touch screen monitors and burning in fingers factory

To understand why this might be the case, we need to understand a little bit about how touchscreens work (which is quite amazing).   Touchscreens produce a small electrical field. When touched by a finger, or similar item that can absorb the electrical charge, it is able to measure the disturbance in the electrical field, and use the information to initiate a command.

If your fingers have significant callous or you have very dry skin, it can impede electrical conductivity. This prevents the flow of electricity. So you can end up mashing away on the phone or tablet in vain with your ‘Zombie Finger’.

An injury that has caused scabbing or scaring on you fingertips can cause temporary ‘zombie finger’. Scabbing (eschar) of the fingers will temporally cause difficulty with using your touchscreen due to the increased thickness and dryness of the skin making contact.

Scaring can last longer. With time, scars, especially on the fingers, will thin out and stretch. This will eventually allow you to get back to your normal touchscreen fun. If you have thick scaring of the finger, your zombie finger may be more of a permanent problem. Everyone scars differently.

Another technique is to lick, or breath warm air from your breath onto your fingertip before using your touchscreen to help with the electrical conductivity.

If you have particularly thick fingertips, try a different finger. The ring finger is an option as it is rarely as calloused as the index and middle fingers.

And finally, there is always the trusty stylus. A stylus is easy to carry around, usually the size of a pen. You can even find them on the end of a pen.

Of course, we should not discount that your fingers are fine, and we can blame it on the phone. Time for an upgrade? Test with other phones before diving into the commitment of a new phone, they are costly.

Responsible for performing installations and repairs (motors, starters, fuses, electrical power to machine etc.) for industrial equipment and machines in order to support the achievement of Nelson-Miller’s business goals and objectives:

• 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.).

• Provide electrical emergency/unscheduled diagnostics, repairs of production equipment during production and performs scheduled electrical maintenance repairs of production equipment during machine service.

I have been incredibly sensitive to energy all my life, both with electronics AND even in certain parts of the world were I found most leylines converge. There are even times when I feel surging in my leg only to find there is a insulated corded cable plugged in directly under my feet, or even covered with some insulated plastic or covering.

I also had experiences in college where I would touch any non-conductive object (stone, wood, etc) and get a shock from it. The doctor at the time chalked it up to change in atmosphere (which I get) but it just happened so many times in different areas that where either dry or wet.

People never believe that I am hyper sensitive to this and REFUSE to us any wireless/Bluetooth devices on my body. It wasn’t until last night when I was using my Apple Pencil that I started to feel a numbing tingling sensation in my thumb. I was 90% complete with the drawing I was working on and thought I could push through it. It has since been a full day and it hasn’t subsided.

On another note, I have worked on the bleeding edge of technology most of my life, and about 50-60% percent of every computer, table, laptop, electronic has had some issue brand new out of the box. My parents always questioned whether I am a highly conducive or not.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common neurological disorder that occurs when the median nerve, which runs from your forearm into the palm of the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. You may feel numbness, weakness, pain in your hand and wrist, and your fingers may become swollen and useless. You might wake up and feel you need to “shake out” your hand or wrist.

The median nerve and the tendons that bend the fingers pass through the carpal tunnel—a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand. The median nerve provides feeling to the thumb, index, and middle finger, and part of the ring finger (but not the little finger). It also controls some small muscles at the base of the thumb.

Sometimes, thickening from the lining of irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and compresses the median nerve. CTS is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies, in which one of the body"s peripheral nerves is pressed on or squeezed.

You can sometimes treat carpal tunnel syndrome at home, but it may take months to heal. Your doctor can recommend treatments. CTS rarely recurs following treatment and home care.

Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent numbness or tingling in the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers. Symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night. The dominant hand is usually affected first and procures the most severe symptoms. Early symptoms include:

Tingling during the day, especially with certain activities such as talking on the phone, reading a book or newspaper, or drivingMild to severe pain, sometimes worse at night

In chronic and/or untreated cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb may shrink and waste away. Some people with very severe CTS cannot determine between hot and cold by touch and may burn their fingertips without knowing it.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is often the result of a combination of factors that increase pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel, rather than a problem with the nerve itself. Sometimes no single cause can be identified. Contributing factors may include:

The risk of developing CTS is not confined to people in a single industry or job but may be more reported in those performing assembly line work—such as manufacturing, sewing, finishing, cleaning, and meatpacking—than it is among data-entry personnel. Many people who have CTS report never have working at these types of jobs.

Physical exam. Your doctor will examine your hands, arms, shoulders, and neck to determine if your complaints are related to daily activities or to an underlying disorder and to rule out other conditions that mimic carpal tunnel syndrome. Your wrist will be checked for tenderness, swelling, warmth, and discoloration. Your fingers will be tested for sensation, along with muscles at the base of the hand for strength and signs of atrophy.

In the Tinel test, the doctor taps on or presses on the median nerve in your wrist. The test is positive when tingling in the fingers or a resultant shock-like sensation occurs.

The Phalen, or wrist-flexion, test involves having you hold your forearms upright by pointing the fingers down and pressing the backs of the hands together. If you have CTS, you should feel tingling or increasing numbness in your fingers within 1 minute. Your doctor may also ask you to try to make a movement that brings on symptoms.

A nerve conduction study measures how quickly impulses are transmitted along a nerve. Electrodes are placed on your hand and wrist and a small electric shock is  applied and the speed with which nerves transmit impulses is measured

In electromyography, a fine needle is inserted into a muscle and electrical activity is viewed on a screen to determine the severity of damage to the median nerve.

Treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome should begin as early as possible, under a doctor"s direction.  Underlying causes such as diabetes or arthritis should be treated first.

Avoiding daytime activities that may provoke symptoms.  If you have slight discomfort you may wish to take frequent breaks from tasks, to rest the hand.  If the wrist is red, warm and swollen, applying cool packs can help.

Over-the-counter drugs.  In special circumstances, various medications can ease the pain and swelling associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonprescription pain relievers, may provide some short-term relief from discomfort but haven"t been shown to treat CTS.

Prescription medicines.  Corticosteroids (such as prednisone) or the drug lidocaine can be injected directly into your wrist or taken by mouth (in the case of prednisone) to relieve pressure on the median nerve if you have mild or intermittent symptoms. (Check first with your doctor if you have diabetes or may be predisposed to it, as prolonged use of corticosteroids can make it difficult to regulate insulin levels.)

Alternative therapies. Yoga has been shown to reduce pain and improve grip strength among those with CTS. Other alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic care, have benefited some people with CTS but their effectiveness remains unproved.

Vocational or occupational therapy. You may need to learn new ways to perform certain tasks or job skills that will not complicate or worsen your CTS.

Carpal tunnel release is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States. It may be recommended when non-surgical treatments are ineffective or if the disorder has become severe. Carpal tunnel surgery involves cutting a ligament to relieve the pressure on the nerve. Surgery is usually done under local or regional anesthesia (involving some sedation) and does not require an overnight hospital stay. Many people require surgery on both hands.

Open release surgery is the traditional procedure used to correct carpal tunnel syndrome. It consists of making an incision up to 2 inches in your wrist and then cutting the carpal ligament to enlarge the carpal tunnel. The procedure is generally done under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis, unless there are unusual medical conditions.

Endoscopic surgery may allow somewhat faster functional recovery and less postoperative discomfort than traditional open release surgery but it may also have a higher risk of complications and the need for additional surgery. The surgeon makes one or two incisions (about ½ inch each) in your wrist and palm, inserts a camera attached to a tube, observes the nerve, ligament, and tendons on a monitor, and cuts the carpal ligament (the tissue that holds joints together) with a small knife that is inserted through the tube. Following the surgery, the ligaments usually grow back together and allow more space than before. Your symptoms may be relieved immediately after surgery, but full recovery can take months. You may have infections, nerve damage, stiffness, and pain at the scar. Almost always there is a decrease in grip strength, which improves over time. You may need to modify work activity for several weeks following surgery or need to adjust job duties or even change jobs after recovery from surgery.

Recurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome following treatment is rare. Less than half of individuals report their hand(s) feeling completely normal following surgery. Some residual numbness or weakness is common.

Tasks at home or work, along with workstations, tools, and tool handles, can be redesigned to help your wrist maintain a natural position during work.  Wearing fingerless gloves can help keep hands warm and flexible.  At the workplace, workers can do on-the-job conditioning, perform stretching exercises, take frequent rest breaks, and use correct posture and wrist position.  Jobs can be rotated among workers.  Employers can develop ergonomic programs to adapt workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of workers.

The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is to seek fundamental knowledge of the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.  The NINDS is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the leading supporter of biomedical research in the world. NINDS is the leading NIH funding Institute on nerve disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome.

Scientists supported byNINDSare studying the factors that lead to long-lasting neuropathies (diseases or malfunction of nerves), and how the affected nerves are related to symptoms of pain, numbness, and functional loss. Researchers also are examining biomechanical stresses that contribute to the nerve damage responsible for symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in order to better understand, treat, and prevent CTS and other costly and disabling occupational illnesses.

Scientists funded throughNIH"s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health are investigating the effects of acupuncture on pain, loss of median nerve function, and changes in the brain associated with CTS. In addition, a randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment in conjunction with standard medical care is underway. Evaluations of these therapies and other therapies will help to tailor individual treatment programs.

AnotherNIHcomponent, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disorders (NIAMS), supports research on tissue damage associated with repetitive motion disorders, including CTS. Scientists have developed animal models that are helping to understand and characterize connective tissue in hopes of reducing harmful tissue buildup and identifying new treatments.

More information about carpal tunnel syndrome research supported byNINDSand otherNIHInstitutes and Centers can be found usingNIH RePORTER, a searchable database of current and past research projects supported byNIHand other federal agencies. RePORTER also includes links to publications and resources from these projects.

Clinical trials are studies that allow us to learn more about disorders and improve care. They can help connect patients with new and upcoming treatment options.

Consider participating in a clinical trial so clinicians and scientists can learn more about carpal tunnel syndrome. Clinical research uses human volunteers to help researchers learn more about a disorder and perhaps find better ways to safely detect, treat, or prevent disease.

All types of volunteers are needed—those who are healthy or may have an illness or disease—of all different ages, sexes, races, and ethnicities to ensure that study results apply to as many people as possible, and that treatments will be safe and effective for everyone who will use them.

For information about participating in clinical research visitNIH Clinical Research Trials and You. Learn about clinical trials currently looking for people with CTS atClinicaltrials.gov.

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.

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. For instance, 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. Consequently, 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. Therefore, 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 by viewing TRU-Vu Touchscreens or call us at 847-259-2344. To address safety and hygiene concerns, see our article on “Touch Screen Cleaning and Disinfecting“.

You probably touch your phone"s screen hundreds of times per day. Combined with its delicate glass build, it"s no surprise that smartphone touchscreens are one of the most common components to run into issues.

But the touch screen not working on your Android phone isn"t always the result of a hardware failure. If your phone touchscreen often isn"t working or fails to respond, there"s a lot you can do before getting professional help.

First, you should rule out the possibility of a software bug if your phone touch screen is not working. There are a handful of troubleshooting steps you can do to confirm this.

A good-old reboot might sound futile to fix such an advanced issue. However, it"s often one of the most successful ways to fix an unresponsive touch screen on Android. Restarting your phone shuts down and refreshes all background services, which could have crashed and led to your issue.

If you"re unable to touch the screen to select the option, on most devices, you can hold down the Power button for several seconds to switch off your phone. In some cases, you may need to hold down the Power button and the Volume Up button at the same time.

If your touch screen is not working, but only intermittently, then you may be able to re-boot your phone into safe mode. Android"s safe mode lets you use your phone with only the original software it shipped with, which strips out all services and apps you"ve installed. If your display works normally in safe mode, a third-party app is likely at fault here.

To enter safe mode on most new Android devices, press and hold the power button. In the resulting prompt, touch and hold the Power off button. Once you see the prompt to enter safe mode, tap OK, and your phone will soon restart. To exit safe mode, just restart your phone normally.

If you"re scratching your head wondering, "Why is my phone touchscreen not working?", you"ll find a range of apps on the Play Store that could help you to diagnose your display issues. These are designed to pinpoint what exactly is wrong with your phone"s touchscreen. We recommend trying out one simply called Display Tester.

When you launch Display Tester, head into its Tests tab. Here, you have the option to test a whole bunch of aspects. The app can detect dead pixels, burn-in on OLED screens, whether the contrast and saturation are accurate, multi-touch status, and more.

If you got positive results in touch-based tests, you should review all recently installed apps or consider performing a factory reset. Since your touchscreen functioned as intended under special circumstances, a third-party app is most likely the root cause.

Many people apply a screen protector on their phones as an added safety against drops and scratches. But that same sheet of plastic or glass could prevent your touch signals from reaching the display panel.

If your phone"s screen has been acting up lately, try removing the protector. Of course, this doesn"t guarantee a fix. However, it could increase the response rate on an already weak screen.

Touchscreen Repair is a lightweight app that calibrates your screen to reduce response times. The app asks you to consecutively tap several sections of the touchscreen. Based on your phone"s internals, it then artificially drops the latency as much as possible.

The effectiveness of Touchscreen Repair varies depending on your phone maker. Many OEMs ship their phones with optimal response rates. In those scenarios, Touchscreen Repair won"t be able to do much. But it"s worth a try if nothing else has worked yet.

You don"t have to rely on touch inputs to control your phone. To better serve users with accessibility needs, voice and facial-based interaction methods for Android have come a long way.

With the right apps, you can navigate on your phone entirely through your voice and facial movements. Of course, these solutions only apply if your phone"s touchscreen works enough to install an app from the Play Store.

Else, you can try installing the app to your phone through the Play Store web interface. And you can disable touchscreen input on your phone until you get the screen fixed.

Google"s Voice Access app proactively listens for your commands and assigns a number to every action available on the screen. Instead of touching an app icon or menu element, you just have to call out the assigned digit.

Voice Access links fundamental actions to fixed phrases. So you can say "screen down" for moving around pages and "go back" to return to the previous screen, for example.

This app does exactly what its name suggests. It adds a virtual cursor on your screen, which you can manipulate with your face. To move the pointer, you simply have to move your head in the appropriate direction.

When the cursor is over the element you want to select, wait for a moment or two to input a single tap. You also have the option to switch on a dock for quickly accessing a handful of essential actions, including home and multitasking.

If you can"t install any apps due to screen problems, connecting an external keyboard and mouse might do the trick. This assumes you can still see the screen, though.

Controlling an Android phone with an external keyboard and mouse is mostly straightforward. All you need to do is find the right cable and plug the accessories in. Since your phone has one USB input, you will need a dongle to pair both of them.

It"s important to understand the difference between water-resistant and waterproof. A water accident can permanently damage your phone"s internals if you leave it on. Thus, in such scenarios, your best course of action is to shut down the device and wait for it to dry.

With these possible fixes, you should hopefully be able to revive your phone"s touchscreen if it"s just a software bug. Failing that, the apps mentioned can grant you a temporary workaround.

Otherwise, you will have to visit a service center for help. If you"re lucky, a professional will be able to restore the touchscreen"s functions, although depending on the device, it may be a pricey repair. If not, you"ll have to look at replacing your phone.

Your Android touch screen might not be working for various reasons. Hopefully, one of the fixes above helped solve your touch screen issues. If everything fails, perhaps it"s time to upgrade.

We"ve all been there. Tapping, swiping or zoom-pinching, there"s often a moment when the touchscreen display on your tablet refuses to respond. How do you overcome this, and achieve tablet-tapping Zen?

As the primary mode of interaction between you and your apps, the tablet touchscreen is vitally important. Any damage inflicted – knocks to the device, scratches or worse – will degrade the touchscreen. Short of paying for a replacement, you will need to make sure the display is kept safe and intact.

The following tips – also suitable for smartphones – will help you resolve your tablet"s touchscreen responsiveness issues. We"ve designed this guide for all touchscreen tablet computers. So, if your Android tablet touchscreen is not working, or your device uses iOS, or Windows, the answers you need are right here.

Perhaps the best place to start in troubleshooting screen responsiveness issues is to make more system RAM available. This may take a moment but should give you an idea of how bad the problem is.

Android users have a wealth of options for freeing up space on tablets, such as clearing the app cache or using third party apps. Our guide to spring cleaning your Android should come in handy here.

After you"ve closed all the apps you no longer need, your tablet should be more responsive. Jailbroken iPads can run task management apps, meanwhile, which will help you to close any running processes you don"t need.

If your Microsoft Surface touchscreen is not working, or you use a different Windows 10 tablet, close as many desktop apps as is practical can before switching to the Start screen. Then:

Restarting a tablet isn"t a case of just tapping the power button to turn the screen off. Instead, the whole device must be switched off and back on again.

iPad owners should close each open app before holding the Sleep/Wake button and dragging slide to shutdown. If closing apps isn"t possible, your model of iPad will determine how to restart.

Windows tablet owners can restart their devices by tapping Start then Power > Restart. If the device fails to respond, hold the power button for 10 seconds to reboot.

After all, how do you fix an unresponsive touchscreen when most of your options are accessible through the screen? The answer is surprisingly simple: connect a mouse.

If you have a USB mouse handy and an OTG adapter for your Android device, you can connect them up. Assuming your tablet is otherwise operational, it should recognize the mouse, providing access to the settings you need for repair.

Knowing which area(s) of the touchscreen are failing to respond correctly can be useful in diagnosing what is wrong. This information would prove useful to any engineer who ends up repairing the tablet.

For iPad, there is no calibration tool available or required. However, if you are using a jailbroken device that is registering your taps and swipes incorrectly, perform a hard reset. This will undo the jailbreak, but your device should work again.

On Android, free calibration and testing apps are available. Touch Screen Test is a good app that helps you find specific areas where input is not detected.

For devices that are in warranty, this means contacting the manufacturer and arranging a return, or dropping into a store. iPads, for example, can be taken to Apple Stores; Samsung tablets can similarly be taken to Samsung stores. In some cases, doorstep repairs are possible, where the device is repaired in a mobile Samsung-approved workshop parked outside your home. If your Samsung tablet touchscreen is not working, this fast-repair option might be available.

Whether you"re using a Samsung, LG, iPad, or your Lenovo tablet touch screen is not working, check your device manufacturer"s support pages to find the correct steps to arrange repair. Make it clear what steps you have attempted to resolve the touchscreen issues.

This is a risky option that sometimes pays off. However, only attempt if you have a device that is out of warranty and can"t afford a professional repair. It"s more suited to cheaper Android tablets rather than top end Samsungs, iPads, or Windows tablets.

Before you grab your tablet, check if you can find the tools and instructions for disassembling your device. YouTube is a great source if you can find a video for your device.

As noted above, if your tablet screen is cracked, it can impact touch reliability. Whether big or small, a cracked tablet screen will always fail eventually. Having your tablet looked at by an engineer under warranty is the smart option but isn"t always possible. If your tablet is out of warranty and the screen is cracked, you have two options:

Paying for a repair shouldn"t be too expensive. Often, the repair can be done the same day – in city centers, repair shops can often do it while you wait. This depends on the tablet model and the parts the shop has in stock, however.

Wondering how to repair a tablet touch screen yourself? For cheaper tablet models repair makes more sense than with premium brands. So, if you have a Vankyo, Onn, Yosatoo, Contixo, or Amazon Fire tablet with a screen that is not working or responding to touch, consider replacing the display yourself. Our guide to replacing a cracked Amazon Fire tablet display will help here.

Most problems can be avoided with care, a screen protector, and a case for your tablet. But where possible, avoid water and don"t get your tablet wet.

Reuters recently posted a story from Suzhou, China about workers at a factory making touch screens on contract for Apple who have been injured (including potentially at least one death) by inhaling hexyl hydride, also known as n-Hexane.  According to the Reuters story, Wintek, the Taiwan, China company that owns the factory where the touch screens are made, switched from using regular alcohol to n-Hexane, because the chemical evaporates faster, and therefore sped up production of the touch screens.  Unfortunately, Reuters reported that at least 137 workers became ill from inhaling the chemical, or absorbing it through their skin.  That the workers could be made sick by the use of n-Hexane was both predictable and preventable, and therefore inexcusable.  n-Hexane has been recognized for more than 40 years to cause long-lasting and even permanent nerve damage in feet, legs, hands, and arms.

Stories about industrial, environmental, and health problems in China can frequently be convenient windows for looking into our own regulatory structure for protecting the public, whether from contaminated food, dangerous toys, or the use of unsafe chemicals in products and the workplace.  Of course, there is overlap between the two countries, such as when infant formula contaminated with toxic melamine, or toy jewelry contaminated with deadly lead or cadmium were imported from China and sold here in the U.S.  But we have our own problems right here at home, including a historic failure to require tens of thousands of chemicals that are being used in the workplace or in commercial and consumer products to be tested for safety.  Although we have some partial workplace controls in place for exposure to some chemicals (including n-Hexane), by and large they are weak, poorly enforced and inadequate to protect workers on the job.

Which leads me back to one of my favorite topics (at least for blogging): the need to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to better protect consumers, workers, and everyone else from exposure to unsafe chemicals like n-Hexane, whether in the workplace, at school, at home, or anywhere else.  n-Hexane is widely used in the United States, primarily in industrial settings as a solvent, but it is also found in common household products such as stain removers, spray adhesives, and craft paints.  Although its dangers are well known, EPA has not taken any steps to regulate use of or exposure to n-Hexane in the 35 years since TSCA was enacted.  That’s because EPA is handcuffed from doing so, by the many problems with the law.

As a result, poisonings by n-Hexane have not only occurred in China, they have also happened right here in the U.S.  n-Hexane is just one of scores of chemicals which we know cause serious health effects (cancer, neurological problems, reproductive harm) and which we also know people are widely exposed to. EPA needs the authority to take action and protect the public from unsafe chemicals like n-Hexane, without waiting for additional years of study or surmounting endless legal hurdles thrown up by the chemical industry.  Uses of n-Hexane should have been restricted, if not banned outright, years ago.  There are safer alternatives, including water-based solvents for many uses.   A functioning regulatory system would require chemicals to meet a safety standard to remain on the market, and would allow EPA to quickly take steps to reduce exposure to chemicals we already know are unsafe.  Right now, TSCA doesn’t do that.

The story of workers in China, exposed to a dangerous chemical with little or no recourse to affect their workplace safety evokes another timely issue here in the U.S.  There is currently a battle taking place in Wisconsin; that is sure to be replayed in other states, over efforts to limit the collective bargaining rights of public unions to only cover wages, but not other terms or conditions of employment.  I’m no labor expert, but it seems to me that workplace safety, including the need to have a voice about the kinds of toxic chemicals that may be used in the workplace (say, in the repair shop of a state-employed auto mechanic, or in the art supplies of a school teacher, or in the cleaning supplies of the janitors who clean state buildings), or how those workplaces might be arranged to minimize or eliminate the risk of exposure to such chemicals, is a legitimate and appropriate subject for collective bargaining, and one that should not simply be taken away by an executive or legislature under the guise of cutting a budget shortfall.   Particularly in the absence of meaningful federal protections for workers or the public from toxic chemicals, efforts to remove one tool for ensuring or improving workplace safety seems like a major step backwards.  It would make our system look a little more like China’s.  And not in a good way.

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Most smart phones and tablets have capacitive touch screens. This is an impressive bit of technology that lets you interact directly with the screen using only your finger. But there is one problem with this kind of interface, messy finger foods. Nobody wants streaks of food all over their screen. One way to solve this problem is to use capacitive stylus. But you don"t need to spend a lot of money on a commercial stylus when you can make one for free out of everyday items. In this instructable, I am going to share with you a few of my favorite designs for a DIY capacitive stylus.

There are several different kinds of capacitive sensing. But in general, they all work by using an array of sensors to monitor the electrostatic field around the screen. When your finger touches the screen, it changes the electrical capacitance of that portion of the screen. This is detected as a change in voltage at various locations. The microprocessor captures, filters, and analyzes the data. Then it calculates the coordinates of where the touch occurred. You can read more about capacitive sensing here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitive_sensing

When a stylus is used, the same principles apply. The only difference is that the stylus is acting as a conductor to transmit electrical charge between your hand and the phone. In order to function properly, a capacitive stylus must meet several criteria.

1. A conductive surface: It must be able conduct an electrical charge between your hand and the screen. If the material is too resistive or if the distance between your hand and the screen is too great, the signal reaching the screen may be too weak to be detected.

2. At least 1/4 inch wide: When filtering data, the processor ignores areas that are significantly smaller than a human finger tip. This helps avoid unintentional activation. Having a stylus that is about 1/4 inch wide will ensure that there is enough surface area to be detected.

Following these criteria, you can find a wide variety of common items that can be used to activate a capacitive touch screen. Here are five of my favorite designs for a DIY capacitive stylus.

The back end of many metal pens may be used as a stylus without any modification. The more metal there is in the pen, the more sensitive and more reliable it will be. When selecting a pen be careful to avoid shiny plastic that may look like metal. This is probably the most convenient stylus because it can function as both a pen and a stylus.

The negative end of a battery (such as a AA, AAA, or AAAA) can also act as a stylus without any modification. However, if you would like to make it more sensitive, you can remove any insulating wrapping. A battery makes a great impromptu stylus. With the prevalence of hand help electronics we are rarely far from a battery of some kind.

Probably the most interesting material that can be used to activate a capacitive touch screen is a sponge. It"s cheap, effective and actually cleans your screen as you use it. But a sponge is a bit too flexible to make an effective stylus as it is. To fix this, the easiest thing to do is to insert the sponge into a metal pen barrel or other metal tube. This gives it shape and makes it a lot easier to work with.

Cut off a strip of sponge that is about 1/2 inch wide and about 3 inches long. Pinch the end of the sponge and twist it into the barrel until you have 1/2-1 inch sticking out the end. Make sure that the sponge is deep enough that it makes good contact with the metal housing. Then trim the tip of the sponge with a pair of scissors and round it off. This helps make the stylus more accurate.

The only problem with using a sponge as a stylus is that it will not work if it is completely dried out. The water in the sponge helps conduct the charge. So periodically you need to rewet the sponge. It doesn"t need to be soaked, just moist enough that the sponge is flexible.

While most office supplies are either too small (like paper clips) or too large (such as staplers and hole punches) to be conveniently used as a stylus, there are quite a few that work quite well. Some examples of metal office supplies that will work as a stylus are scissors with metal handles, a name tag clip, binder clamps, or an unbroken bunch of staples. The best way to figure out what will work is to just open up your office supply drawer and start trying different things out.

Pretty much anything wrapped in foil can work as a stylus. A pencil or pen wrapped in foil is probably the simplest example. Just tear off a piece of foil that is about 3-4 inches long. Then roll it onto the pencil leaving about an inch of foil sticking out past the eraser. When it is rolled up, fold this extra bit of foil over the end. Then fold up any sharp ends. To finish smoothing the end, you may want to press it against a table on all sides to ensure that the end is flat and free of any sharp edges. The creased foil should hold itself in place, but if you use tape to secure the foil, make sure that there is enough exposed foil to make a good contact with your hand. If the stylus is not very responsive, you may wish to adjust the shape of the tip by either pressing it into a different shape or rerolling it.

This is just a short list of some materials that will work. Feel free to try out whatever you have laying around. If you think of a particularly interesting material that works, leave a comment and share.

Where I live, stylus"s are not easy to find, nor cheap. I once bought a package of 12 off WISH, but eventually they wore out. After reading about other peoples ideas for stylus"s, all great ideas, I decided to try using saran wrap, wapping the rubber tip with it so that just one thin layer of saran wrap covered the black rubbe tip and the excess wrapped around the shaft. Surprisingly, it works just like a brand new stylus. The only down fall is that it looks like crap AND after a while the thin layer of saran wrap tears. If you use it for just texting, the saran wrap will last longer, while, if you use it to scroll alot, it will tear.

I am an older lady with fat fingers, trying to type a text or play a game on my phone with my fingers is frustrating. Also just as frustrating is using a worn out stylus. A quick fix is to use saran wrap.0

i used a battery and it worked great, but batteries aren"t very long so i stuck it on a pencil--it stopped working when i had it on there, but it worked fine when i took it off. what can i put it on to make sure it keeps working?

Hi,. If the sensitive part, the screen sensor, is removed because it could no more functioning, what can I do? Can any of the methods listed work? If they could not, what do you think can work for this situation.

Hi, I am a phone technician here. What controls touch is on the actual motherboard, you can’t get it removed, but it can stop touch when There is bending or breakage with tiny pins located on the motherboard. Also, if you see a weird gray line at the top of your screen that comes and goes, it’s a software issue.

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