Touchscreens keep their sensors safe from vandals

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Apr 21, 2003

The latest touchscreen solutions from Zytronic offer dramatically improved levels of reliability and protection against physical damage than previous technologies.

As well as delivering one of the industry's best light transmission characteristics, the latest touchscreen solutions from Zytronic offer dramatically improved levels of reliability and protection against physical damage than previous technologies.

Ideally suited to indoor and outdoor public access kiosk applications, Zytouch-based touchscreens feature rugged, laminated glass or polycarbonate materials that ensure true antivandal protection without the need for additional and costly protective screens.

Zytronic's Zytouch touchscreens feature a proprietary 'projected capacitive' sensing technology that does not require the kiosk user to make direct contact with the touch sensor.

This technology, which uses microfine wires embedded within a toughened laminate, maximises light transmission characteristics while significantly enhancing protection against accidental or malicious threats.

The Zytouch sensing technology also means that users can operate the kiosk touchscreen with a gloved hand.

By adjusting the sensitivity, the Zytouch touch sensor can be embedded up to a distance of 25mm from the touch surface, ensuring robust antivandal protection.

In addition, the method of touchscreen manufacture ensures that no sealing is needed to ensure that the sensor remains unaffected by moisture and rain, solvents, harsh cleaning fluids, grease, dirt, scratches and all other surface damage.

Zytouch touchscreens offer light transmission of up to 92% and response times down to just 13ms.

Positional accuracy is rated at less than 1% error within the recommended viewing area.

Furthermore, the Zytouch design eliminates any possibility of the initial accuracy drifting with time.

As a result, screen recalibration is not required during the kiosk's operating lifetime and ongoing maintenance costs can be kept to a minimum.

Zytronic supplies complete Zytouch solutions that combine the laminated glass touch sensor with a controller card and driver software.

Glass and polycarbonate solutions include 'clear', 'antiglare', 'high-transmission, and both 'chemically and thermally toughened' options.

Circular polariser, light control films and antireflection options are also available.

The Zytouch driver software, which is fully compatible with Windows 9x, NT, 2000 and XP as well as Linux, simplifies calibration and set up by translating taps on the touchscreen surface to computer mouse clicks.