are lcd touch screen controls better than touch controls price
Intuitive: Buttons are very intuitive, you see a button you know it is there to be pressed. Touchscreens need content that makes it clear that the display is touch-sensitive and where to touch.
Dynamic function: With a touch screen it is relatively easy to make the button function context sensitive. Buttons can have on-screen descriptions (as with ATM cash machines) but that can lead to alignment issues.
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Buttons will be lower cost, you see a button you know it is there to be pressed. Touchscreens need content that makes it clear that the display is touch-sensitive and where to touch.So many businesses still need a little convincing to scrap all of their old-buttons.
Actually more and more businesses are looking into how solutions such as touch screen tablets, monitors and kiosks can improve their efficiency, customer experience and revenue.
No more mouse and keyboard touch screen provide direct navigation and accessibility through physical touch control, thus eliminating the need for a traditional computer mouse and keyboard.
Many industries in which touch screen monitors are most useful are extermely limited on space, such as restaurants, hotels, retails stores and other fast-paced, demanding indutries.
Selecting the most suitable type of touch screen for your project can improve device functionality and durability, which can mean a significant increase in customer adoption.
This article highlights the unique advantages and drawbacks of common touch screen technology, to help product design engineers make an informed decision.
Resistive touch is a legacy form of touch screen technology that was broadly popular for many years, but has been replaced by capacitive touch for many applications. Currently, resistive touch has a smaller range of common uses, but can still capably address certain needs.
The core elements of a resistive touch screen are two substrate layers, separated by a gap filled with either air or an inert gas. A flexible film-based substrate is always used for the top layer, while the bottom layers substrate can be either film or glass. A conductive material is applied to the inner-facing sides of the substrate layers, across from the air gap.
When a user applies pressure to the top surface, the film indents and causes the conductive material on the top layer to make an electrical contact with the conductive surface of the bottom layer. This activity creates a difference in voltage that the system registers as a touch. The location of this contact is pinpointed on the X and Y axes, and the touch controller then interprets the action. Because physical force is needed for a resistive touch screen to function, it is similar to a mechanical switch.
Resistive touch screens must be calibrated before they are used to ensure accurate and reliable operation. A user must apply pressure to the four corners of the screen, and sometimes on its center, to calibrate the screen with the rest of the system via a lookup database.
Because resistive touch screens interpret physical pressure as a touch, they are effective in a variety of environments using single touch. Any object capable of applying force to the screen can be used with the same result. For example, in applications where end users wear gloves, resistive touch screens offer reliable single-touch functionality.
Since resistive touch screens area actuated via mechanical force, they continue to function as intended even when liquids or debris are present on the surface. This makes them especially useful in situations where substances could disrupt the function of other types of touch screens. For example, on single-touch applications within agricultural equipment, boats and underwater machinery.
Besides the functional advantages of resistive touch screens, price is a common reason why OEMs select this option. In projects where cost is a top concern, companies can use this option to realize savings that may not be possible with alternatives.
The configuration of a resistive touch screen removes the possibility of gestures, such as pinching and zooming, or any actions requiring multi-touch functionality. These screens cannot determine the location of a touch if more than one input is present.
In terms of visibility, the film substrate commonly used as the top surface in resistive touch screens is less transmissive than glass. This leads to reduced brightness and a certain level of haze compared to touch screens with a top layer of glass. The film layer can also expand or contract based on temperature, which alters the distance between the two layers and affects touch accuracy. Additionally, the film substrates are susceptible to scratches and can start to wear away with repeated use, necessitating occasional recalibration or replacement over time.
Capacitive touch screens were invented before resistive touch screens. However, early iterations of this technology were prone to sensing false touches and creating noise that interfered with other nearby electronics. Due to these limitations, resistive touch screens and other options, like infrared touch screens, dominated the industry.
With more development and refinement of controller ICs, projected capacitive (PCAP) touch screens became the preferred touch technology for a majority of applications. For example, this technology is now commonly used on tablets, laptops and smartphones. Though PCAP stands for “projected capacitive (PCAP) touch”, it’s more commonly referred to as “capacitive touch”.
The foundation of PCAP touch screens is an array of conductors that create an electromagnetic field. As a user touches a PCAP screen, the conductive finger or object pulls or adds charge to that field, changing its strength. A touch controller measures the location of this change and then instructs the system to take a certain action, depending on the type of input received.
For a device with PCAP touch technology to acknowledge an input, users simply need to touch the screen. No physical pressure is required, unlike resistive touch screens.
Another key difference from resistive touch technology is that PCAP screens can accommodate a variety of inputs, with different gestures and more contact points instructing the system to take a variety of actions. PCAP touch can support multi-touch functionality, swipes, pinches, and zoom gestures which aren’t possible with resistive touch screens.
A PCAP touch screen is very similar to a solid state switch, as its mechanism of action requires a change in the electrical field over a control point.
The value that comes with recognizing multiple inputs is a clear and positive differentiator for PCAP touch screens. Users can initiate a variety of commands, providing more functionality in devices where this technology is used. Consider how consumers now expect smartphones, tablets, and interactive laptop screens to support actions requiring two fingers, like pinching and zooming. In more specialized settings, such as multi-player gaming applications, PCAP touch screens can support more than 10 inputs at a single time.
PCAP touch screens do not require initial calibration, offering a simpler experience than resistive touch screens. Additionally, PCAP touch screens are highly accurate even as they support a variety of gestures and subsequent actions by the system.
Since their top layer is usually made of glass, PCAP touch screens offer a high degree of optical transmission and avoid the appearance of haze to users. Additionally, the glass top layerprovides improved durability compared to the film top layer of resistive touch screens – even for the largest sizes of up to 80 inches (and growing).
Operation in environments where a PCAP screen may be exposed to liquids or moisture — including conductive liquids like salt water — is possible through specialized controller algorithms and tuning. PCAP technology has evolved to support medical glove and thick industrial glove operation, as well as passive stylus operation.
PCAP touch screens can be customized with different cover lens materials (soda lime, super glasses, PMMA) based on application specific needs. Cover lenses can be ruggedized with chemical strengthening and substrates that improve impact resistance. This can be especially valuable for public-facing applications, like ATMs, gas pump displays, and industrial applications. Specialized films or coatings – such as AG (anti-glare), AR (anti-reflective), AF (anti-fingerprint) – can be added to the cover lens substrate to improve optical performance.
Unlike resistive touch screens, PCAP touch screens depend on variations in an electrical field to operate. While a passive stylus can activate this screen, a non-conductive tool like a pencil can’t.
If cost is a top concern for a project, PCAP may not align with budget limits. It is a more expensive technology than resistive screens, although it continues to grow more accessible in terms of price as the technology advances and improves.
The below table compares the advantages and disadvantages of projected capacitive touch vs resistive touch screens.CharacteristicsPCAP TouchResistive TouchRequires calibrationNoYes
As a leading manufacturer of touch and display products, New Vision Display can help you determine the specific needs of your project and tune your PCAP touchscreen controllers to meet them. Our PRECI-Touch® products are based primarily on PCAP touch technology and can be customized for a variety of applications using a wide range of materials, stacks, and controllers.
Whether your product will be used in a life-saving medical device, the center console of an automobile, or the navigation controls on a yacht – we can deliver an effective solution for your application. To get started on your project, contact our specialists today.
Ready to get started or learn more about how we can help your business? Call us at +1-855-848-1332 or fill out the form below and a company representative will be in touch within 1 business day.
Capacitive surface touch screens work by using the electrical signal from the operator’s finger instead of force to complete the action of the interface.
The key benefits of using a capacitive touch screen is that they are temperature resistant and waterproof. Many home appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers use capacitive touch keypads.
However, while capacitive touch screens can only be used with the user’s finger, Projective Capacitive Touch Screens are the new standard for capacitive touch screens and allow for users to control the device even while wearing gloves.
While technically a type of Capacitive Touch Screen by its name, Projective Capacitive (PCAP) Touch Screens are the most common type and the ones used most on the market today.
PCAP touch screens get their name from the way they “project” a small electric field out past the top layer which senses the user’s input even before they come into contact with the screen. In a way, they function much like a proximity sensor. They have mutual capacitance which supports multi-touch activation.
Because of this, users can control the device with a stylus or while wearing thin surgical gloves, food service gloves, or cotton gloves. They also support excellent clarity with high light quality. They’re a great option for incorporating into outside equipment or machinery, as users don’t need to remove their gloves in a cold or rainy climate, and can still see the screen well in the sun.
They can be used in control panels, industrial automation, consumer devices, and commercial applications in retail, gaming, and signage. They are more costly than resistive touch screens.
It"s probably a little early to be warning of extinction, but in some new cars, buttons are becoming hard to find. Given that a screen has to go into the dashboard anyway (thanks to things like backup camera requirements) and the fact that people increasingly won"t consider a car without Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, touchscreens make life easier for automakers in terms of design and assembly.
It"s just that they don"t make life easier for drivers. Instead, we"re treated to bad interfaces that don"t create muscle memory but instead distract us while we should be driving. And now, Swedish car publication Vi Bilägare has the data to prove it.
VB tested 11 new cars alongside a 2005 Volvo C70, timing how long it took to perform a list of tasks in each car. These included turning on the seat heater, increasing the cabin temperature, turning on the defroster, adjusting the radio, resetting the trip computer, turning off the screen, and dimming the instruments.
VB says that "one important aspect of this test is that the drivers had time to get to know the cars and their infotainment systems before the test started." With my devil"s advocate hat on for a second, most drivers who drive regularly will regularly drive the same car, building more familiarity over months and years than a journalist will after even a week with a new model. But that kind of long-term adaptation is the user conforming to the vehicle"s wishes, and shouldn"t good design be the opposite of that? Advertisement
VB lays the blame for the shift from bottons to screens with designers who "want a "clean" interior with minimal switchgear." That"s fair, but I don"t think we can count out the accountants either. If everything can be achieved by touching the screen, then the company doesn"t also have to pay for the plastic and wires that buttons are made from, nor the time it takes someone to make that into buttons or install them in a car.
Even with touchscreens, though, we can see in the spread of scores VB gave to different all-touch cars that design matters. You"ll find almost no buttons in a Tesla Model 3, and we called out the lack of buttons in the Subaru Outback in our review, but both performed quite well in VB"s tests. And VW"s use of capacitive touch (versus physical) for the controls on the center stack appears to be exactly the wrong decision in terms of usability, with the ID.3 right at the bottom of the pack in VB"s scores.
I"m not surprised that the BMW iX scored well; although it has a touchscreen, you"re not obligated to use it. BMW"s rotary iDrive controller falls naturally to hand, and there are permanent controls arrayed around it under a sliver of wood that both looks and feels interesting. It"s an early implementation of what the company calls shy tech, and it"s a design trend I am very much looking forward to seeing evolve in the future.
Again, there are examples of automakers doing this better than others. Over the past couple of weeks I"ve spent time in an Acura MDX and Mazda CX-50, neither of which uses a touchscreen infotainment system. Neither managed to do better than 19 mpg either, which is frankly appalling in 2022, but the CX-50 did at least distinguish itself for ease of use when it came to the infotainment system. Advertisement
Mazda"s latest system has been criticized for being bare-bones, but odds are, a driver is using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and it"s actually quite easy to use with the rotary controller and its hard buttons, which, again, are right where your right hand expects them to be (or left hand, in a right-hand-drive car).
Volkswagen"s infotainment software in the ID.3 can be frustratingly laggy, and while there are permanent controls for the climate and audio, they"re capacitive touch, not real buttons or dials or knobs.
The more expensive Acura also places the infotainment screen far out of reach. It"s a much higher-resolution display befitting a much more expensive car, and the MDX"s infotainment system is much more capable than the CX-50"s in terms of apps and features. I also quite like the layout and fonts, although obviously that"s a pretty subjective thing.
I won"t subject you to the depth of my current feelings about Acura"s "true touchpad," just a high-level, mostly polite version. It has a 1:1 relationship between the screen and the pad, so it doesn"t work at all like any other trackpad in any other car you might have driven. And that means it requires a lot of concentration to use, particularly if you"re trying to interact with CarPlay. And it doesn"t need saying that "requires concentration to use" is likely the last quality anyone wants in an infotainment system.
I"m not that surprised that the old Volvo won, dating from a time when most functions were controlled by individual buttons and when infotainment didn"t really yet exist. And in some ways, the tests played to its strengths—there"s no Android Auto or CarPlay, and the only safe way your phone is showing you directions is if you bring a suction mount. Do be careful what you press if anyone"s sitting in the back seat, though. In Volvos of that vintage, one of those buttons drops the rear headrests, which are rather heavy and very much wish to return to a horizontal orientation with absolute disregard for the skulls of anyone sitting in their way.
The ever-increasing reliance on touch screens in cars is a controversial topic. With each new product release, the comment sections of articles and youtube videos are filled with negative remarks. Yet, carmakers are totally committed to the race of creating ever-bigger screens. If public opinion is so against touch interfaces in cars, why do car companies use them? I dove into this topic and confirmed my hypothesis: touch screens are not the problem per se, but car companies" design execution is.
The CRT touch display was not that bad, but it took some decades before touch screens were good enough to be widely adopted in cars. After Tesla launched the Model S with its 17" touch screen, carmakers have been eager to design increasingly bigger touch screens. Today, it is an exception if a car is not fitted with one. There are many reasons why this is happening. To dive into those, we first have to define the different types of interactions that occur while driving and how they evolved over time.
The first set is the primary interactions. They include all the functions that are directly related to driving and safety. Examples are monitoring the speed, turning on the indicators, and operating the windscreen wipers.
The secondary interactions are actions that occur frequently but take little time to accomplish. These can be changing the music volume, changing cabin temperature, or turning on the airconditioning.
The tertiary interactions are the opposite of the secondary ones. They are infrequent but require a high cognitive load and take longer to accomplish. Examples are filling in a destination in the navigation system or changing personal settings in the car.
Over time, these sets of interactions have evolved in mostly the same way. The interior of the Volkswagen Golf is an excellent demonstrator. The first generation Volkswagen Golf has a simple interior. The primary actions are limited to two gauges, some buttons, and a stalk for the indicators. The same goes for the secondary settings, consisting of three sliders to control the temperature and some volume controls. The only tertiary interaction is to find and set a radio channel.
All three sets of interactions increase in quantity, even the primary ones. In the Golf, for example, instead of some basic gauges and controls, the latest generation"s primary interactions now also include adaptive cruise control, speed limit warnings, and a range of other safety systems. Even something as simple as turning on the windscreen wipers or lights has increased in complexity with different modes, sensors, and settings.
Similarly, the secondary controls include countless different ways to set the right cabin temperature. There are buttons for heated seats and windows, airconditioning, individual climate control, and more.
Initially, all these interactions were controlled via indirect, physical controls. But over time, with each generation, the display grows in size, and the number of physical controls decreases.
The latest generation Golf is another important step because even the secondary interactions are not moved to the touch interface. Most of the physical buttons that remain are the ones that are legally required.
Over time, just like most in-car infotainment systems, BMW adjusted iDrive for use with touch interaction as well. Why did they decide to include touch interaction in the later version?
A lot of it has to do with the increasing complexity of tertiary interactions. As the number of these interactions increases with each generation, indirect controls seem to perform worse than touch interaction, especially in two areas: task completion time and adoption.
Even compared to other possible interaction techniques like gesture interaction and voice interaction, touch interaction performs equal, if not better.
Naturally, task completion time is only one way to measure the success of an interaction model. Touch screens score differently when it comes to visual attention, lane deviation, reaction time, and others. Carmakers have to weigh the time it takes to complete the tasks versus the gravity of the distraction. In a lot of scenarios, touch interactions are the preferred method.
The second solid argument is the adoption rate of touch interfaces. Once drivers enter their cars, their focus is on driving and not on learning a new system. So one way to decrease driver distraction is to make the interaction as close to other familiar digital products as possible. As such, touch screens are preferred over indirect controls.
The next reason why car makers use touch screens has to do with decluttering. It is a term that is often heard in design departments. It means to reduce the visual overload or perceived complexity of the interior. Getting into a car and seeing a dashboard full of buttons gives a busy, overwhelming look. Instead, a calm-looking interior with few buttons has a positive impact on comfort and perceived quality.
Additionally, many customers relate a big touch screen to a technologically advanced car. As an interior designer, you don"t want your car to be perceived as old-fashioned so fitting a giant screen shows your brand is futuristic.
Compared to a dashboard full of different buttons, knobs, and screens, a single touch screen is a much more straightforward part to design, spec, and maintain. Therefore, carmakers may prefer to fit a standardized touch screen instead of a range of custom buttons and knobs because of the development cost.
Another advantage is the possibility to modernize the interior of the car by updating the UI design. Digital design trends move much faster than interior design trends. Tesla has shown that updating the interface of the Model S helps to delay an expensive redesign or new model introduction because the car looks less outdated.
In mobile environments, like cars, the users" primary focus is on controlling the vehicle. So touch interfaces not only have to be usable and accessible, but they also have to ensure road safety. As discussed before, even though task completion time is the fastest with touch interaction, there are other driver distraction measures where touch interaction is not the preferred method.
One of those is visual attention. When interacting with a touch screen, drivers need to move their visual attention from the road to the screen to find the object they want to select. Furthermore, they have to coordinate their finger to that object without any tactile objects guiding it. With physical controls much less visual attention is needed to perform the interaction, leading to less distraction.
What is the impact of this difference in visual attention between touch controls and indirect controls? Experiments have shown that reaction times are slower, and there is a higher variance in driving behavior like lane departure and maintaining speed
Other disadvantages are the lack of haptic feedback when selecting an object and the display"s placement, which is a trade-off between readability and reachability.
When weighing the positives with the drawbacks of touch screens, they are the right solution for tertiary interactions in most cases if they are optimized for task completion time.
Designing a touch interface is difficult, especially in the context of driving. As task completion time is the most significant advantage of touch screens, you would expect it to be one of the main acceptance criteria. Yet, many car companies don"t seem to focus on that enough.
The perfect example of that is the latest trend of including secondary controls in the touch interface. For secondary interactions, the task completion time is already at a minimum with physical controls. On top of that, the physical controls require less visual attention. By moving those to a touch screen, both the task completion time and visual attention are compromised. It is not only annoying for end-users, but it is also dangerous.
Carmakers may do this because of decluttering and cost-saving. The aesthetics are important and may persuade customers to buy a car when they first see it. But good design is finding the right balance between ergonomics and aesthetics. When considering the dangers of driving, the first job of the designer should be to minimize distraction.
On top of that, the added benefit of prioritizing safety is that the controls will be more intuitive and easy to use. An interior will look super slick in the dealership if it has no physical buttons. Still, most buyers will find out very quickly after purchasing their car that it is annoying to have to divert visual attention to simply turn on the heater if before they could do it blindly. In moving the secondary controls to a touch interface, the balance is leaning too much towards aesthetics than ergonomics.
The second example of carmakers making suboptimal design decisions is the interface design itself, which is often needlessly complicated. They are filled with features that make you wonder why you would need them in a vehicle, like the possibility to check social media, order a pizza from the car, find movie times, or set custom wallpaper.
To carmakers, offering a lot of features equals customer value. But as many tech companies have shown, customer value is actually created by ensuring users achieve their goals. Having too many features stands in the way of that, and research confirms that. Year after year, infotainment systems are the biggest frustration in new car ownership, and the majority of problems are design-related.
It may explain the popularity of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. These systems are optimized for task completion time and restrict access to certain features and apps that are deemed too dangerous. As a result, they are less distracting than native infotainment systems.
Customers want the latest technology and apps to be available in their car. Designing an infotainment system in such a way that it is not distracting is impossible. In theory, touch screens are a valid technology to facilitate these interactions. However, car companies should be minimizing the risks of distraction. Today, there are significant steps to be made to get to that point. But there are reasons to be optimistic about the future.
The interior of the car is always transforming, and so are touch screens. There is a lot to be optimistic about. Lately, the hardware powering the infotainment systems has seen significant improvements, leading to better screens and faster interfaces. There will be more innovations like haptic feedback and new input types like gestures and better voice interaction in the next years. These will help to mitigate some of the disadvantages of touch screens.
Most carmakers are also getting serious about over-the-air updates, which will allow more iterations on the interface design to weed out usability issues.
In the end, it will be vital that they tip the balance more towards usability than aesthetics. But once they optimize their interfaces, and when combined with physical controls and other modalities, touch screens in cars will be a great solution.
There are a variety of touch technologies available today, with each working in different ways, such as using infrared light, pressure or even sound waves. However, there are two touchscreen technologies that surpass all others - resistive touch and capacitive touch.
There are advantages to both capacitive and resistive touchscreens, and either can be suited for a variety of applications dependent on specific requirements for your market sector.
Resistive touchscreens use pressure as input. Made up of several layers of flexible plastic and glass, the front layer is scratch resistant plastic and the second layer is (usually) glass. These are both coated with conductive material. When someone applies pressure to the panel, the resistance is measured between the two layers highlighting where the point of contact is on the screen.
Some of the benefits of resistive touch panels include the minimal production cost, flexibility when it comes to touch (gloves and styluses can be used) and its durability – strong resistance to water and dust.
In contrast to resistive touchscreens, capacitive touchscreens use the electrical properties of the human body as input. When touched with a finger, a small electrical charge is drawn to the point of contact, which allows the display to detect where it has received an input. The result is a display that can detect lighter touches and with greater accuracy than with a resistive touchscren.
If you want increased screen contrast and clarity, capacitive touch screens are the preferred option over resistive screens, which have more reflections due to their number of layers. Capacitive screens are also far more sensitive and can work with multi-point inputs, known as ‘multi-touch’. However, because of these advantages, they are sometimes less cost-effective than resistive touch panels.
Although capacitive touchscreen technology was invented long before resistive touchscreens, capacitive technology has seen more rapid evolution in recent years. Thanks to consumer electronics, particularly mobile technology, capacitive touchscreens are swiftly improving in both performance and cost.
At GTK, we find ourselves recommending capacitive touchscreens more regularly than resitive ones. Our customers almost always find capacitive touchscreens more pleasant to work with and appreciate the vibrancy of image that cap touch TFTs can produce. With constant advancements in capacitive sensors, including new fine-tuned sensors that work with heavy duty gloves, if we had to pick just one, it would be the capacitive touchscreen.
The best touch screen monitors allow you to interact with your desktop computer via tap, swipe and pinch-to-zoom. Alternatively, you can install it as a secondary monitor to use with an office-based laptop.
In this article, we"ve gathered together the best touch screen monitors available today – in a range of sizes from 21 inches to a special ultrawide monitor(opens in new tab) that"s 49 inches. If you"re after a smaller secondary monitor that can be carried with your laptop for use on the go, see our list of the best portable monitors(opens in new tab). (Portable monitors can also be had with touch sensitivity, but they"re smaller and are powered by your laptop"s battery, so they don"t need their own power supply.)
If you"ve already researched the best monitors for photo editing(opens in new tab) or the best video editing monitors(opens in new tab), you may have realized that none of them are touch screen monitors. But why not? Why would you consider choosing a new monitor without touch sensitivity?
After all, the best touch screen monitor will add an extra, more ergonomic form of user input, so must be better, right? Well, it"s not quite that simple. At the bottom of this page, you"ll find tips on what to look for when buying a touch screen monitor, including connectivity, size, and that all-important image quality.
Dell"s P2418HT has fairly typical touch screen display credentials: a 23.8-inch screen size and Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. But it stands out from the crowd in other areas.
Its special articulating stand transitions the display from a standard desktop monitor to a downward 60-degree angle touch orientation. It also supports extended tilt and swivel capabilities, so you can adjust the screen to your task or a more comfortable position. Plus, a protective cushion at the base of the screen offers a buffer against bumps when the stand is fully compressed.
Marketed at commercial and educational settings as well as home use, the TD2230 boasts a 7H hardness-rated protective glass for extra scratch protection and durability. Super-thin screen bezels give the panel a modern, sleek look, plus there are integrated stereo speakers for added versatility.
The ViewSonic TD2230 boasts upmarket image quality thanks to its IPS LCD display that provides better color and contrast consistency, regardless of your viewing position, while the 1920 x 1080 screen res is high enough for crisp image clarity when spread across the 21.5-inch panel size. 250 cd/m2 max brightness and a 1000:1 contrast ratio are pretty typical, while HDMI, DisplayPort and analog VGA connectors ensure you"ll be able to hook this monitor to pretty much any computer running Windows 10, Android or Linux.
Want a larger than average touch screen monitor? This 27-inch offering is our pick, as it"s based around an IPS LED-backlit display. That translates more dependable color accuracy and contrast that won"t shift depending on whether you"re viewing the centre of the screen or the corners.
The Full HD resolution is spread a little thin across a 27-inch display, so images will look slightly pixelated, but this is an unavoidable compromise you have to make if you want a touch screen monitor larger than 24 inches. The PCT2785 does score well in terms of versatility though, as you get a built-in HD webcam and microphone, making it great for homeworking(opens in new tab) and video conferencing.
The T272HL boasts a slightly above-average 300cd/m2 brightness, along with 10-point capacitive multi-touch. There are also a pair of 2w internal speakers, and the stand allows a large 10-60 degrees of tilt to enhance touch ergonomics.
If you"re after a larger-than-average touch screen monitor, the T272HL is a reasonable choice, but there are compromises to be made. For starters, this is still a 1920 x 1080 Full HD monitor, so while it may be physically larger than a 23/24-inch Full HD display, images will simply look larger, not more detailed.
If you can get past the uninspiring black plastic design of the Philips 242B9T, this touch screen monitor has a lot to offer. It should be easy to connect to pretty much any computer, thanks to its full array of HDMI, DVI, VGA and DisplayPort connectivity and included cables for all but DVI. It"s even got its own built-in 2W stereo speakers, while the clever Z-hinge stand allows a huge -5 to 90 degrees of tilt adjustment, making it extra-ergonomic when using the 10-point capacitive multi-touch display.
At 21.5 inches, the Asus VT229H is one of the smaller touch screen monitors on this list, but it still sports the same Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution as larger 24 and even 27-inch touch screen displays, meaning you get more pixels per inch and slightly crisper image quality. This is also an IPS LCD, with wide 178 x 178-degree viewing angles and reliably consistent color and contrast, regardless of your viewing angle.
Most touch screen monitors are just that: a monitor, with a touch interface. But this 21.5-inch display also adds a pair of 2W stereo speakers for sound output, along with dual-array microphones and a built-in webcam for video conferencing. The IPS LCD display panel ensures decent color and contrast uniformity, while the Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution is easily enough to for crisp image quality on a screen this size.
The square black exterior is typical of Lenovo"s business-orientated products and may not be to everyone"s taste. Plus you"ll need to connect via DisplayPort only, as there"s no HDMI input. But otherwise this touch screen monitor offers a lot for a very reasonable price.
The obvious drawback with a touch screen monitor is the aforementioned size restrictions because if you want one larger than 27 inches, you"re out of luck. The next step up in size for touch screen monitors are 50+ inch displays designed for corporate presentations rather than home computing.
Even most 27-inch touch screen monitors have the same Full HD 1920 x 1020 resolution as their smaller 21-24-inch stablemates. So you"re not actually getting more pixels, only bigger ones. This can make your images just look more blocky unless you sit further away from the screen.
It"s not just outright screen resolution where touch screen monitors can fall short of their non-touch alternatives. Top-end screens designed for image and video editing are often factory color calibrated: they use LCD displays that can display a huge range of colors, or feature fast refresh rates for smoother video playback and gaming. However, touch screen monitors aren"t intended for color-critical image or video work: they tend to be all-purpose displays designed for more general applications like web browsing and basic image viewing.
Connectivity also tends to be compromised on touch screen monitors. You can forget about USB-C hubs(opens in new tab) with Power Delivery, and even DisplayPort connections can be a rarity.
These are the two primary forms of touch input. Resistive touch requires you to physically press the screen (which itself is slightly spongy) for it to register an input. It"s a cheaper form of touch input, and a resistive touch screen is also tougher than a capacitive equivalent, so they"re popular for use in ATMs and retail checkouts.
However, resistive technology doesn"t support multi-touch and won"t give the same fluid sensitivity as the touch screens we"re now accustomed to on phones and tablets. Consequently, most modern touch screen monitors use capacitive touch screens supporting 10-point multi-touch. These operate exactly like a phone or tablet"s touch screen, requiring only a light tap, swipe, or pinch to register inputs. All the monitors on this list use 10-point capacitive touch screens.
Put simply, even the best iMacs(opens in new tab) and MacBooks(opens in new tab) don"t support touch screen monitors. Consequently, all the touch screen monitors on this list will only work with Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and some Linux and Android operating systems.
Not all LCD monitors are created equal. LCD displays use three types of construction - IPS (In-Plane Switching), VA (Vertical Alignment), and TN (Twisted Nematic). Each one of these three LCD types exhibits noticeably different image quality characteristics, clearly visible to the average user.
For image and video editing, TN-based monitors should really be avoided. These are the cheapest to manufacture and deliver compromised image quality thanks to their restrictive viewing angles. This results in highly uneven color and contrast across the screen, effectively hiding shadow and highlight detail in your images. IPS-based monitorsare the gold standard for image quality. These produce color and contrast that doesn"t shift depending on which part of the screen you look at, making image editing much more precise. Most of the touch screen monitors on this list are IPS-based, and the rest are VA-based monitors. These can"t quite match the image quality of an IPS monitor but are much more color-accurate than a TN screen.Round up of today"s best deals
Comparing the technology of capacitive (Display Module/ Touch Screen Overlay) and Resistive (Display Module/ Touch Screen Overlay touchscreens, Resistive is the older technology while Capacitive touch gets a lot of press these days as the hot new thing. But what’s the real difference between them?
Resistive touch screens consists of several very thin layers. When someone presses the touch panel, the top layer bends to make contact with the bottom layer, closing a circuit and causing a current loop. Resistive touch screens can generally only be used as a single-touch device, but they cost less to make and incorporate into your application and respond to any type of touch. They can be used effectively for simple panel controls, such as an automotive GPS panel control or other keypad-replacement applications, or in applications which require gloved use.
Capacitive touch screens are commonly made of two layers (a surface insulator and a transparent conductive layer beneath it). Since the human body itself is an electrical conductor, when the touch panel is touched with a finger (or a conductive pen), the electrostatic field of the panel is distorted. The touchscreen’s controller is able to tell where this distortion is on the touch screen and sends instructions to the rest of the system accordingly. Capacitive touch screens accept “Multi-touch” controls and require less physical force to register a touch. They’re longer-lived than comparable resistive touch screens, making them suitable for high-grade panel controllers or mobile phones.
This table breaks down some of the common advantages and disadvantages of resistive vs. capacitive touch screens. Select the touch technology that’s right for your application!
You interact with a touch screen monitor constantly throughout your daily life. You will see them in cell phones, ATM’s, kiosks, ticket vending machines, manufacturing plants and more. All of these use touch panels to enable the user to interact with a computer or device without the use of a keyboard or mouse. But did you know there are several uniquely different types of Touch Screens? The five most common types of touch screen are: 5-Wire Resistive, Surface Capacitive touch, Projected Capacitive (P-Cap), SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave), and IR (Infrared).
We are often asked “How does a touch screen monitor work?” A touch screen basically replaces the functionality of a keyboard and mouse. Below is a basic description of 5 types of touch screen monitor technology. The advantages and disadvantages of type of touch screen will help you decide which type touchscreen is most appropriate for your needs:
5-Wire Resistive Touch is the most widely touch technology in use today. A resistive touch screen monitor is composed of a glass panel and a film screen, each covered with a thin metallic layer, separated by a narrow gap. When a user touches the screen, the two metallic layers make contact, resulting in electrical flow. The point of contact is detected by this change in voltage.
Surface Capacitive touch screen is the second most popular type of touch screens on the market. In a surface capacitive touch screen monitor, a transparent electrode layer is placed on top of a glass panel. This is then covered by a protective cover. When an exposed finger touches the monitor screen, it reacts to the static electrical capacity of the human body. Some of the electrical charge transfers from the screen to the user. This decrease in capacitance is detected by sensors located at the four corners of the screen, allowing the controller to determine the touch point. Surface capacitive touch screens can only be activated by the touch of human skin or a stylus holding an electrical charge.
Projected Capacitive (P-Cap) is similar to Surface Capacitive, but it offers two primary advantages. First, in addition to a bare finger, it can also be activated with surgical gloves or thin cotton gloves. Secondly, P-Cap enables multi-touch activation (simultaneous input from two or more fingers). A projected capacitive touch screen is composed of a sheet of glass with embedded transparent electrode films and an IC chip. This creates a three dimensional electrostatic field. When a finger comes into contact with the screen, the ratios of the electrical currents change and the computer is able to detect the touch points. All our P-Cap touch screens feature a Zero-Bezel enclosure.
SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) touch screen monitors utilize a series of piezoelectric transducers and receivers. These are positioned along the sides of the monitor’s glass plate to create an invisible grid of ultrasonic waves on the surface. When the panel is touched, a portion of the wave is absorbed. This allows the receiving transducer to locate the touch point and send this data to the computer. SAW monitors can be activated by a finger, gloved hand, or soft-tip stylus. SAW monitors offer easy use and high visibility.
IR (Infrared) type touch screen monitors do not overlay the display with an additional screen or screen sandwich. Instead, infrared monitors use IR emitters and receivers to create an invisible grid of light beams across the screen. This ensures the best possible image quality. When an object interrupts the invisible infrared light beam, the sensors are able to locate the touch point. The X and Y coordinates are then sent to the controller.
We hope you found these touch screen basics useful. TRU-Vu provides industrial touch screen monitors in a wide range of sizes and configurations. This includes UL60601-1 Medical touch screens, Sunlight Readable touch screens,Open Frame touch screens, Waterproof touch screens and many custom touch screen designs. You can learn more HERE or call us at 847-259-2344. To address safety and hygiene concerns, see our article on “Touch Screen Cleaning and Disinfecting“.
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Touch panel technologies are a key theme in current digital devices, including smartphones, slate devices like the iPad, the screens on the backs of digital cameras, the Nintendo DS, and Windows 7 devices. The term touch panel encompasses various technologies for sensing the touch of a finger or stylus. In this session, we"ll look at basic touch panel sensing methods and introduce the characteristics and optimal applications of each.
Note: Below is the translation from the Japanese of the ITmedia article "How Can a Screen Sense Touch? A Basic Understanding of Touch Panels"published September 27, 2010. Copyright 2011 ITmedia Inc. All Rights Reserved.
A touch panel is a piece of equipment that lets users interact with a computer by touching the screen directly. Incorporating features into the monitor like sensors that detect touch actions makes it possible to issue instructions to a computer by having it sense the position of a finger or stylus. Essentially, it becomes a device fusing the two functions of display and input.
It"s perhaps not something we think of often, but touch panels have integrated themselves into every aspect of our lives. People who enjoy using digital devices like smartphones interact with touch panels all the time in everyday life—but so do others, at devices like bank ATMs, ticket vending machines in railway stations, electronic kiosks inside convenience stores, digital photo printers at mass merchandisers, library information terminals, photocopiers, and car navigation systems.
A major factor driving the spread of touch panels is the benefits they offer in the way of intuitive operation. Since they can be used for input through direct contact with icons and buttons, they"re easy to understand and easily used, even by people unaccustomed to using computers. Touch panels also contribute to miniaturization and simplification of devices by combining display and input into a single piece of equipment. Since touch panel buttons are software, not hardware, their interfaces are easily changed through software.
While a touch panel requires a wide range of characteristics, including display visibility above all, along with precision in position sensing, rapid response to input, durability, and installation costs, their characteristics differ greatly depending on the methods used to sense touch input. Some typical touch-panel sensing methods are discussed below.
As of 2010, resistive film represented the most widely used sensing method in the touch panel market. Touch panels based on this method are called pressure-sensitive or analog-resistive film touch panels. In addition to standalone LCD monitors, this technology is used in a wide range of small to mid-sized devices, including smartphones, mobile phones, PDAs, car navigation systems, and the Nintendo DS.
With this method, the position on screen contacted by a finger, stylus, or other object is detected using changes in pressure. The monitor features a simple internal structure: a glass screen and a film screen separated by a narrow gap, each with a transparent electrode film (electrode layer) attached. Pressing the surface of the screen presses the electrodes in the film and the glass to come into contact, resulting in the flow of electrical current. The point of contact is identified by detecting this change in voltage.
The advantages of this system include the low-cost manufacture, thanks to its simple structure. The system also uses less electricity than other methods, and the resulting configurations are strongly resistant to dust and water since the surface is covered in film. Since input involves pressure applied to the film, it can be used for input not just with bare fingers, but even when wearing gloves or using a stylus. These screens can also be used to input handwritten text.
Drawbacks include lower light transmittance (reduced display quality) due to the film and two electrode layers; relatively lower durability and shock resistance; and reduced precision of detection with larger screen sizes. (Precision can be maintained in other ways—for example, splitting the screen into multiple areas for detection.)
Capacitive touch panels represent the second most widely used sensing method after resistive film touch panels. Corresponding to the terms used for the above analog resistive touch panels, these also are called analog capacitive touch panels. Aside from standalone LCD monitors, these are often used in the same devices with resistive film touch panels, such as smartphones and mobile phones.
With this method, the point at which the touch occurs is identified using sensors to sense minor changes in electrical current generated by contact with a finger or changes in electrostatic capacity (load). Since the sensors react to the static electrical capacity of the human body when a finger approaches the screen, they also can be operated in a manner similar to moving a pointer within an area touched on screen.
Two types of touch panels use this method: surface capacitive touch panels and projective capacitive touch panels. The internal structures differ between the two types.
Surface capacitive touch panels are often used in relatively large panels. Inside these panels, a transparent electrode film (electrode layer) is placed atop a glass substrate, covered by a protective cover. Electric voltage is applied to electrodes positioned in the four corners of the glass substrate, generating a uniform low-voltage electrical field across the entire panel. The coordinates of the position at which the finger touches the screen are identified by measuring the resulting changes in electrostatic capacity at the four corners of the panel.
While this type of capacitive touch panel has a simpler structure than a projected capacitive touch panel and for this reason offers lower cost, it is structurally difficult to detect contact at two or more points at the same time (multi-touch).
Projected capacitive touch panels are often used for smaller screen sizes than surface capacitive touch panels. They"ve attracted significant attention in mobile devices. The iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad use this method to achieve high-precision multi-touch functionality and high response speed.
The internal structure of these touch panels consists of a substrate incorporating an IC chip for processing computations, over which is a layer of numerous transparent electrodes is positioned in specific patterns. The surface is covered with an insulating glass or plastic cover. When a finger approaches the surface, electrostatic capacity among multiple electrodes changes simultaneously, and the position were contact occurs can be identified precisely by measuring the ratios between these electrical currents.
A unique characteristic of a projected capacitive touch panel is the fact that the large number of electrodes enables accurate detection of contact at multiple points (multi-touch). However, the projected capacitive touch panels featuring indium-tin-oxide (ITO) found in smartphones and similar devices are poorly suited for use in large screens, since increased screen size results in increased resistance (i.e., slower transmission of electrical current), increasing the amount of error and noise in detecting the points touched.
Larger touch panels use center-wire projected capacitive touch panels in which very thin electrical wires are laid out in a grid as a transparent electrode layer. While lower resistance makes center-wire projected capacitive touch panels highly sensitive, they are less suited to mass production than ITO etching.
Above, we"ve summarized the differences between the two types of capacitive touch panels. The overall characteristics of such panels include the fact that unlike resistive film touch panels, they do not respond to touch by clothing or standard styli. They feature strong resistance to dust and water drops and high durability and scratch resistance. In addition, their light transmittance is higher, as compared to resistive film touch panels.
On the other hand, these touch panels require either a finger or a special stylus. They cannot be operated while wearing gloves, and they are susceptible to the effects of nearby metal structures.
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch panels were developed mainly to address the drawbacks of low light transmittance in resistive film touch panels—that is, to achieve bright touch panels with high levels of visibility. These are also called surface wave or acoustic wave touch panels. Aside from standalone LCD monitors, these are widely used in public spaces, in devices like point-of-sale terminals, ATMs, and electronic kiosks.
These panels detect the screen position where contact occurs with a finger or other object using the attenuation in ultrasound elastic waves on the surface. The internal structure of these panels is designed so that multiple piezoelectric transducers arranged in the corners of a glass substrate transmit ultrasound surface elastic waves as vibrations in the panel surface, which are received by transducers installed opposite the transmitting ones. When the screen is touched, ultrasound waves are absorbed and attenuated by the finger or other object. The location is identified by detecting these changes. Naturally, the user does not feel these vibrations when touching the screen. These panels offer high ease of use.
The strengths of this type of touch panel include high light transmittance and superior visibility, since the structure requires no film or transparent electrodes on the screen. Additionally, the surface glass provides better durability and scratch resistance than a capacitive touch panel. Another advantage is that even if the surface does somehow become scratched, the panel remains sensitive to touch. (On a capacitive touch panel, surface scratches can sometimes interrupt signals.) Structurally, this type of panel ensures high stability and long service life, free of changes over time or deviations in position.
All in all, however, these touch panels offer relatively few drawbacks. Recent developments such as improvements in manufacturing technology are also improving their cost-performance.
The category of optical touch panels includes multiple sensing methods. The number of products employing infrared optical imaging touch panels based on infrared image sensors to sense position through triangulation has grown in recent years, chiefly among larger panels.
A touch panel in this category features one infrared LED each at the left and right ends of the top of the panel, along with an image sensor (camera). Retroreflective tape that reflects incident light along the axis of incidence is affixed along the remaining left, right, and bottom sides. When a finger or other object touches the screen, the image sensor captures the shadows formed when the infrared light is blocked. The coordinates of the location of contact are derived by triangulation.
While this type differs somewhat from the above touch panels, let"s touch on the subject of electromagnetic induction touch panels. This method is used in devices like LCD graphics tablets, tablet PCs, and purikura photo sticker booths.
This input method for graphics tablets, which originally did not feature monitors, achieves high-precision touch panels by combining a sensor with the LCD panel. When the user touches the screen with a special-purpose stylus that generates a magnetic field, sensors on the panel receive the electromagnetic energy and use it to sense the position of the pen.
Since a special-purpose stylus is used for input, input using a finger or a general-purpose stylus is not possible, and the method has limited applications. Still, this has both good and bad points. It eliminates input errors due to the surrounding environment or unintended screen manipulation. Since the technology was intended for use in graphics tablets, it offers superior sensor precision—making it possible, for example, to change line width smoothly by precisely sensing the pressure with which the stylus is pressed against the screen (electrostatic capacity). This design approach also gives the screen high light transmittance and durability.
The table below summarizes the characteristics of the touch panels we"ve looked at. Keep in mind that even in devices based on the same sensing method, performance and functions can vary widely in the actual products. Use this information only as an introduction to general product characteristics. Additionally, given daily advances in touch-panel technological innovations and cost reductions, the information below is only a snapshot of current trends as of September 2010.
Each touch-panel type offers its own strengths and weaknesses. No single sensing method currently offers overwhelming superiority in all aspects. Choose a product after considering the intended use and environmental factors.
The present study examined the effects of button size, gap, and the presence of disability on user performance (miss, error, and timing) during a 4-digit entry task. User performance was impacted by button size and presence of disability. On average, user performance improved as button size increased. Overall, the disabled group had more misses and errors than the non-disabled group. In addition, the disabled participants took 2.2 times longer, on average, than the non-disabled participants to complete a four-digit entry task. In general, performance for the non-disabled group plateaued at button size 20mm, with minimal, if any, gains observed with larger button sizes. In comparison, the disabled group demonstrated improvement in misses and errors until the 30mm button size; improvement in timing plateaued at the 25mm button size.
Several existing standards provide guidelines for touch screen interfaces. The ANSI/HFES (2007) standard recommends that the touch areas should be at least 9.5mm square and the gap between touch areas be at least 3.2mm. This standard also notes that button size greater than 22mm square does not result in an improvement in performance (ANSI/HFES, 2007). However, ISO9241-9 suggests that the size of a touch sensitive area should be at least equal to the breadth of the index finger of the 95th 258 percentile male, which is 2.28cm (Greiner, 1991; ISO 9241-9, 2000). Monterey Technologies (1996) recommends the button size to be at least 19.05mm with 6mm button gap between the touch areas. In comparison, the results of the current study found that user performance for the non-disabled group improved for both errors and misses up to 20mm; with a slight reduction in errors occurring at 25mm. While the difference in the percent of trials with errors at 15 mm, 20mm and 25 mm are small (2.8% at both 15 mm and 20mm, and 1.7% at 25 mm), depending on the type of task and application, relatively small improvements in error may be important. For the disabled group, an improvement in errors occurred up until button size 30mm. However, improvements between 25 and 30mm were small (8.8% at 25