lcd touch screen app executer quotation

Send character code like ASCII and UTF-8 to display text on screen. Send a display image command to display an image from flash memory. Memory writing tools are available free of charge.

Touch panel sends a packet to the host controller when a touch is detected. The packet can report internally calculated coordinates or switch number. The switch number can be defined two ways.

• Perform highly diversified duties to install and maintain electrical apparatus on production machines and any other facility equipment (Screen Print, Punch Press, Steel Rule Die, Automated Machines, Turret, Laser Cutting Machines, etc.).

Added the ability to mirror control screens across all touch pads. All touch pads in the room will switch to new pages when another pad navigates to different control screens.

Control screen timeout passcode has been added. The control screen will lock after no adjustments have happened in the set about of time and require a passcode to unlock. Multiple passcodes can be set and must be 2 to 8 numbers long.

HMI, an acronym meaning Human Machine Interface, is exactly what the name implies. It is simply an interface – usually graphical – that lets humans and machines interact. The precise date of inception for this technology is not known due to the huge graphical interface boom we have had, and are still experiencing. Examples of HMIs vary widely, from control panels for nuclear power plants, to the screen on that new iPhone. More often than not, when a person refers to a Human Machine Interface or HMI, he/she is referring to a control panel for a manufacturing-type process. An HMI in this context is the centralized control unit for manufacturing lines, equipped with Data Recipes, event logging, video feed, and event triggering so that you may access your system at any moment for any purpose. For a manufacturing line to be integrated with a Human Machine Interface, it must first be working with a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) because the PLC is what takes all the information from the sensors and transforms it to Boolean algebra so the Human Machine Interface can decipher and make decisions.

HMIs offer a digital display of data in real time that a PLC cannot offer. While the PLC is performing its programmed operation, an HMI allows for the user to see data in real time rather than compiling the data to observe after the fact. An example to reference for an HMI with a PLC rather than a PLC standalone would be an ATM Machine. If there was no graphical display, a user would be dependent on receipts to enter in data. That is, imagine inserting your personal ATM card only to have a receipt print out requesting your PIN. Then, once into your account, a receipt prints out asking which action you would like to perform; deposit, withdraw, transfer, or balance inquiry. This issue is solved by a Human Machine Interface through which you can make your selection at a touch of a button. While the HMI is not critical in this scenario, it is much more efficient and user-friendly. Many applications do not require an HMI, but the cost savings associated with the benefits of HMIs are heavily skewed in favor of the HMI being a system component.

The main advantage of a Human Machine Interface (HMI) over a desktop computer is that, with an HMI, there is a dedicated system specific to your application. This means that you have a panel which will not allow internet browsing, solitaire game playing, or update reminders, unless it pertains to your application. HMIs give you absolute control – you may give the operator limited access to specific features or full access, depending on how you create your graphical interfaces.

The software required to program a Human Machine Interface differs from each vendor as well as model. Concerning Kinco product lines, MT4000, MT5000, F7/F10, and SZ series HMIs are all programmable on Kinco HMIWare. The CZ6/CZ10 and Green Series HMIs are programmed on Kinco DTools Software, and the HP043 (HMI-PLC Combo unit) is programmed on Kinco HP Builder Software. Should you need any assistance programming your Kinco HMI with any of these proprietary software products, feel free to Contact an Applications Engineer at Anaheim Automation. Anaheim Automation, Inc. is Kinco"s Master Distributor in North America.

HMI software downloads are available in the Item table shown above on this web page. Please locate your HMI product in the Item column, and download the applicable software by clicking on the disc icon in the Downloads column. Individual product Item pages also contain links for the appropriate software download.

For Ethernet based protocols, the HMIs can support up to 255 distinct nodes. For Serial based protocols, you can hook up as many controllers as the HMI has COM ports. When using RS485 hardware, daisy chaining nodes may be applicable to add unique nodes.

"HMI" is an acronym that stands for Human Machine Interface. A basic definition for an HMI is any interface between a human operator and a machine or system. A lesser used synonym is Man Machine Interface, or MMI. Technically, "Human Machine Interface" is a broad term describing any interface that allows a human to interact with a machine, and can include, for example, devices such as MP3 players, industrial computers, household appliances, and office equipment. However, the terms "HMI" or "Human Machine Interface" are typically used in contexts specific to manufacturing and other industrial processes. A Human Machine Interface provides a visual representation of a process control system with real-time data acquisition. HMIs can increase productivity by providing a centralized control center that can be made extremely user-friendly.

"HMI" is an acronym that stands for Human Machine Interface. A basic definition for an HMI is any interface between a human operator and a machine or system. A lesser used synonym is Man Machine Interface, or MMI. Technically, "Human Machine Interface" is a broad term describing any interface that allows a human to interact with a machine, and can include, for example, devices such as MP3 players, industrial computers, household appliances, and office equipment. However, the terms "HMI" or "Human Machine Interface" are typically used in contexts specific to manufacturing and other industrial processes. A Human Machine Interface provides a visual representation of a process control system with real-time data acquisition. HMIs can increase productivity by providing a centralized control center that can be made extremely user-friendly.

The convenience that comes with a Human Machine Interface is priceless. You will find that once you have digitized your system, the functionality you will get out of your HMI is unbeatable. An HMI combines all the control features that are found throughout your automation line and places them all in one centralized location; no more having to run to that red pushbutton that will stop your line. With remote access, you don"t have to be anywhere near your automation line to start/stop or monitor production, and you can have all the same features you have on your centralized unit in a smaller compact form. Along with ease of access from wherever you may be, simplicity is also a big factor in the usability of a Human Machine Interface. With simplistic screens and functions you can train almost anyone to supervise your automation line.

The great thing about a Human Machine Interface is that you can personalize your interface however you would like. If you want to develop a complex system with multiple screens and several routines always running, an HMI fully supports that. If you are looking to program a Human Machine Interface with something more simplistic, you could have instructions for the controller directly written onto the interface. Every HMI comes with different features. Some may play sound or video, or even may have remote access control. The design of any particular interface should be optimized for that specific application, taking into account environmental aspects and operators such as noise, lighting, dust, vision and technological curves.

Pushbutton replacer HMI: Before the Human Machine Interface came about, controlling automation lines was no easy task, due to the use of up to thousands of pushbuttons and LEDs all performing different tasks. The pushbutton replacer HMI takes the place of LEDs, on/off buttons, switches, or any mechanical device that has some control over the unit. The integration of PLCs and Human Machine Interface devices has virtually eliminated the use of pushbuttons and LEDs because any function that a pushbutton or a LED could perform can easily be done with an HMI, all in one centralized location. The elimination of these mechanical devices is possible because the Human Machine Interface can provide a visual representation of all these devices on its LCD screen while performing all the same functions.

The Data Handler HMI is used for applications that require constant feedback and monitoring. With the data handler type of Human Machine Interface, it is important that the HMI screen is big enough to display elements such as graphs, system visualizations, and production summaries. This type of Human Machine Interface is capable of functions such as recipes, data trending, data logging, alarm handling/logging, and even printing production reports. Performing these tasks can be very memory intensive, so for the Human Machine Interface to work as a data handler, it will usually need to have a large-capacity memory.

An Overseer Type HMI is advantageous when the application involves OEE, SCADA, or MES, which are centralized systems that monitor and control entire sites or complexes of large systems spread out over large areas. An overseer HMI is usually linked to a central processing unit (CPU) or database and software programs to provide trending, diagnostic data, and management information. These types of applications will likely require an HMI that can run a dynamic operating system (e.g. Linux) and has several Ethernet ports.

In addition to the role the HMI will play within a given system, Environmental Considerations and Physical Properties, such as screen size, should also be taken into account when selecting an HMI. Please refer to those sections below for more information on HMI selection.

The physical properties of an HMI vary from model to model, so it is important to select the right one. For example, an HMI that is located in a water plant might have various water seals around its perimeter, as opposed to a unit that is located in a pharmaceutical warehouse. The size of as HMI is also a key variable, because not all applications need a large, high resolution monitor; some applications may only need a small, black and white touch screen monitor. When it comes to selecting a Human Machine Interface, the physical properties are extremely important because you have to take into consideration the operating environment and what safety measure the Human Machine Interface has to protect itself. Also, a specific size may be needed due to space limitations. Lastly, physical properties include the processor and memory of the Human Machine Interface. It is important to make sure that these two are sufficient enough to control your system.

Sometimes when you are working with HMI software, your PLC and HMI are hooked up together, but you don"t quite get the result you are looking for. It is hard to know exactly what is going on when you do not get output from the PLC or a PLC error appears. What happened? What exactly did I do wrong? Is my data even being sent? To answer all those questions, you can simply use a numeric display and set it to the PLC register you are trying to write your data to. If this PLC register comes back with random register values, then it is quite apparent that the HMI did not deliver the information to that register. But if it was sent correctly, then your numeric displays should show the information you sent. This is a very simple sanity check.

Macro: Macro instructions are an advanced touch screen control method that strengthens the functions of the Human Machine Interface. The Human Machine Interface will have the same logic and arithmetic operations as the PLC by the programming of macros. The use of macros will enable the touch screen to implement many powerful functions that cannot be supported by many regular components.

TFT: TFT stands for "Thin Film Transistor." Kinco HMI displays are TFT LCD screens in which TFT technology supports the rendering of high-quality images.

Optional support for a USB 2.0 (low/full speed) devices, in addition to keyboards and mice, such as USB touch screen monitors, interactive whiteboards, or CAC card readers.

Compatible with most USB keyboards and mice, including Microsoft USB Intellimouse®, Logitech Cordless Elite Duo keyboard/mouse, Gyration keyboard/mouse, Crystal Vision keyboard with touchpad, and IKEY combo keyboard/touchpad.

Available with optional female USB Type A connectors for additional USB 2.0 (low/full speed) devices - USB touch screen monitors, CAC card readers, interactive whiteboards, or barcode scanners.

Supported touch screen monitors: Microtouch 3M, ELO 1529L 3000 Series, Smart Podium ID422w, Hope Industrial HIS-RL17, NEC MultiSync E222W, Industrial Electronic Devices Inc IWS-240t-G3, Zytronics CML-170, Pulse IR TSV4001/DT40, HP Compaq, and TouchWindow TWAP-ETPM-S17-1000.

Connect a SMART Board™ Interactive Whiteboard to the UNIMUX High Density VGA USB KVM Matrix Switch using the optional USB connector. Simply connect the projector to the VGA Monitor input on the switch, and the SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard to the optional USB connector for an interactive touch screen experience in the classroom or collaborative work environment.

Check this out if you are using Raspberry Pi, it is the cutest little display that you can stack on your Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer. It features a 2.8" display with 320 x 240 16-bit color pixels and a resistive touch overlay. The plate uses the high-speed SPI interface on the GPIO pins. You can use the mini display as a console, X window port, displaying images or video, etc. Best of all it plugs right in on top!

Adafruit has created a custom kernel package based of off Notro"s awesome framebuffer work, so you can install it over your existing Raspbian (or derivative) images in just a few commands. This tutorial shows you how to install the software, as well as calibrate the touchscreen, show videos, display images such as from your PiCam, and more!

Alternatively, we have tried installing the Graphics driver from LCD wiki page and is provided for Raspberry Pi OS/Raspbian. It also supports Ubuntu and Kali Linux too. Do follow the steps here: www.lcdwiki.com/2.8inch_RPi_Display

Note: Please use the recommended system for the touch screen. If another system is used, it may not have the touch function or may not work. You need to configure it yourself. Because there are many systems that the Raspberry Pi can use, we can’t make every system compatible with the touch screen.

It has been a long time since I"ve contributed to this website--going on to a year almost--I was trying to accomplish a personal goal that was in the making since my early high school years. This instructable has taken 2 years of independent research and setbacks, but it is finally here. I present to you the complete guide to building a personal Multi-touch table at home with basic design and engineering skills ( I will attempt to fully explain every detail so that even a beginner can find success!). Most mathematics have been performed so the only fear regarding this project is the fact that it will take some time to put together . . . and some money.

When I was in my freshman year of high school, I was invited to attend an engineering "field day" taking place in Alabama"s Redstone Arsenal. Although most of what we were shown during this trip were projects that I am not able to speak about, one of the more relaxed projects was the Multi-touch table. I am not allowed to say what the table was being used for--I"ve forgotten either way--but I can speak about its features. The table shown to us was a 30" Microsoft Pixelsense (then known as the Surface, before the tablet took its name) and to me, it was glorious. As a connoisseur of Natural User Interfaces (NUI), I"d always been fascinated by 3D spatial projections ( what most people call holograms) and anything of the like. I had never seen of these before so it would be easy for anyone to imagine my excitement. I asked the Project manager about what it would take to work with one of these and how I could be involved. You could imagine my disappointment when he told me that although it was simple, it wasn"t anything that I could ever make by myself. This very conversation sparked a 5 year personal vendetta against that one employee that led to the creation of this instructable--as a hobbyist. I enrolled in optic courses and searched through every crevice of the Web until I had enough information to build my own table. I had two very important personal objectives:

1) Educational: To gain experience in NUI technologies and help spread this knowledge to students willing to learn via independent projects. I planned to stimulate interest with the introduction of a hobbyist-made Multi-touch table in order to engage myself deeper into NUI technologies

This will be the longest step for you since there are many variables to consider. It all depends on what you aim to accomplish. My table cost me an approximate $2000:

5. LED power supplies..................................................... $134.80They will come recommended once you choose your appropriate LED reel

9. Computer..................................................................... $0.00 (used my friend"s)As you can see, the specifics (as in amount of screws or type of wood) have been omitted. This is done to encourage creativity. As my project was a prototype, the design was made very simple. As of now, I am working on reducing the height of the table from the initial 3 ft to 1-1.6 ft; thus, giving a specification on the amount of wood and screws would be useless as I would only lead you to spend an inappropriate amount of money. Had I done the project correctly the first time, we could have saved nearly $75 on Wood and screws alone.

We are going to be building a 47" Planar Infrared-based Multi-touch table using the Diffused Surface Illumination (DSI) Technique. This technique is not recommended if you aim to read objects (that are not fingers)--also known as fiducials--unless you plan on not using the diffusive panel of the LCD. It is also not the best to implement when using an LCD, but it is the most convenient due to requiring less materials and work. I chose this one because of the convenience.

By Diffused Surface Illumination (DSI), we place Infrared (IR) Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) around the edges of a special type of acrylic known as Endlighten Acrylic. This acrylic is manufactured with special properties akin to having microscopic mirrors that evenly distribute the light across the surface of the acrylic. When your finger touches the surface, it creates a "blob" on the surface--it interrupts the evenness of the light. This blob is then to be read by the specialized camera and recorded as a "touch event".

The first PixelSense used a different technique called Rear-Diffused Illumination ( Rear DI). By Rear DI, the maker is required to use IR illuminators on the underside of the screen. Because of this, it is nearly impossible to create using LCDs due to the IR light reflecting from the back panel. Thus, people will usually use a short throw projector (usually more expensive if you want HD quality). All in all, DSI allows for higher visual quality at a reduced price. Input detection remains the same.

Typically, smartphones and tablets use either capacitive, resistive, or surface acoustic wave screens in order to detect user touch points. Capacitive uses the electrical properties of human bodies in order to detect user inputs at certain points (the skin of your fingertips). Thus, devices using this screen are highly sensitive and neglect pressure--meaning that users cannot use regular styluses or gloved hands. In addition to this, the cost for capacitive layering on a large scale project would be tremendous.

Resistive screens simply rely on pressure as they are built by layering screens. For resistive, there is an inconvenience in that building this setup would require the user to create layering patterns with little promise of multi-input detection.

In Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) screens, when a panel is touched, the ultrasonic waves exerted in the panels are absorbed at those points and this registers a position for touch events to the controller for processing. This would be burdensome if applied to larger screens.

However, infrared technology holds the advantage of being able to deliver superior images without an overlay while granting the ability to detect most objects. Also, the ability to use fiducial markers (programmable blocks). Also, they tend to have the higher number of Maximum touch inputs.

The first thing you should worry about is your LCD TV. You won"t be able to use just any TV as there may be issues. I will explain this in more detail soon.

The LCD is perhaps the most annoying hardware component regarding the setup of an LCD DSI table due to the FFC Issue--I will get to this soon. But first, a bit of insight: It is mildly important to understand how LCDs work for the purpose of explaining how the table works. Also, since we are taking one apart, it is important that we understand what each component does.

LCDs are an amazing piece of technology that remind us of how amazing and progressed our technological prowess has come. At the core, they rely on Liquid Crystals (LC). LCs are materials that are literally in a state between liquid and solid states of matter--this means that their particles maintain their orientation, yet they are able to move around to different positions akin to liquid state materials. Thus, they are highly sensitive to temperature changes ( they must be at an exact temperature to maintain their odd state). For LCD screens, LC particles are usually arranged in a twisted nematic phase. This only means that they are affected by electric current (nematic) and are naturally twisted. When we apply current to the LC substrate, the LCs untwist varying degrees depending on the voltage--which allows them to react predictably in controlling the passage of light. The orientation of the particles in the natural state depend on either a magnetic field or microscopic grooves. The change in orientation (for most LCDs) is described as either smetic c or chiral nematic. The smetic c orientation holds that the particles are layered in such a way that they tilt slightly in angles with each layer while the chiral orientation sees the molecules untwist slightly from layer to layer.

There are many types of LCD screens such as Passive and Active Matrix LCDs, but since we are most likely only dealing with an Active Matrix, I will only explain this one. Active Matrix LCDs depend on Thin Film Transistors (TFT) which are essentially tiny switching transistors and capacitors. They are arranged in a matrix fashion on a glass substrate and to turn a pixel on, the row corresponding to that transistor is turned on and a charge is sent through that column. Since the other rows are off, only the capacitor at that row is receiving a charge--theoretically knowing that Capacitors can change current instantaneously, this is explained and we also factor that the charge can be held until the next refresh cycle. Controlling the voltage, one can untwist the LC enough to moderate the amount of light that passes. This allows for the creation of a gray-scale.

Each Pixel has 3 sub-pixels (red-blue-green{RGB}) and they each have their own transistor. each sub-pixel allows for 256 shades within their own gray-scale for a grand total of 16.8 million possible colors on your screen. this is true unless you have a fancy yellow pixel LCD display as we get the possible colors from 255^3 for the 3 sub-pixels.

Depends on the display. A 1024x768 TV has 1024 columns and 768 rows, so if we multiply that by 3 pixels, we get 2,359,296 TFTs etched onto the glass panel. If that doesn"t impress you, wait until you see how thin the screen really is and what happens when you turn it on away from its casing!

In building your table, you are going to have to make predictions and decisions. You won"t always have a perfect display built. Sometimes, you"re going to have to figure things out from the fundamentals in order to make sure you didn"t just waste $$$$. Also, depending on your setup, you may have to predict the display size of your LCD based on the properties of the screen. More importantly, this is knowledge! so take it in!

III. Things I should worry about in regards to the TV I will use for the table:The FFC Issue as defined on the NUI Group Forums is when the FFC cables are either too small or fragile to be manipulated into building a Multi touch setup. The Flat Flex Cable is the cable that you will find connecting the LCD matrix to the Control boards. This can become a problem as they are hard to replace and if the get in the way of the construction, they may cause accidental damage. Fortunately, there are links to databases with TVs that do not have this problem and are perfect for Multi touch setups:

The Aspect Ratio: You need to know your aspect ratio so that you can approximate the size of your LCD in order to create your chassis, or box. Most LCDs nowadays are 16:9 since this is the HDTV Standard. That is, 9 units of height for 16 units of width. Use similar triangles (yes, math) in order to determine the size of your LCD screen. Of course, this is only necessary in the case you do not want to rip the TV apart until you have everything else (Acrylic, wood, etc).

Contrast Ratio: This is the measure between the brightest possible image and the darkest possible image. White/Black = Contrast Ratio. Unfortunately, there is no actual metric to standardize this so companies just exaggerate things such as 1000000000:1 (who knows what that means?) This matters only in terms of vanity--say you wanted the clearest possible image to be displayed on your LCD. An LCD with a high dynamic ratio is better than an LCD with a native that gives the same ratio; however, an LCD with a higher native ratio is superior. Native describes what the LCD is able to produce on its own and dynamic refers to using circuitry to assist the panel in accordance to ambient light.

The LCD screen comes with a set viewing angle that ensures the best possible picture--most consumer don"t know this and miss out on the full experience. A Bias angle is designed to offset this angle. Because of this, your angle of acceptable viewing is made much larger. There is still an area of unacceptable contrast, but you will most likely not reach it.

The first thing to do in determining the LCD size is to find out what your aspect ratio is. The beautiful thing is that LCD retailers are required to release a specs sheet concerning the capabilities and basic information regarding the TV. In these, the most notable of specs is the aspect ratio--usually 5:4 or 16:9.

Next, use triangle-angle relationships to determine the angle opposite the horizontal and vertical measurement of your display using the aspect ratio. For example, a 16:9 ratio LCD will have 16 units of measure for the horizontal component and 9 for the vertical. The angle opposite is the given by cos (16/proper diagonal measure). For a television of a 46.96" diagonal, Cos(16/46.96") = 60.64224646 degrees, which makes sense.

Next, setup a similar triangle diagram where the 16:9 is within the LCD. You are to find the X and Y components of the outer triangle. You use law of sines with the angle determined above to find this. For example, following our calculations, [Sin(60.642)/9] = [(x/46.96")/x] given that y = 9x/16.

This will give you an approximation of 40.92918722/23.02266781 which falls under 16:9 ratio when reduced. This however, is not exact but fairly close.

Is your box the right size to hold your LCD screen? This is where aspect ratio comes into play. You need to make sure your layers won"t fall through and that the LCD cables/components won"t get in the way. Also, make sure you can make it mobile (it can fit through doors)

Where will your computer be? You may not want to put the computer or the LCD components inside the box unless you are willing to include compartments on the underside for them as they will interrupt the image on the LCD and the camera"s ability to track your fingers.

Ventilation: The Cameras won"t get too hot, but if you do decide to conceal the computer and LCD components (which does make it look nicer), you may want to invest on some ventilation. You can use a couple of in/outtake fans for this if you want.

Is your structure strong enough to hold the Screen layers? you have about 32-45 lbs of screen to hold and the additional weight due to people putting their hands on your table.

Your LCD panel has a back plate that acts as a partially reflective mirror in a sense. On your TV, you will mostly likely find fluorescent tubes. These are known as the back-light and their sole purpose is to provide the base light that the LCD screen will use. The panel also contains the polarizers necessary for the LCs to control the light. We are going to replace this entirely with the LEDs. Why? The tubes are too weak to provide the lighting necessary for the LCD to work once the distance is increased--and you must increase the distance so that you may accommodate for your cameras. Also, the tubes are very fragile and risky. The white LEDs will be placed on the bottom of the box in order to make the screen show an image. Additionally, for this to work, they must be place around the cameras so that they are not in the way. the cameras should also be elevated so that you don"t get too much light interference.

You MUST calculate the distance needed between your camera and screen in order to determine the size of your box. I used two cameras so that I could stitch the two feeds together and reduce my height by three times. Normally, this means having to calculate angles and ray diagrams. Thankfully, the NUI forums has a thread where Peau Productions created a lens calculator that may help simplify this. Please use this before purchasing your cameras or buying the wood. Also, consider looking through the projects on this forum.

As laid out in the previous step, you may want to start thinking about ventilation for your chassis. As pictured above, our simple setup opted for neglecting this step as it was only a prototype. You may want to consider it depending on your component and screen positioning. Remember that IR is also heat, so you may need a system to remedy problems relating to this if they arise. As far as layering for now, consider adding various lips and edges to your table. Remember that you will need a place to house a mouse and keyboard for initial setup and troubleshooting. Also, If you are considering to lay a shell over your box as a design choice (as we did), you"ll need a way to support the acrylic. We personally ordered our Acrylic to be larger than our LCD screen in order to have the effect of a floating LCD screen. If you aren"t expecting any children or aggressive people to touch your screen--the Endligthen layer is very easily scratched--you may even replace the extruded FF with the abrasion resistant layer. All in all, lay a piece of acrylic for support. If you are a careful person, use the abrasion resistant layer as a support. If you don"t want to risk anything going wrong, use the extruded FF.

Of course, the first thing to do is turn off the power and remove the AC cable and gently lay the television screen-down on a flat and stable surface.

You will see a metal back-plate with holes. Through those holes, you will likely see white sheets. Those are the diffusers and we are trying to get to those. Unscrew the screws holding the plate together and remove the plate. To do this, we have to take the front plastic casing off so you"ll have to flip the TV. Do this carefully as you do not want to risk damaging the LCD panel.

Take the casing off and work your way unscrewing until you get to the LCD panel. Gently and safely remove the connectors to the panel. The green and brown connectors DO NOT come off. If it looks like it won"t come off, it most likely won"t. Be very careful here.

Lay the LCD panel safely on a flat surface and wrap it with a blanket or something that will protect it. The panel is ~2 mm thick and thus, easily warped. Have a friend help you handle it so you distribute the weight evenly. Now think back to all that theory you read in the previous section and be amazed at how compact the panel is.

Right under the LCD are the white diffusers. Take care as they are likely to be statically charged. The diffusers serve to evenly distribute the white light under the panel from the back-light. You may not need all three though. We opted to use the thickest one as the others did nothing for us. The case may be different for you. For now, just keep them until the testing of the LCD display.

Recall the last section where I advised you to take pictures of each and every connection. This is where all will come in handy. In this section, we will be essentially rebuilding the LCD TV on your box. How you do this is going to depend solely on how you chose to design your box a couple of sections back. As for our team, we decided to go with designing an inner box that would later be concealed within another outer box. We simply used wood screws to screw the boards onto the back side of the inner box. The important thing to consider is to be careful that you don"t crack the boards while screwing them onto the wood. For now, disregard the LCD panel. Do not place it until the next section as we must discuss the layering for the table. However, you do have the option of placing your computer along with the boards of the LCD. There is a great amount of flexibility when choosing a computer. To be honest, as long as it has over 512 MB RAM and is HDMI compatible, the computer will perform nicely. Any recent/decent PC will do--even a laptop if you so wish. We"ll talk operating systems later on. For now, just choose your favorite as we have to set everything up.

Assuming you calculated the height of your table based on your camera lens as I advised in the previous planning sections (or have prepared an appropriate platform for elevating the cameras to their needed height), place the cameras where they need to be. You need to perform the above calculations for centering your cameras as well.****If you do not yet understand how to perform any of these equations, you can PM me and I will try to help. You simply use the FOV for the camera to determine a distance from the screen where the cameras can see portion desired from the screen. This should give you an idea of proper height and placement for the cameras.

ghosting refers to the "naturalness" of your interaction with the table. We say there is too much ghosting when the Acrylic layers are too thick or ordered in a way that your touch doesn"t seem to feel right. If your touch layer is, for example, an inch from the projection layer, the effect of refraction will be heavier and you will feel as if your touches are off. This is a problem in that you won"t get the full touchscreen experience.

Transparency refers to the user"s ability to see through the LCD. This can be used either creatively or it can be bad. The line between right and wrong is mainly blurred on this issue.II. Example setups : I will now share the setups we experimented with and allow you to pick the best choice:

**Report: Heavy ghosting occurred due to the support being so thick. Also, the collisions in the IR wouldn"t escape the 10 mm piece through the diffuse layer. Barely got blobs registered unless the the user increased pressure of touch (which could harm the integrity of the system) AND removed the protective layer. Also, the distance between the camera and layers was too great. Discovered that it works better if the camera distance was reduced, the thickness of the IR and support were reduced:

**Report: Perfect blobs read. Additionally, decreasing the size from 3 ft to 1.6 ft would only make it better (allowing for us to place a protective layer). The downside is that since the diffuse layer has been removed, the transparency increases. We sacrifice transparency for perfect detection and virtually no ghosting. The transparency is not bad when the is no ambient light ( it is non intrusive). If the user wishes to use the table in an area with ambient light, this setup is not recommended as they will not see the screen performing at maximum quality. If the user is creative, they can show off the guts of the system and make it very presentable. You can attempt this:

**Report: Not recommended unless a support layer is added (LCDs are very fragile), but it is an interesting setup. received perfect blobs, no ghosting, yet great deal of transparency. Perhaps adding a layer of support and a thin diffuse layer will work.

A. The diffuser sheet we used was the thicker one that is packaged with the LCD as my teammate accidentally threw away the smaller ones. I am fairly certain that the thinner sheets would have worked best to reduce transparency in the case of the setups we built without diffuse layers.

C. I did not feel that I needed to thoroughly explain the re-assembly for the LCD panel onto the box. All that you have to do is place it down on top of your support layer and reconnect the appropriate FFC to the sockets on the T-con Board. It is important that you connect them to the sockets they correspond to. Also, make sure the sockets are clean and that the FFC are in correctly. If you place them backwards or incorrectly, you may see a column of dead pixels. This is nothing to be too alarmed about as you only need to fix the connection.

Once you are content with a specific layering, turn on the TV and watch something (or use your computer). Make sure that you have a mouse and keyboard as you are not yet able to receive responses for your inputs. Also, make sure that your white LEDs are on (doesn"t matter if your IR LEDs are on for this step). If you can see as we did in the picture above, then all is well and you should congratulate yourself on being one of the few people to re-purpose an LCD and have it work on the first try!

Screen is black? Turn on white LEDs. If LEDs are on, make sure they are white and not IR. If still no picture, your Flat Flex Cables are connected in the wrong order.

We will be running a variety of warez for this project to work. Luckily for us, the NUI community has already developed an open source version of the tracking software in order for the controller to properly determine whether an instance is a touch event or not. This is mostly lucky in that there are many tracking suites out there that go for a good $3,000 or so. The program we will be using, CCV, runs equally as great and is much easier to troubleshoot. This, however, does not mean that it is an easy process. I will start by emphasizing that you will come across many problems while attempting to run CCV. Your system may require you to do different things in order to get it working. Also, if you are running Windows 8.1 (although it would be an appropriate OS for multi-touch) , the documentation is very scarce. The reason you will rarely find any information regarding software setup is that many of us who get it to work have done so by some stroke of luck. Depending on your machine, you may also need to install the different packages in a certain specific order.

The algorithm for tracking and maintaining touch events is a bit complex, yet very fascinating. Keep in mind that although Jeff Han pioneered the use of IR technology in his Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR) multi-touch displays just recently, the software techniques have been used for a long time.

The observation equation Y_k = X_k + n_kwhere n_k is the zero-mean Gaussian white noise.Applying a Kalman filter will recursively iterate a prediction of the object"s position based on the position given by the previous states. Here, Y_k becomes a noisy observation of X_k. Given this information, the controller can determine whether an input is continuous and traceable, or whether it has died.

* You can learn more about this on the NUI group"s publication Multitouch Technologies available for free on the NUI group"s forums or above as a .pdf file. This is a short two chapter book aimed to educate beginners before they risk it all in attempting to construct a multi-touch display. The full explanation of the above equation is included in this book as well.

Microsoft"sWindowsWindows 8/ Windows 8.1/RT: Windows 8, RT, and 8.1 were optimized for the touchscreen apparatus. The metro offers a rich experience that feels like it was created specifically for a multi-touch device. Also, the corner sliding and huge amount of touchscreen apps already available through the windows store offer this OS a great advantage. We personally chose this OS because it was the easiest to set up. The NUI group; however, does not have too much documentation on this OS as it is not the preferred Windows OS. Also, a couple of changes in the coding made two library files be missing in this update--this only means that you"ll find yourself downloading additional files an databases in order to compensate. Also, you must choose whether to overlay or keep the built-in touch system. The NUI community will push for the use of Touch Injector as a service to give the inputs functions rather than the established MT Vista. Also, since the three versions were written differently, the setup may be different. There are blogs whose users have modded the appropriate software in order to be optimized for your version. You may encounter problems such as no input being shown, the touch-tracker not showing up on start-up, and permission revocation. You must be the account"s administrator and run the warez in this mode in order for things to work properly. Lastly, since the warez is open-source for the most part, you may have conflicts with your anti-virus application. Simply treat these as false positives and move on.

Windows 7: It is smooth, fast, and perfect for multi-touch. Similar to the above version, you should try to build your setup in a way that the corners are free for touching as the start menu and the important apps for this are located on the task bar"s corners by default. You will need to install a number of services in order to get your input recognized by the controller, but this has the most documentation to any other OS in the NUI forums. You should not have many problems dealing with this OS when it comes to multi-touch. Also, if you are a student, you may have access to the Microsoft Surface Developer Kit which will increase the functionality of you table. You can also experiment with building your own frameworks and graphical interfaces if you so desire--which is always a great thing. If you are an avid windows fanatic, I would recommend this OS as it is a blessing.

Windows Vista/ XP:I grouped Vista with XP since after the service packs released for these OS", XP and Vista simply become Windows pre-7.1. I do believe their service has been discontinued (don"t quote me on that) so I would not recommend these if you are worried about a longer-term experience with your table--I"ve not yet attempted to upgrade or downgrade an OS with the multi-touch Warez already installed. Other than that, you"ll be finding a good amount of support in the NUI forums due to the newer software simply being a modded version of software originally for XP and Vista. You shouldn"t have too many problems with these, but i recommend not to go here unless you are planning to run a virtual machine with a more updated OS--most apps have been optimized for the more recent OS" and I"d recommend starting at 7 if you want that old-fashioned Windows appeal. ** Side Note: Consider installing a program named Rain-meter. Rain-meter takes the widgets introduced in vista to a new level by allowing you to set up your computer exactly how you"d like it. You can create futuristic displays or even have sound output given for certain actions. This app is compatible with most Windows OS versions as far as I am aware. I use it last on my personal Win 8 laptop setup. Ubuntu offers an applet for this named Conky. If you use Conky, I advise downloading Conky Manager.

Linux OS:Canonical"s Ubuntu (any release from 12.04 LTS to 13.10): When it comes to Linux OS", people seem to think you must be a hacker, or an overly obsessed computer maniac in order to understand what is going on--the movies seem to portray Linux as a completely text-based OS, and who wants that? Well, let me be the first to tell you that they are wrong! Ubuntu is a FREE (although I"d recommend leaving a donation to the company when downloading) OS distributed by Canonical that is beyond wonderful. It is classified under the "Debian-like" distributions as this is where it is sourced from. Ubuntu is virtually updated daily and provides the highest sense of security for the average user. It handles similarly to Windows, yet it has it"s own advantages that a Windows OS could not provide you. A big pro is that you won"t find your system being infected by viruses. Although you can still contract Trojans and such, your system will be unharmed as the viruses are written for Windows users--they won"t open and execute on Ubuntu or any Linux distro (unless you use WINE, a windows emulator for Linux). If you dual boot with Windows, you can even use Ubuntu to rid your Windows partition of any infections it may have. Ubuntu 13.10 (dubbed "Saucy Salamander") was written with touchscreen devices in mind much like windows 8; however, the format of the graphical interface is non-intrusive, and the options are all equally optimized for the non-touch aficionado. Paired with a variety of apps that you can find in their software center, you can make this desktop exactly what you want it to be, giving you the ultimate freedom and maneuverability. So what"s the problem with it then? It is very hard to find any documentation on setting up an Ubuntu multi-touch setup on the NUI forums. This is due to many of the programs that are needed for touch implementation being written with Windows users in mind. You"ll have to find a replacement capture software--I"ve heard Cheese or VLC Media Player work well with Ubuntu in place of the CLeye for the PS3 eye, but you WILL have to experiment and go through a lot of hard work in order to get this setup to work. The few that I"ve seen are gorgeous, so it IS worth the trouble. I am personally planning on getting my table back soon in order to experiment with changing the OS back to Ubuntu. Also, while on Ubuntu, you"ll find yourself dealing with the Terminal (Linux equivalent of the Command Prompt console or Powershell) more than anything else. Although everything gives you the option of graphical input, you may find the terminal to be more satisfying. If you want to learn about computers, processes and all that goes into providing a rich, safe, and efficient user experience, I"d say give any Linux distro a chance.

Apple OS"I"ve personally never dealt with an Apple OS. I hear that the are Unix-like and have been developed from Unix, but I"ve never owned an Apple machine. However, there is some documentation on the NUI Forums and on the internet regarding Apple"s many cat-themed OS". I hear that a setup with these OS" runs similar to a desktop rather than an iPad, unless you can configure it in that manner. I am unfortunately uninformed as to the warez necessary or anything of the like regarding apple. It"s not that I don"t like them, but I"ve never had one so I cannot formulate a fair opinion on any of them. I do, however recognize the security of the software implemented in their devices though. Unlike Linux, you may still encounter some minor infections due to the code not being updated as frequently, but I"d say that for the regular user (not trying to access anything dangerous), this is a great choice.

So there you have it. Now all you have to do is choose an OS and get what you need to work things out. If you are not too much into computers, I"d recommend that you stick with the Windows setup (maybe Win 7). If you want a challenge--and want everything to be worthwhile (and don"t want to spend money on an OS)--go with a Linux OS. If you are an Apple user, go with Apple!

Now that we chose an OS, let"s talk about what we need to get things working for us. Keep in mind that for our setup, we decided to go for a Windows 8 setup as it was freely available to us as a donation from our software guy and since it was also the easiest for him to develop for under the time we had set out for the project. This is the warez you will need to make touch work:

CCV stands for Community Core Vision, the open-source and NUI group-developed tracking software at the basis for any multi-touch table you will find to be built in the NUI group forums. It comes with its own handy interface that luckily does not change too much in between version revision. I believe the CCV distro we are currently in is 1.5--this is the one we used since it has documentation and support for multi-camera setups. There is a mod in the NUI forums for 1.4 that allows it to accept multi-camera setups. The more cameras, the faster your table and the smaller you can build it. I"ve explained in a very layman"s terms how this program works in the Understanding Software section. There are various replacements to this program, although I do not recommend going that route as the NUI forums specifically highlight CCV over all other programs.

The Code Laboratories SDK for the PS3 eye. It comes with a variety of drivers and tools to sync and configure the PS3 eye to your setup via the computer. If you are working with CCV 1.5, I recommend downloading this first and making sure that your input can be read through this program. The graphical interface should display the capture of your blobs as you touch the table. Once you"ve got this done, you can proceed to CCV capture. There is a problem with registration regarding the CLeye though. The SDK requires that you buy a license for ~$35 in order to get the software to work. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to circumvent this; however, you will be making things harder for yourself as the process requires the handling and manipulation of DLL files. This could potentially mess up your software setup and force you to have to re-install everything all over again many times. You can find the drivers for the CLeye to be detailed on the main CCV 1.5 forum post given in the CCV section or here, and here is the CLeye site.

Since we"re on Windows 8, we have to find a replacement for MT Vista that will work as a service for your inputs. For this, we use Touch Injector. This was also developed in the NUI group and handles very well. It also has quite a bit of documentation and there are tons of forum posts on debugging and troubleshooting.

links for a TUIO mouse driver that may replace Touch injector: http://nuigroup.com/forums/viewthread/14725/ --this will convert touch events into Windows touch events.

Refer here for TUIO software* A note of Clarity: TUIO is a protocol used for describing the position and such of the blobs. If you can remember my explanation of CCV in the past sections, you will realize that CCV outputs TUIO messages regarding your inputs. TUIO stands for Tangible User Interface Protocol. Expanding on this, we need an application that will take those messages as an input and convert them to touch. Touch Injector takes these messages and converts them to native touch. But what if you wanted to go the other way and take native touch and convert it to TUIO? Refer to this thread.

Assuming that your blobs are perfect, and that you are satisfied with the framerate and all other factors, the final thing to do is to calibrate CCV settings. Once again, Sandler has provided an amazingly detailed guide on the steps for proper calibration. I advise that you go read it here. Once you are done with this step--if successful--you have essentially finished the construction of your setup. Your efforts and money should have (hopefully) paid off, and you will be the proud owner of an LCD-based DSI touch screen table that is fully functional and pleasing.

The best way test your setup? Flash demos of course! Head over to Seth Sandler"s Blog for the last time and download some demo applications from NUI folders. Or simply head to the windows store and download a game. If you encounter some problems, you are most likely to find a solution to it via the forums so keep those in mind. Either way, have fun with your new table!

If you realized anything from this instructable, let it be this: Multi-touch isn"t just a toy, nor is it a technology that we should take too much for granted. Projects like these are gateways to the future of NUI technologies. Multi-touch facilitates the branching toward the naturalization of the human to computer interface. Children are able to become more engaged and willing to learn about technology in this manner--as we are a species that yearns for feedback from our senses--and the elderly and disabled peoples can find more comfort and relief in navigating these devices. More importantly, Multi-touch opens the door to greater technologies such as Pranav Mistry"s SixthSense gestural interface (an instructable that may make it"s way sooner than you may think) and a host of other interface revisions--some of which I am not able to fully reveal as I am planning on developing. The fact that you"ve completed this project is truly something to boast about.

**Update: I wanted to take a moment to thank all my viewers and subscribers for voting and allowing me to win my first contest! Can"t wait to start on my next large-scale project--after I do some more finishing touches on this one of course.

Of course, not all of us have a huge point to prove. Maybe you want to make a Multitouch table without having to spend so much money. I admit, as time has passed, it has become much easier to develop these devices for a smaller cost, and aside from the size of the display, you won"t be losing much at all.

i) Parts if going the camera route:LCD TV: I can give you links to these three. They may soon be unavailable as I"ve recommended them to many other users, but you can always use their LED TV derivatives as well. Vizio has a great selection of LCD and LED TVs (I promise I"m not trying to sell you their products) And I tend to generally trust their TVs to comply and be cleared from the FFC issue. Here is a 23" and 24" i think would be worth taking a look at.

Touch Frame: This will take care of your camera, LEDs, Acrylic for just $385 (we are going for 32 touches as this is a true multi touch setup). Be very careful because a display less than 24" will cost you a lot since they are not sold individually on a regular basis. above 24", you"re safe! And yes, a 24" frame is good for the 23" TV.

II. Options for a $400 or less budget:As far as LCD, the smaller the diagonal, the cheaper your table will be. So at a $300 budget (If you"re not wanting to move past that) I"d get a 17-19" TV (usually $45 on eBay if you can find one). Keep in mind that you are sacrificing HD capability if you don"t already own an HD-ready computer.

Considering an ordinary camera and just adding a floppy disk as the IR band-pass filter? I"d say don"t do that either. If you want an optimal setup, THIS WILL NOT WORK. In the old days, it was the smart thing to do but now, we buy our cameras to match the IR wavelength exactly. Makeshift Band-pass filters usually fail at rapid and smooth input detection. Also, if configured incorrectly, nothing will work. In terms of the camera, the PS3 eye is THE camera of choice for the NUI group. All the drivers and protocols in CCV are optimized for it. It would be wise to stick with it.Do I have other options on the camera? Not any cheap ones.Point Grey is a popular option for those willing to go all out; however, if you buy a proper IR Band-pass filter and configure your own PS3 eye, you"d save quite a bit of money (~$20).What"s the difference between LCD and LED TV? The only difference is the back-light. LCD uses Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL) tubes and LED uses white LEDs. That"s it!What"s the theoretical layering for the Touch frames? The layering becomes much simpler since the frames take care of everything now. IR detectors and emitters surround the inner section of the frame--removing the need for most of the components. Thus, the layering reduces to:

Hello! I was wondering, it appears that on another one of your instructables you described creating an A.I. User Control Point to go along with the table. It even appears that you entered it into a contest of some sort. It wouldn"t let me comment on that instructable, but I was wondering if you have finished it now that the instructable is 6 years old. What has happened with it since then?0

Hey Man..first off great tutorial. Super detailed. I had a question maybe you can help. I already made a table with a 55" Samsung plasma TV. The TV was removed from the frame and set into the top of the table with a thin sheet of acrylic for protection (I have a super inquisitive 2 yr old). I have seen commercial display overlays ($600+) that use an IR matrix and simply tracks where the finger breaks the IR beam and assigns the X/Y coordinate on the screen. It connects using a regular USB cable right into the PC. The USB provides power and input. I like the idea of this as I would simply use it for simple touch applications like web surfing or perhaps a kids painting program. It claims to support 100+ mulittouch inputs. Any idea on the program used or what could be used for reading the IR matrix? I grasp the hardware concept.. IR beams travel vertically and horizontally with an IR receiver on the opposite site of the frame. For example the IR LEDs would be at the top and the left where the IR receiver would be on the bottom and the right. I believe I can build the frame overlay, but I"m stuck on the software portion. I should mention I am running Ubuntu 17.1. I should mention the table has an app controlled Arduino relay setup underneath for a motorized gun drawer and lighting. I appreciate any input you have, or anyone here for that matter. Thanks in advance!

This is an awesome and insanely detailed set of instructions! I"m currently planning to build something like it, but wanted to ask a few questions: How much pressure is required for this setup to register a touch? I ask because I"d like to be able to place other objects on the table, not just fingers. For example, place a ruler on the table for use as a straight edge in a drawing program or place game pieces on the table for a digital board game. Is your approach able to recognize lightweight objects like this? An alternative approach I"m considering is using computer vision to recognize fiducials on the underside of objects set on the screen. Could this be incorporated into this set up? Would you be willing to point me in the direction of more such resources that I could read (Googling only gets me so far...)?

As for your question, not a lot of pressure is required assuming that you keep your protective layers thin. My approach can recognize fiducials, but a bit of extra coding will be required. With that, though, you"d be able to make objects interact with the table.

Hi guys, I"m hoping to use the same setup but am wondering about the use of tangibles with a Touch Frame - is this what you are using? The manufacturer seems doubtful.0

No. Using touch frames, you forfeit being able to do fiducials. We did not use a touch frame, we built our own table by generating IR with other sources and capturing with a modded PS Eye0

The Cameras are specially tailored to work in the infrared spectrum. Basically, they have a filter on the lens that prevents them from seeing any visible light. This makes them work almost like positional sensors and gets you the ability to detect touch events.0

CCV includes some functionality for camera stitching. Depends on the size of your screen, but with simple geometry, you could bring down the size considerably.0

but I have a question! Can i use my laptop or desktop screen to create something of this nature and can i create my own programs that will makes it look awesome??

Yes. You can code your own apps. You can also use a laptop to do this too. Think about it as a fancier over-sized track-pad with the ability to display. That"s all these tables do.0

Good job jamal_7lna!!...i am doing college project based on this where i have to interface the touch table cpu with my microcontroller wireless mode,could you shed some light thank you! :)

I want to build for commercial purpose,so by using infrared red leds wont hurt the eyes and cause problem to users...I think capacitive sensors are much more safe and robust....can you suggest something on how to approach it?.Thank you:)0

IR wouldn"t be a problem in terms of eye safety or EM radiation exposure. You"d be good. You can use capacitive, but you"d be compromising on response time, fiducial usage, and touch-point limit. If you really want to do something for commercial, capacitive may be your best bet tho (only because of return on investment). The table I built here is for hobbyists. The gold-standard nowadays uses ir emitters and sensors in an array format to increase response. Using this guide for building a commercial system (or any on the internet right now) won"t get you anywhere. I encourage you to read up on detectors and electronics systems. If you could get something made with an OLED type screen and a camera/detector array, you"d hit a gold mine. Think about it: Folding touch tables!More CommentsPost Comment

I"ve moved up 3 phone models since using this, an A21, A42, now a Samsung Z Fold 4. This app still works wonderfully! I don"t get noticeable lag, however after running this I notice a differece. I tap (or swipe) with one finger, but crazy fast with a light touch. I run this once a month or so, then it always feels better, smoother, and even quicker. I wouldn"t say this is a "last resort" app, but a great maintenance app. Kudos! Been using a while now, very happy! (only a 5 second ad at end too!)

In industrial applications, the major functions of HMI are real-time information exchange between humans and production equi