design tweak in there on purpose or did it just come with the design on the joystick.