TouchScreen FAQNote: If you know of something that is incorrect or missing from this page, please [send me your info/comments]. Thanks!Contents:
Chapter 1) Introduction1.1) About the AuthorOriginal Author: Alan TriggsCurrent maintainer: Editor, Filip G ([Feedback Form] || [mailto]) Contributors: David Allen, Gordon S. Hlavenka, and a bunch of modifications and additions by the Editor.
1.2) Preface(From the Editor) Greetings. This FAQ covers the hardware and software of the hardware touch screen, only. I'd like to make this clear because I get a lot of e-mail from companies that market kiosks and other applications of touch screens - and that information is beyond the scope of this document. If you are, in fact, interested in applications of touch screens (and even turnkey systems), please search for "touchscreen kiosk" on http://www.altavista.digital.com or Lycos for an EXTENSIVE (and up-to-date) listing of said products and services. With that said, I am always interested in any companies that produce the actual touch-screen hardware. I will need your company's full contact info, which technology (capacitive, resistive, etc) you market, general (short) description of the typical generic product, destination market, and a typical entry-level price. Please use this [Feedback Form]. If you update, expand, or edit this FAQ, I will be happy to work it into this FAQ so that everone can benefit. Please send filipg@paranoia.com anything you have.
Chapter 2) How to acquire a touch screenThere are two ways. First, you can buy a kit which mounts on a regular monitor. This could be just a frame, or a thin covering for your monitor. These usually come in all different sizes to fit any monitor. This kit would also include a driver card to emulate a mouse. The other option is to purchase a fully interactive unit, ie: a monitor with a built in touch screen. Most companies can offer you a choice of either. I chose the latter because I figured it was nicer looking, easier to handle, and it was not that much more expensive. The extra expense involved, usually makes it a pretty cheap monitor though.
Chapter 3) How do touch-screens work?3.1) ResistiveA Resistive touch-screen consists of a glass overlay which has about 4 layers over it. The distance between these layers and thickness of them is in the micro-meter range. When you touch the screen, the controller senses it and computes X-Y coordinates. These displays are suitable for restaurants, hospitals, and manufacturing facilities. They can be sealed against moisture and dirt, and can be operated by a gloved hand. They are durable, but the 4-5 layers make the screen not as bright as other options.
3.2) CapacitiveCapacitive touch-screens consist of a glass overlay with a thin metallic conductive coating over the surface of the screen. By touching the overlay surface, a user creates a capacitive coupling with the voltage field, drawing a small amount of current to the point of contact. The amount of current drawn from each corner is used to detect the location of the touch. Typically brighter than resistive screens, capacitive touch-screens are sealed to prevent contamination by water and dirt. They cannot be used with a gloved hand. They are subject to drift, thereby requiring calibration now and then and are vulnerable to scratches. Capacitive touch-screens are useful in public information and point-of-sale systems.
3.3) Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW)Surface Acoustic Wave touch-screens consist of a clear glass overlay. Each axis on the overlay has a transmitting and receiving piezoelectric transducer and a set of reflector stripes. The controller sends a 5-MHz burst to the transmitting transducers which convert the signal into surface waves. These are mechanical waves that propagate on the surface of materials such as glass. When the touch-screen it touched, a portion of the wave is absorbed by the finger. This is (somehow) converted to X-Y coordinates by the controller. These touch-screens are very clear since there is nothing but glass. They are bright, stable, can withstand temp, humidity, etc changes. Scratches do not affect the SAW touch-screens but they are do not work well when liquid comes in contact with the screen.
3.4) LED ArrayLED Array touch-screens consists of an array of LEDs across the top and one side, and an array of photo transistors across the bottom and other side. These set up a mesh of beams, and when a location is touched, some of the X-Y beams are blocked by the finger. There are no overlays so they are very clear and bright. They are subject to false touches, however, especially since the array is often more than a centimeter above the glass. Flies and dust also create problems.
3.5) Pressure SensingThis is a relatively new "freaky" kind of technology. Nicknamed the "pizza box", in industry, these touch-screens consist of a flat platform, on which you put a monitor. It won Product Of The Year Award from IDN (?) magazine in 1993. The platform acts as the touch-screen, so you can put any monitor on it. The platform consists of a top plate which rests on springs that can sense movement in 3 dimensions. A touch can be measured by the displacement of the springs! This still freaks me out. Since there is no covering, these touch-screens are very clear, bright, scratch resistant, etc. Calibration, however, is time-consuming and difficult. If the monitor is moved at all, the software has to be re-calibrated again. Note the slow response time.
Chapter 4) Company Contacts(From the Editor) Note: If you represent a company that wants to be or is listed here and you would like me to make some changes here, please send me your info/comments. Thanks! Well, there's a brief description of each technology... as far as contacts are concerned: Note: Not in any particular order! (one of these days...)
4.1) Bitworks, Inc.
Bitworks, Inc. "Designed and tested a 320x240 LCD controller with integrated analog resistive touch screen which could be controlled via an RS232 port. The DSP based system allowed screens and button areas to be predefined to allow quick key entry and display updates."
4.2) Carroll Touch
Carroll Touch
4.3) DBI
DBI
4.4) Dynapro
Dynapro
4.5) Edmark Corp
Edmark Corp [resistive]
Edmark Corporation, a leading developer of educational software for students,
today announced the release of its newly upgraded TouchWindow touch-sensitive
screen. Already in use in approximately 42,000 classrooms throughout the country,
the TouchWindow is now compatible with computers running Windows 95. The
TouchWindow is also available for Macintosh, Windows 3.1, DOS, and Apple II
computers, and is compatible with most of today,s educational software titles.
The TouchWindow fits on color or monochrome monitors from 9" to 15".
4.6) Elo TouchSystems, IncElo TouchSystems, Inc.
Elo TouchSystems, formerly Elographics, has been leading touchscreen development since its
founding in 1971. The company pioneered resistive touchscreen technology (AccuTouch), and
introduced new touchscreen technology, surface wave (IntelliTouch), in 1987. Elo holds
dozens of key patents on both designs.
4.7) ETC ComputersETC ComputersTechnology: Capacitive Tel: (510) 226-6250
4.8) Glasser Whitley Limited (GWL)Glasser Whitley Limited (GWL)Attn: John Glasser Tel: +44 (0)1442-826671 Fax: +44 (0)1442-890694 E-Mail: trident@gwil.demon.co.uk Glasser Whitley Limited (GWL) provides a full range of touch screen solutions in the UNIX environment, ie workstations, Xterminals and PC-based environments. With the addition of a touch screen on your monitor, and the loading of our TRIDENT driver software on your host computer, your mouse driven application will be able to use touch as well as mouse without any modification to your application. GWL is the primary source in Europe for touch screen solutions in the Unix (Workstation, Xterminal & PC-based Unix environments). Our driver software allows mouse driven applications to use touch as well as mouse without ANY application software modifications. Our solution set will cover all your needs. We can provide 15", 17" & 21" turn key monitors already configured with touch. We can provide touchscreen driver software to customers who prefer to purchase their touchscreen hardware directly from other sources. Driver software is available at quantity pricing or site/licenses project. Currently Supported Platforms:
4.9) Groovy Technology Corp
Groovy Technology Corp They make: Touch Screen Kits, Touchscreen Monitors.
4.10) Hi-Tech Instruments, Inc
Hi-Tech Instruments, Inc We manufacture the resistive touch screens, any sizes. Hundreds of 15" integrated touch monitors are in stock. We have both ISA card and serial COM controller.
4.11) Interaction Systems, Inc(From Paul Guttmann)
Interaction Systems, Inc. They make clear capacitive touch screens that are designed to be fit over existing LCD or CRT displays. Capacitive only. Small company I believe.
4.12) Keytec
Keytec
4.13) MicroTouch in Massachusetts
MicroTouch in Massachusetts These people are the leaders in the US, and maybe worldwide. They deal in Resistive, Capacitive, and Pressure-Sensing. They have the biggest range of screens and kits, and possibly the best services.
4.14) Personal Computing Tools
Personal Computing Tools They have a retro-fit screen which can be used with monitors 13 to 15 inches. It's called a Magic Touch and is used with a finger or included stylus. It clips to the front of the monitor and plugs into the serial port to emulate a mouse. Price is $279, expensive for a mouse, but, cheaper than a touch screen monitor.
4.15) TekVision
TekVision
4.16) Touch Technology
Touch Technology This is the company we got our screen from. They offer capacitive, and maybe some of the others. We found them the cheapest by far. We got a 14" Capacitive touch screen (complete with monitor) for $695. Similar specs with ELO and MicroTouch would have cost over $1000. ELO warned us of dealing with Touch Technology. They said to be careful of what we get, which caused us to ponder the cheap price. So far however, we have no problems, leading me to believe that it was just sour grapes from ELO. Also, their driver will emulate a mouse with the touchscreen.
4.17) Transparent Devices
Transparent Devices They sell transparent touch-screen overlays; you put them over whatever display you have available.
USA Address:
Europe Address: Trident is a small business in Farifax, Virginia. The company has spent the last decade solving information technology challenges. We specialize in solution approaches. That is, we first learn the specifics of the customer's problem; next, we examine the alternatives; after this, we execute the plan developed in conjunction with the customer; finally we deliver, install, and support the solution. Trident provides:
"It is in the advanced technology solutions that we have developed the widest array of Unix systems and non-Unix systems solutions for touch screen implementation. Within the Unix community, Trident is alone in offering touch screen solutions. We offer full systems solutions (system hardware and touch implementation), touch monitor solutions (turn-key monitors configured with touch), touch screen hardware solutions (touch screen hardware and driver software), touch screen driver software (over 24 Unix drivers for most available touch screen hardware technologies), and custom touch screen software development services."
4.18) Troll Touch
Troll Touch
4.19) Vivid Technology
Vivid Technology
4.20) VL Electronics
VL Electronics
4.21) V.S.M.
V.S.M. TSI (Touch Screen Interface) is a complete hardware and software touchscreen solution for SGI workstations. Based on Surface Acoustic Waves technology, it allows response on X-, Y-, and Z- axis. Solutions are available for most screens (flat, spherical, cylindrical) in different dimensions. VSM provides full installation on your monitor, or can provide complete TSI Integrated solutions compatible with SGI. TSI is connected through serial RS232 port. Software is easily integrated in IRIX, thus allowing, without modification, all SGI tools or applications to run indifferently with the touchscreen or with the mouse at the same time. It includes calibration and test facilities.
4.22) WinSurfer Orders
WinSurfer Orders New General Selection Touchscreen Support Library (NGS)
HCIL has long been a leader in touchscreen applications and research. Years of study have
produced innovative techniques and algorithms for operating a touchscreen user interface.
The NGS library has been developed at HCIL for constructing our Borland C language user
interfaces on IBM PC and IBM AT compatible machines. NGS has been refined by our 5 years
of research and has been in user internally for over two years.
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