Touch screen trouble shooting

Helpful hints for trouble shooting your touch screen

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saw transducer touch controler light

Resistive Touchscreens

Resistive touch technology consists of a glass or acrylic panel that is coated with electrically conducive and resistive layers. The thin layers are separated by invisible separator dots. When operating, an electrical current moves through the screen. When pressure is applied to the screen the layers are pressed together, causing a change in the electrical current and a touch event to be registered.

Capacitive Touchscreens

A capacitive touch screen consists of a glass panel with a capacitive (charge storing) material coating its surface. Circuits located at corners of the screen measure the capacitance of a person touching the overlay. Frequency changes are measured to determine the X and Y coordinates of the touch event.

Surface Acoustic Wave Touchscreens

Surface Acoustic Wave technology is one of the most advanced touch screen types. It is based on sending acoustic waves across a clear glass panel with a series of transducers and reflectors. When a finger touches the screen, the waves are absorbed, causing a touch event to be detected at that point. Because the panel is all glass there are no layers that can be worn, giving this technology the highest durability factor and also the highest clarity.