Capacitive or capacitance touchscreen is one of the two technologies used to create a visual display for cell phones and handheld computers. Capacitive technology has been around for quite some time already, and it is also known as resistive or acoustic. The main difference between capacitive and resistive touchscreen is that a capacitive touchscreen is responsive to human touch, where resistive displays are not. Thus the earlier technologies were sensitive to human touch, and the later ones are not.
The capacitive touch screen is the first type of touch screen that was made use of in personal computers. The earliest models were made up of electrical relays with a long wire running through them. These electrical relays displayed a series of lights that told the user when the finger was touching one of the lighted points on the screen. The electronic circuits then took the current from these points and sent it to the rest of the electronic components of the computer system. This was basically how a capacitive touchscreen display worked.
Later, other technologies were developed to make the capacitive more efficient. One of these technologies is called capacitive waveguides. The waveguides work on the same principle of creating an electrical signal when there is a contact with one of the electrode ends of a capacitive touchscreen. However, unlike resistive displays, which use electric signals, the capacitive touchscreen display uses electromagnetic impulses. Capacitive waveguides change the current in the capacitive touchscreen display by tapping on the screen, instead of lifting the entire screen to touch the user.
Other electronic devices, like for instance, an mp3 player, digital camera or a laptop, can also be equipped with capacitive or resistive waveguides. In addition, modern televisions, watches and many other electronic gadgets that we commonly use now have either of these two technology in one form or another. Even though resistive touch screen displays are more common in portable electronic devices like handbags and wristwatches, there are actually some advantages of capacitive technology as well. One advantage of capacitive technology is that it is less susceptible to dead zones, where areas of the screen are sometimes dark even after a short interaction with the display. Also, this technology provides a clearer picture since it does not require that all the parts of the display touch at the same time.
However, capacitive touchscreen display, in particular those used in portable devices, has its limitations. For one, the accuracy of the display can greatly be improved by applying an appropriate thin layer of liquid material known as an IR filter. Also, the response time of capacitive touchscreen devices can be greatly improved by using a power ground, which transfers power between the supply and the device. However, one of the biggest drawbacks of capacitive technology is that it responds very slowly.
Capacitive Touch Screen Display – What is a capacitive touch screen? This type of display uses a liquid crystal display or LCD, as opposed to the more traditional resistive technologies used earlier. When a finger is placed on the display, a tensile force is exerted on the screen which changes the electric charge of the tiny capacitive cells, which changes the pixel colors. The slower the speed of change of the charge, the clearer the image will be.
Capacitive USB Touch Screen Display – What is a capacitive touch screen? This type of display uses a liquid crystal display or LCD, as opposed to the more traditional resistive technologies used earlier. When a finger is placed on the display, a tensile force is exerted on the screen which changes the electric charge of the tiny capacitive cells, which changes the pixel colors. The slower the speed of change of the charge, the clearer the image will be.
The latest generation of capacitive touch screens provide a number of different advantages over traditional resistive technology. While resistive displays require more power for the same result, the latest screens use a much smaller die area, which allows them to be manufactured at lower cost. With the latest generation of capacitive touchscreen tablets such as the iPad, the graphics are much clearer and brighter than those of even the best tablet PCs. The touch sensitive capability of this type of displays also enables them to be used more easily by children and people with impaired vision. Capacitive touch screen technology has come a long way in only a few years, and is set to revolutionize the way that we use our computers.