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Resistive Touch Screens Explained

 

Resistive touchscreens are touch-sensitive computer displays composed of two flexible, but transparent, sheets coated with a resistive material and separated by an air gap or microdots. Whenever something touches the resistive screen, the two separated sheets come in contact to register the location of that touch. When the screen is touched, the conductive coating makes electrical contact with the coating on the other sheet. The voltages produced are the analog representation of the position touched. During operation of a four-wire touchscreen, a uniform, unidirectional voltage gradient is applied to the first sheet. When the two sheets are pressed together, the second sheet measures the voltage as distance along the first sheet, providing the X coordinate. When this contact coordinate has been acquired, the voltage gradient is applied to the second sheet to calculate or determine the Y coordinate. These operations occur within a few milliseconds, registering the exact touch location when contact is made, provided the screen has been properly calibrated for variations in resistivity. A controller digitizes these voltages and transmits them to the computer for processing. Because the touchscreen responds to pressure on its surface, contact can be made with a nearly any object (finger, stylus/pen, palm). Resistive touchscreens are a type of "passive" technology.

 

Advantages

Relatively high resolution of 4096 x 4096 DPI or higher
Resistive touchscreens are generally the lowest cost as compared to their ‘active’ counterparts
A stylus or any pointed object can be utilized to operate resistive touchscreens
Widely employed in environments such as hospital laboratories, factories and restaurants because these places contain liquids, chemicals and other contamination that can harm standard screens
A resistive touchscreen is very rugged and robust

Disadvantages

Requirement to apply pressure to screen

Any pointed object can operate such touchscreens

Generally reduces optical transparency by about 25%

 

Applications

Point of Sale

Industrial

Medical

Transportation

 

Touch Products

7 inch - 720S, 720F, Touch 2
10.1 inch – Magic Monster
Available on most all open frame options

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