How to make a regular screen touchscreen without problems? How to make a touch screen on a computer

Our body has a certain electrical resistance, so you can't just grab two pieces of wire with your hands and close a low voltage DC circuit so that, for example, an LED lights up. But this does not mean that no current flows at all, it’s just that the skin has such a high resistance (about 100,000 ohms depending on dryness) that the strength of the current flowing through it is extremely small. And if this small amount of electrical current can be increased using an electronic amplifier, then you can use your finger as a switch that completes a circuit to, for example, light up an LED or sound a beep.

Laptop and PC display

At the first stage, you will have to purchase a special Duo Digital gadget, developed by Korean engineers. With its help, you can turn any regular display, up to 22 inches diagonal, into a touch screen. The presented device is a special scanner that is installed at the top of the monitor. It monitors the user's manipulations and sends data about them to the computer for processing. The second part of the Duo Digital system is a pen that replaces the mouse. It, like the manipulator we are all familiar with, has two control buttons.

Continuing the conversation about how to make a laptop screen touchscreen, it should be said that the Duo Digital system is inexpensive - about 40-50 dollars for one set. Therefore, this approach to upgrading an old laptop is completely economically justified. By the way, the price of the device does not depend on the diagonal of a particular display. The main thing is that your device, as already mentioned, does not have a matrix larger than 22 inches.

Once you have purchased your Duo Digital system, secure the scanner to the top edge of your monitor. For this purpose, it has a special mount, similar to a webcam holder. It is advisable to install the scanner exactly in the middle of the screen width. Next, turn on Duo Digital and install special software on your computer. All the necessary drivers are included with Duo Digital, so there should be no problems finding the software. At the next stage, we make individual settings and that’s it - your laptop or monitor has turned from a regular one into a touchscreen one!

How to make a touch screen - Useful information for everyone

Many people think that it is impossible to make a touch screen with your own hands at home, but this is not true. Today, everything you need for this can be purchased without any problems.

In order to start implementing your plans, you need to know how to make a touch screen.

First of all, prepare the necessary tools. You will need:

screwdriver;

knife;

clean rag;

hacksaw for metal;

touch panel kit.

Of all of the above, most likely you will only have to buy a touch panel kit; the rest is available in almost every home.

Prepare your workplace - remove foreign objects and wipe off dust. It should be smooth and without sharp protrusions.

Unscrew the mounting screws and remove the front panel of the monitor. The surface of the liquid crystal matrix must be carefully wiped from dust and other contaminants.

Apply self-adhesive damper strips to the metal edge of the panel around the entire perimeter of the screen.

Remove the protective film from the touch panel. Install the panel onto the liquid crystal matrix.

Attach the LCD matrix with four corner brackets. The groove needs to be deepened by 5 mm; to do this, use a needle file with a round profile. The upper part of the bracket needs to be sawed off 5 mm using a hacksaw.

Install the controller on the back wall of the monitor. Connect the cord to it and glue the damper strips to the back of the front cover of the monitor.

Dock the controller to the touch panel and connect the LCD matrix connectors. Once the screen is level, close the front of the monitor.

Next you need to connect the controller to your personal computer.

Install the drivers. When the OS starts, a new device will be automatically detected.

Restart your personal computer and make sure there is a touch screen icon in the taskbar. All settings and adjustments are made only through the control panel.

In advanced setup mode, perform a 16-point touchscreen calibration.

This completes the creation of the touch screen.

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Phone display

As for how to make a touch screen on your phone, there are somewhat more difficulties here. And the main one is the price. There are also devices like Duo Digital for mobile phones and smartphones. However, they are unreasonably expensive. So, for example, at the end of 2007, the famous Finnish manufacturer of communications equipment, Nokia, released a special Bluetooth pen. With this device, you could write messages, phone numbers, notes, and other information on a standard Bluetooth phone without using a traditional keyboard. In 2008, this pen appeared on the Russian and Ukrainian markets. However, with a price of 240-280 dollars, this gadget did not gain much popularity. Indeed, for that kind of money these days you can buy two full-fledged touchscreen phones at once and not spoil yourself with similar accessories from Nokia.

Now you know how to upgrade your device and how much it costs to make a touch screen for a regular monitor, phone or laptop.

Modern touchscreen mobile phones are a generally accepted attribute of our lives. Their rich functionality and broad capabilities allow them to be used to solve many problems that are not limited to classic phone calls. The wealth of options for using such devices leads to their gradual failure, and one of the common failure options is the dysfunction of the sensor on the phone, when the latter simply stops responding to presses (or reacts extremely poorly). In this article I will tell you what the reasons for this dysfunction are and what to do if the sensor on your phone does not work.

Let's look at common reasons why a phone's sensor fails. They may be as follows:

How to make a regular screen touchscreen without problems?

#1

Touch screens have become quite popular over the past couple of years. However, due to the very high price, they are not available to everyone, and besides, many users do not want to give up their usual push-button devices. But even despite our attachment to simpler phone models, the desire to have a touch screen remains very popular. The ability to convert a regular screen into a “sophisticated” display has become available, and as a result, the costs are minimal.

#2

Before making a regular screen a touch screen, there are a few facts you need to accept. The first step is to try the method on a relatively cheap phone. You should not immediately try to do this on an expensive device, as the consequences can be disastrous if the experience is incorrect. Many users know how to unlock a touch screen, but not many have thought about how to do this on a regular phone using their fingers and screen.

#3

The mechanism for creating a touch screen is quite simple, and the cost of the “ingredients” can cost a meager amount. The first step, as already mentioned, is to use a relatively simple phone. Many people know how to turn on a touch mouse, but when it comes to a phone, it’s quite the opposite.

#4

So, basic products can be purchased at any cosmetic store. The basis is the most common and effective hairspray “Sensitive”. They know firsthand how touch phones are made using this tool. In addition to varnish, you will also need a cotton pad or just a piece of a clean cloth.

#5

The screen of a regular phone must be cleaned of dust as thoroughly as possible. Of course, if it is very scratched, it will not be a very good indicator, but, nevertheless, it will not pose any difficulties. The screen of a push-button telephone, cleaned of dust, must be evenly coated with hairspray. While waiting for the varnish to dry, you need to carefully rub it into the screen using a cotton pad.

#6

If anyone didn't know how to make a push-button screen touch-sensitive, that problem is now solved. After a few seconds of thoroughly rubbing the varnish into the monitor, you need to let it dry a little. The resulting film on the screen makes it possible to respond to the touch of your fingers or stylus.

#7

The above “ingredients” can be easily purchased at any cosmetic store and for little money, but the effect of their use is very useful and, as a result, necessary for many. This method may be useful for those phones whose keyboard has long ceased to perform its functions for one reason or another.

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The sensor on the phone does not respond, what should I do?

To restore normal functionality of your phone's sensor, do the following:

*#7353# - for most Android phones, especially Samsung;

*#*#3424#*#* - for most HTC phones;

*#*#7378423#*#* - for most Sony Xperia phones;

*#0*# - for most Motorola phones.

In the menu that appears, select, for example, “TSP Dot Mode”, and by clicking in different areas of the screen, see which parts of the sensor are not polled, this can help fix the problem in which the touchscreen does not work.

Restoring the sensor through safe mode

To boot into safe mode, turn off the phone completely (including by removing the battery). Then, long press the Power button to turn on the gadget. When the Samsung, Nexus, LG, etc. logo appears on the screen, press the Power button and then hold down the Volume Down button. Press this button when your device boots up, and you will see the inscription “Safe mode” at the bottom left of the screen.

Today, touch input panels are ubiquitous. They are installed on smartphone and tablet displays, laptop touchpads, graphics tablets, payment terminals and ATMs, as well as medical and industrial equipment. Manufacturers are making touchscreen all-in-one PCs and TVs, but most PC displays are still not touch sensitive.

Many people have probably thought about how to make a regular monitor a touch screen. Indeed, in some operations (reading, working with graphics, editing texts), scrolling through a page, selecting the desired item, or selecting an area on the screen with a pen or finger is much easier, faster and more convenient than moving the cursor or turning the mouse wheel. At first glance, it seems that this idea is a fantasy, and it is difficult to implement it. But in reality, everything is a little simpler. This material will tell you how to make a touchscreen monitor yourself.

How to make a computer screen touchscreen at home?

#1

With the advent of the first touch screens on phones, almost everyone wanted to purchase such an incredible device. A few years later, it became so popular that many began to be interested not so much in the innovation, but in the technology for creating such a unique invention.

#2

However, initially the conversation was not about how to make a computer screen touch-sensitive; first of all, it all came down to materials. Of course, such a complex device required a lot of effort and expense, but technology developed so much that more and more principles appeared. At the moment, there are several mechanisms for creating your own touch device.

#3

In order to make this miracle of technology, it is important to know how the touch screen works. Of course, many have heard about liquid crystals and everyone knows that it is very expensive and requires a lot of knowledge and effort in order to make your own panel. Based on such considerations, many inventors began to make homemade devices.

#4

Many users know that it is not necessary to know how to repair a touch phone in order to start using it. The simplest and easiest way is a special application, or rather a program for controlling a webcam. She sets up the camera in such a way that all actions of the hands or anything else are considered as a computer mouse.

#5

The camera-only technology is quite simple, but inconvenient, so there is another way. In order to make and learn how a touch screen works, you will need: a web camera, a cardboard box, a photo frame, a sheet of paper and scissors. A webcam is attached to the bottom of the box so that its lens looks out onto the opposite open side.

#6

A sheet of paper is placed in the prepared photo frame. The frame is placed on the box so that the glass side faces the inside of the box, towards the camera lens. Before setting up the touch screen, you need to connect the webcam to the computer and then configure it in one mode or another.

#7

Now you don’t need to worry about how to make a touchpad, since the principle is very simple. The main factor for good touch perception is the webcam setup, which is done using special applications.

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A little theory

The touch surfaces of screens are structurally a separate element that is not directly connected to the display matrix. Of course, the latest generations of smartphones and tablets use so-called OGS panels, in which the sensitive element is built between the pixels, but it is still controlled via a separate bus. In total, there are three types of touchscreens, each with its own characteristics.

Resistive

Resistive technology for constructing touch screens is the simplest and cheapest. Based on the principle of operation, such touchscreens are similar to computer keyboards. On two layers of a transparent substrate, tracks of almost transparent conductive material are applied. These two layers are located on top of each other with a gap of several micrometers. The upper one is necessarily flexible and bends when touched by a finger, closing the tracks. The further away the fault is, the longer the path the current travels and the higher the resistance. Based on its value (accurate to an ohm), the sensor controller calculates where the click occurred.

Resistive touch screens are cheap, simple, responsive to any object, but not reliable enough (a small cut can damage the touchscreen) and have limited transparency (at a certain angle, conductor tracks even become visible).

Capacitive

Capacitive touchscreen is the most common nowadays (as of 2020). It is more advanced and reliable. The number of layers was reduced to one, its thickness became smaller. A grid of transparent conductors with low resistance is applied to the surface of the touch glass or film. The human body is a poor conductor of electricity and is capable of accumulating electrical charge, therefore, when a finger touches the glass, a small current leak occurs, the location of which is determined by the controller.

Wave

In a wave touch screen, acoustic (ultrasound, surfactant technology) or light (infrared, ultraviolet, PSV technology) waves are used to register touches. A frame is installed around the perimeter of the screen, combining the emitter and recorder. When a finger touches a surface, it absorbs and partially reflects the wave, and sensors register the location.

.

SAV and PSV screens are reliable, absolutely transparent (no mesh of electrodes), have an inexhaustible theoretical resource (in reality depends on the quality of the components), if there is a protective frame, the sensor itself cannot be damaged, and the use of armored glass makes the screen matrix invulnerable. Therefore, they are often used in ATMs, payment terminals, industrial machines and medical equipment. But their accuracy in determining finger coordinates is mediocre. Also, wave touchscreens require regular wiping (dirt on the glass causes phantom reactions).

There are other types of display sensors, but they are much less common. In addition, these methods are difficult to implement at home, so they are not discussed.

What to do if the touch screen does not work?

With each new day, humanity makes more and more discoveries, develops, trying to reach new heights in any area of ​​its life. One of these breakthrough phenomena can confidently be called a modern cell phone, which, in addition to many functions, also has a touch screen. Almost everyone has a smartphone, and accordingly, life without it is quite difficult to imagine. Therefore, it is important to know how to care for it so that it lasts longer, but beyond that, you need to understand what you need to do to keep its touch screen in order. And this is important because the display is the basic part of any phone. Since it provides a touch screen, in the event of any problems, we may not only not see the contents of the software of our phone, but we are unlikely to be able to control it. This is exactly what will be discussed in today's article.

Modern telephone: what is it?

In very rare cases, you can catch a person without his smartphone or its accessories in everyday life. The answer to the question of why this is so is quite simple. Because modern phones can literally do everything and more. Radios, portable speakers and MP3 players, bulky cameras and cameras, massive and inconvenient telephones, ordinary desktop computers and many other equipment that are replaced by the modern smartphone look like a gloomy past century against its background. This touch screen miracle could soon replace our real life! So what should you do if there is something wrong with this very screen? Let's think together.

Touch screens – what are they?

At its core, this is an input device adapted for our convenience. We can say that the entire market is behind a touch screen phone, because it is convenient, beautiful and fashionable. Now let's look at the principle of its operation.

A touch screen display gives us the opportunity to interact with any device without special buttons, but only through sensors.

Entering any information using such a screen is carried out due to the special structure of the display, which is sensitive to touches. Where are they used?

Application

This technology is rightfully considered a real breakthrough, because it greatly simplifies various types of manipulations with electrical equipment. At the moment, they are simply widely used: from telephones, as mentioned earlier, to modern televisions and terminals for making payments. In addition to all this, the touch screen for Samsung and iPhone, which, by the way, occupy a leading position in the market of modern technology, has long been an inherent part.

Screen classification

Since today screens with sensors are very popular and, therefore, in demand, then, according to the principle “demand creates supply,” they are trying to introduce them into almost every area related to technology. As a result of this, the methods and principles of their production, as well as models, can be classified into several different types. There are about four main types. If we consider different subtypes, then this figure increases significantly. Let's look at the types of such screens: resistive; screens based on surface acoustic waves; infrared and capacitive.

Resistive screens

It is this type of screen that finds its application in mobile devices, which will be discussed later. The structure of resistive screens is quite simple. It includes: the LCD display itself, as well as two transparent plates that will be installed above this display. Between such plates there is a dielectric layer. This type of screen has only two advantages: a fairly low cost of components and, accordingly, creation (in other words, cost) and good sensitivity.

Screens based on surface acoustic waves

The operating principle of such screens is more complex. It is based on the phenomenon of absorption of ultrasonic waves. The advantages of this type are that:

  • They are durable.
  • Very transparent.
  • They can determine not only the coordinates of the pressing point, but also the degree of this pressing. By the way, resistive screens were not able to do this.

But surface-acoustic screens also have disadvantages: the presence of even small vibrations and noise (meaning acoustic), as well as dirt, can contribute to disruptions in the operation of the screen or its complete failure.

They are used, for example, in slot machines that have a large touch screen.

Infrared screens

This type of screen is based on a principle similar to the structure of surface acoustic screens. The only difference is that infrared radiation is used as the basis. The screen itself is represented by many infrared and mutually perpendicular lines. When the user touches the screen, the integrity of the radiation is broken at the point of contact, and the device reads information about the coordinate location of this point. Advantages: possibility of convenient reconstruction, strength and durability. Application: vending machines.

Capacitive screens

When you press on the surface of such a screen, a current pulse is generated at the point of contact, due to which the device reads information about the touch and its coordinates. Among the advantages of capacitive screens are very fast response time and high performance. Disadvantage: close dependence on external temperature, due to which it can involuntarily stop working. Application: ATM terminals, Apple touch products.

The touch screen does not work. What to do?

The biggest problem in this situation is the fact that most modern mobile devices have a display with a sensor as the only means of interacting with the device. Of course, if the sensor breaks down, the entire functionality of such a device goes to zero. The question naturally arises, why does the touch screen stop working?

There can be many answers to this question: a banal breakdown, contamination of the sensor or microcircuits, or water or some other substance getting into the layer between the display and the film. But with all the variety of problems, do not despair: there is always a way out. We will show you some simple methods of providing first aid to your smartphone.

Basic and simple steps to eliminate

The first thing you can try to do with a faulty smartphone yourself is to follow these steps:

  1. Turn off your device.
  2. Remove the protective cover or film.
  3. Gently wipe the screen with a lint-free cloth and make sure it is clean and dry, otherwise this will cause the problem.
  4. Restart the device and try using it with clean and dry hands.

Important: Always use a dry or slightly damp screen cloth, but never a wet one!

This is perhaps the most basic tip for troubleshooting screen problems. If the damage to the software is not serious or the contamination is superficial, then this will be enough. If this does not help you, do not rush to take your smartphone to a service center and pay a lot of money for repairs. Please read the article to the end.

Troubleshooting steps for an insensitive screen

If you are sure that your screen has stopped responding to touches and movements not due to any impact (for example, a fall) or water getting into it, then the following steps should definitely help:

  1. Clean and dry your hands thoroughly.
  2. After turning off your smartphone and removing the protective devices, make sure that the screen and protective film remain intact and clean. Otherwise, you will have to remove all dirt and liquids from the surface of the screen and protective film using a dry, lint-free cloth.
  3. Remove all peripheral devices (SIM cards, USB cable, various adapters, etc.).
  4. If the screen is completely insensitive, you will have to proceed to the step of forcing the device to reboot. For an Android device, it will look like this: simultaneously press the “Power” (usually located on the side panel on the right) and “Volume Down” keys for 7-10 seconds. Users of Apple products will have to use slightly different instructions, depending on the version of their device. For iPhone 6 users: hold down the “Power” and “Home” keys until the “apple” appears on the screen. For users of iPhone version 7 and higher, the following instructions may be suitable: press the “Power” and “Volume Down” keys until the logo appears.
  5. After a successful reboot of the device, you should check the functionality of its sensors.

What should you do if your phone falls on a hard and/or wet surface? In this case, your device's screen becomes unresponsive due to an internal problem. However, even in this case, you can try to bring it back to its senses and make it work again without the help of service centers. Of course, this is possible if the damage is not very serious and you are confident in what you are doing. If you are afraid of doing something wrong, then it is better to leave this matter to the professionals without resorting to any of the steps described above. So let's get started.

When the touch screen stops functioning after the phone is dropped, the reason for this may be a problem in the connection of the device that digitizes external signals. In this case, you can gently tap on each corner of the phone, which may reconnect the connection.

If the phone has fallen not onto a hard surface, but into a liquid (usually water), then in order to return it to function, you must urgently perform the following steps:

  1. Turn off the phone and remove the battery.
  2. Wipe off the water with a dry lint cloth.
  3. Try to remove water from the phone connectors (microphone, speaker, headphone jack and charging).
  4. Place the phone, surrounding it with a drying agent.
  5. Leave the smartphone for a long time (at least 48 hours).

It is worth noting that people often use rice as a drying agent, although it is not one. For example, silica gel is perfect for this.

You should understand that solving the problem of a non-working screen at home is possible only in cases where the problem is not so serious that the need for specialist help is visible to the naked eye. If none of our methods help solve the problem, this means that the damage to the screen or software is very serious. As a rule, such serious problems are quite difficult to understand and fix on your own, and you can’t do it without the help of a professional, because you may need to change the touch screen. In this case, there can only be one piece of advice: contact the service center.

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Application of sensors in practice

All three technologies are in demand when applied to touch monitors. The resistive type was widely used in the past, but is still found today. It is he who is interesting in terms of that, but more on that below. Capacitive sensors are used in almost all modern displays that were originally touch-sensitive. Wave touchscreens, as mentioned above, are used in banking, industrial, medical and other specific equipment. Thanks to the enterprising Chinese, they are also interesting when converting a regular monitor into a touch screen.

It’s worth noting right away that converting a regular monitor into a capacitive touchscreen is out of the question: such touchscreens are relatively expensive, specific, and almost never found separately. But resistive and wave technologies are much more interesting in this regard. It is also worth mentioning the purely light (not PSV, but infrared) version.

Method 1: Light

The first method is the simplest and most accessible, but it requires certain skills and desire to work. Before making a touchscreen monitor, you need to stock up on a webcam, an infrared diode (like in a TV remote control), a piece of photographic film (undeveloped), a battery and a housing for a homemade stylus (for example, a laser pointer is suitable), as well as the Community Core Vision program . What to do with all this goodness - in more detail and point by point below.

Before making a regular monitor touchscreen using this method, you need to make sure that the level of technical skills is sufficient and the situation does not interfere with the implementation of the idea. After all, the webcam needs to be positioned precisely, and for this you need space on the table, which not everyone has. In addition, a slight shift of it or the screen forces you to set everything up again.

The method is cheap: the only equipment you will have to buy is the cheapest camera for 500 rubles (most already have one), an IR diode (you can pull it out of a broken remote control), a laser pointer (you can take a marker or other thin tube instead), batteries ( “mini fingers” or “tablets”). The most difficult thing is with photographic film: most people last held film point-and-shoot cameras in their hands more than 10 years ago. In addition, the disadvantages of this method are the difficulty of setting up, the instability of the structure, and not the highest level of convenience.

Some Chinese manufacturers offer ready-made solutions of this type, allowing you to make the monitor touch-sensitive. Such products consist of a special wide-angle webcam mounted on the display and a stylus. This option is not without the mentioned disadvantages, but it looks attractive and does not require skills in working with homemade products.

Method 2: Wave

There are ready-made touch panels on sale that operate on the principle of surface light (SLW) and surface acoustic (SAW) waves. They are a glass with a frame to which a special controller with a USB or COM interface (RS-232) is connected. Such solutions are intended, first of all, for creating terminals and special equipment, but no one prohibits using them at home.

The process of redesigning the display with them is extremely simple.

  1. Before making the monitor touchscreen, you need to wipe it with microfiber and a special cleaner or universal glass cleaner. It is important to remember: if the screen has an anti-reflective coating, you cannot use products containing ammonia (ammonia) for this, as they wash off this layer!
  2. After this, a touch glass is placed on the screen, which is secured with the included devices or placed on high-quality double-sided tape (but it’s better to screw it on anyway).
  3. The further setup procedure consists of installing a proprietary driver and other software (supplied on a disk with the sensor or downloaded from the manufacturer’s website) and calibrating the touchscreen.

The main disadvantage of such a conversion of a monitor into a touchscreen is its relative high cost. A new sensor costs from several thousand to tens of thousands of rubles, depending on the diagonal. In addition, finding the right size for modern wide-format large-diagonal matrices is often difficult. This is due to the fact that narrow-format (4:5 or 3:4) screens have a better ratio of diagonal to usable area, so such touchscreens are produced for them more often. In addition, glass with a frame can spoil the aesthetic appearance of the monitor, not fitting into its exterior.

Method 3: Resistive

In terms of price, efficiency and ease of use, a resistive touchscreen is most preferable. Chinese manufacturers create special touch films of varying levels of accuracy, durability and functionality, with different sizes.

Some of them can be trimmed to fit the display, while others do not support such modification. Therefore, before you buy such a touchscreen, you need to study its description and characteristics.

  1. Before making a regular monitor touchscreen, it also needs to be wiped clean of dust and stains.
  2. Next, you should remove the front frame from the screen (usually this is done using a pick, an unnecessary bank card, or another thin object made of durable plastic that is inserted into the gap) and wipe the display again with microfiber.
  3. If the touchscreen does not fit, but supports cropping, you need to take measurements from the matrix to fit the sensor to it. This must be done in accordance with the sensor manufacturer's instructions. It is also recommended to watch the video instructions for disassembling the display so as not to accidentally break it. Finally, it's important to remember that modification will void your display manufacturer's warranty.
  4. Along the edges of the monitor matrix (outside the visible area) you need to stick special gaskets on which the touchscreen will be placed. This is required to protect the display from finger pressure during operation.
  5. Next, you need to position the sensor and stick it on top of the matrix.
  6. To hide the touchscreen controller and secure it, you need to remove the back cover of the monitor. To do this, you need to disconnect the leg or stand and unscrew the screws on the back (if any).
  7. It is advisable to find a free space near the scaler board (matrix controller) where the controller will be placed on a screw or double-sided tape (the first option is more reliable).
  8. The controller power and data cable must be routed into the existing hole near the VGA/HDMI/DVI connector or other connection interface. If there is no hole, it can be made with a drill or using a hot nail (select the diameter in accordance with the thickness of the cord).
  9. When installing the controller, it is important to monitor the integrity of the cable, preventing it from twisting, sharp bends, etc.
  10. If the matrix fits closely into the monitor body, in the place where the cable will go back, it is better to make a cut on the body with sandpaper, a needle file, or remove the plastic layer with a hot knife.
  11. The back of the housing can then be put back on.
  12. In order for the monitor frame to fit back in place, it will have to be modified. Depending on the design features, you will have to file the fasteners, cut off or grind off the inner sides a little, etc. After adjustment, it can be installed.
  13. The final stage is connecting the sensor and calibrating it. To do this, you need to install the driver (downloaded from the sensor manufacturer's website or supplied on disk), and then adjust the accuracy by touching the dots that the driver program displays on the screen.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Everyone or a laptop at one time or another is faced with the question: how to take a screenshot (or in other words, a snapshot - read more) of the screen, for example, in order to then send it to someone. Sometimes there are no special programs on your computer that help you implement all this quickly and efficiently.

It doesn’t matter, because the built-in capabilities of Windows (even in old XP) are quite enough to implement this task. If you use Windows 7, 8 or Vista, then they even have a special built-in program called “Scissors” for this purpose. So be sure to cope if you read the relevant section of this publication.

The second frequently asked question is: how do you take a screenshot on your phone?

running Android, iOS (this operating system is used on iPhone and iPad), Windows Phone (used, for example, on Nokia Lumia), Sinbain and other OS. If you are encountering this for the first time, the answers will not be obvious to you.

And finally, I want to devote some of my time to describing specialized programs that allow you not only to take all imaginable screenshots on your computer and laptop, but also to automatically upload them to the Internet so that whoever you give the link to can view them and download them if desired. . I hope it will be interesting.

How to make a monitor touchscreen

An example of installing touch glass on a car monitor:

And so, there is a car and a standard monitor. Task: install a touch glass on top of the display to control a non-standard navigation system or car PC.

1. Measure the width and height of the visible area of ​​the display with a ruler or caliper. The visible area of ​​the display is the area not covered by the plastic frame.

5. We carry out a visual assessment, and the possibility of installing the touch glass on the display or on a plastic frame. In this case, they decided to install the touch glass on a plastic frame using a narrow double-sided adhesive tape on a foam base. Before applying adhesive tape, the surface should be degreased.

6. We prepare the metal frame of the display - we cover the edges with thick rag tape. This treatment is required to prevent dust and other small particles from getting into the space between the display and the touch glass, as well as to prevent damage to the glass lining of the touch glass by the metal frame of the display during installation.

7. Remove the protective film from the touch glass (do everything carefully, without leaving your fingers on the surface of the glass, which will be located on the display side) and mount the touch glass on adhesive tape. The touch glass can be installed in any position, that is, with the cable up or down (in some touch glasses the cable may be located not at the bottom, but on the side), during calibration everything will fall into place. The glass lining of the touch glass should be on the display side, the active membrane on the side of the plastic display frame!

8. Carefully wipe the surface of the display, wash off fingerprints and blow away dust particles; it is advisable to do this with a special spray and (or) wipes designed for cleaning monitors. Under no circumstances should you clean the monitor with liquids containing ammonia or ammonia (window cleaners). Otherwise, you will simply damage the anti-reflective coating of the display and you will have to explain for a long time to the client that this is what happened. A clear example is shown in the figure.

9. Mount the display in its place.

10. When mounting the display to a plastic frame, you should place a set of washers in the gap formed between the metal frame of the display and the mounting protrusions of the plastic frame to avoid pinching or damaging the touch glass. After installation, secure the cable from the touch glass to the display body using rag tape

11. Result of the work done:

Next is a diagram for connecting the touch monitor to a navi unit (for example) or to a PC car.

Resistive touch glass consists of a glass backing and a flexible (transparent) plastic membrane. A transparent resistive coating is applied to the glass lining and membrane. The space between the glass and the membrane is filled with a grid of micro-insulators, which are evenly distributed over the active area of ​​the glass and reliably insulate the conductive surfaces. There are also touch glasses in which the lining is not glass, but a flexible membrane. The advantage of these touch panels is their thickness, which often plays an important role during installation. For example, the thickness of the touch glass with glass lining is 1.2-2.1 mm, the thickness of the flexible touch panel is 0.4-07 mm. When the membrane is pressed, the pad and membrane are closed, and the controller, using an analog-to-digital converter, registers the change in resistance and converts it into touch coordinates (X and Y). In general terms, the reading algorithm is as follows: 1. A voltage of +5V is applied to the upper electrode (Uy4 Fig. 1), the lower one (Uy3) is grounded. Voltage readings are taken from the left and right electrodes (Ux1, Ux2). This voltage corresponds to the Y-coordinate. 2. Similarly, +5V and ground are supplied to the left and right electrodes, and the X-coordinate is read from the top and bottom (Uy4, Uy3).

The orange area is an inactive area, along the perimeter of which there are conductive tracks connected to the resistive coating on each of the four sides of the touch glass. The sides of the touch glass are designated X+, X-, Y+, Y- (similar to a regular vector graphic). During installation, the inactive area should be out of sight, that is, under the plastic frame framing the display. The inactive area must not be pinched to avoid damage to the conductive paths or glass lining! The green area is the visible inactive area. This area is intermediate for ease of installation; it can be located either under the plastic frame or outside it. The blue area is the active area, the active surface, when touched, the coordinates of the touch are read. In no case should the plastic frame of the display be pressed against the active area of ​​the touch glass, otherwise the touch glass simply will not respond to pressing in a certain area, that is, the coordinates in the clamped area will be constantly read by the plastic frame!

USB touch controller design

The USB touch controller is designed to convert an analog signal read from a resistive touch glass into a control protocol for a navigation unit (or computer). This protocol emulates a mouse manipulator: double click – emulates double-clicking the left button of a mouse manipulator; pressing for 2-3 seconds – emulates pressing the right mouse button (a context menu appears in some applications). Below is the appearance of the USB touch controller, as well as the pinout of the CON2 socket on the left side of the figure. We would like to draw your attention to the importance of pinout of the CON2 socket, as well as the pinout of the resistive touch glass cable - they must match, if they do not match, simply re-pin the adapter cable that connects to CON2 and the touch glass! The USB touch controller is also supplied with an adapter cable that connects to CON2 and the resistive touch glass, as well as a USB cable.

Pavel Kapysh

September 24, 2004

Recently, in many Hollywood science fiction films, bizarre devices have begun to appear that the characters in the film control with their own hands. For example:

Abroad, touch technologies are already widely used in various products, for example, information touch kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, car multimedia systems, tablet PCs, PDAs and other devices.

This technology is also widespread in Russia; I do not mean handheld computers that are sold in our country. The speed of its spread is apparently limited by the high retail cost of finished products.

Currently, there are about a dozen companies working in this area, and I managed to get a “sensory kit” from one of them for a test. Is it possible to make a touch monitor with your own hands, which would also have a low cost? After reading this review you will confidently say “Yes”.

Touchpad and controller

The touch panel that was provided for testing is manufactured by the Taiwanese company Apex Material Technology Corporation (AMT), one of the largest Asian manufacturers of touch components. AMT's head office and production facilities are located in Taipei, Taiwan.

There are several types of touch panels - resistive, capacitive, infrared and surface acoustic wave screens. AMT9102 belongs to the class of analog resistive touch screens. But there are also resistive panels, multilayer and 4/5/8 wire, this model is a two-layer four-wire.

AMT9102 Specifications:

  • Panel dimensions: 332.6 x 257.5 mm;
  • Panel thickness: 3.3 mm;
  • Active area: 304.1 x 228.1 mm;
  • Thickness of the sensitive layer: 0.188 mm;

Electrical Specification:

  • Resistance of the circuit section (pressed): 10 MOhm;
  • Resistance of the circuit section (pressed): 2 KOhm;

Press response time:

  • 10 ms;

Layer resistance:

    Analog: 200

800 Ohm/m2;

  • Operating voltage: 5V;
  • Operating temperature: -10°C to 60°C;
  • Storage temperature: -20°C to 80°C;
  • Humidity: no more than 90%;
  • Pressure force with a stylus or finger: from 10 to 80 grams;
  • Surface density: 3H;
  • Durability: 10 million point clicks;
  • Transparency: 80%.

Resistive technology is based on the method of measuring the electrical resistance of a part of a system at the moment of touch. To determine the X and Y coordinates, special sensitive layers are used, between which there is another, “neutral” layer.

When the top layer comes into contact with the bottom layer, the electrical circuit is completed and the controller receives X and Y coordinate information from the top and bottom layers, respectively. In order for the controller to distinguish between signals, the currents of the upper layer flow in a direction perpendicular to the lower one. Compared to other types of “dot-screens”, resistive has a high resolution (300 dpi), a long service life (10 million touches), a short response time (about 10 ms) and low cost. But in addition to the advantages, there are also disadvantages, such as a 20% loss of luminous flux.

The controller was taken from the same manufacturer - PenMount 9026. Model 9026 is compatible with four and eight wire designs. The controller is designed for installation inside the monitor case and has an RS-232 connection interface.

Technical characteristics of PenMount 9026:

  • Connection interface: RS-232;
  • Plug & Play: Full support;
  • Maximum resolution: 1024 x 1024 pixels;
  • Signal transmission speed to port: 19,200 baud;
  • Power consumption: from 5V to 12V;
  • Indicators: LED built into the controller;
  • Overall dimensions: length 65 mm x width 25 mm x thickness 2.5 mm.

Contents of delivery

The touch panel is covered with a protective film and packed in a bag in which you can also find eight self-adhesive strips of different lengths. This is where we can finish talking about the AMT9102 delivery kit.

The PenMount 9026 controller is also packaged in cellophane and comes with interface cables and a CD with drivers and software.

Selecting a Monitor to Upgrade

We have a 15″ touch panel, the next step is to choose a suitable monitor. It is not possible to install a touch screen in every display; if everything is more or less clear with a CRT monitor, then you will have to look for a suitable LCD, and we will implant a “point screen” in the LCD monitor.

Initially it was planned to use one of two 15″ models - Philips 150B2B or EIZO FlexScan L355. The fact is that these monitors have a built-in power supply and very limited free space, which is typical for many branded displays. Therefore, installing the controller and panel, in this case, is almost impossible.

As practice has shown, to install the AMT9102 you need about 5 mm of distance between the front panel and the LCD matrix of the monitor. Why 5 mm if the thickness of the touch screen is 3.3 mm, you ask. To connect the “dot screen” to the LCD matrix, special damper self-adhesive pads are used, the thickness of which is 0.85 mm. From all this we get an additional 5 mm.

After an unsuccessful attempt to integrate a touch screen into the Philips 150B2B and EIZO FlexScan L355, it was decided to look for a monitor with an external power supply. It didn’t take long to look for such a display, as the computer market is full of models from “noname” manufacturers.

The choice fell on a 15″ LCD from an unknown manufacturer, which is sold under the name “SoCool”, which literally means “So Cool”. Let's see if he's really that good.

SoCool uses a 15.1″ LCD panel CHUNGHWA CLAA150XH01 with a thickness of only 6 mm, and the boards are mounted on the back wall of the monitor, so there was plenty of space.

Preparing for rework

Before you begin upgrading your monitor, prepare your work area. The main thing is that there are no sharp protrusions on the surface where you place the panel and matrix that could scratch them.

In addition, prepare a clean cloth in case fingerprints appear on the screen. The tools you will need are a needle file with a round profile, a hacksaw and a sharp knife, in case you need to cut the body. Also be patient and be prepared to spend 2-3 hours of free time.

Modernization process

Well, shall we get started? If everything is ready, let's begin. First, carefully remove the front panel and set it aside. For now our attention is focused on the LCD screen. Having loosened the four mounting screws, we demonstrate the panel and move the rest of the monitor to the side.

Brush off dust and remove any foreign objects from the work area before work begins on combining the point-screen with the LCD panel. First of all, thoroughly wipe the surface of the LCD matrix and make sure there is no dust or other dirt on it.

As noted above, the touch panel kit includes special self-adhesive damper strips. First, they should be glued around the perimeter of the screen, naturally to the metal edge of the panel.

Having removed the packaging film from the touch panel, we install the “precise screen” on the LCD matrix, the most important thing is not to confuse the working side of the panel (refer to the inscription in the upper right corner), it should look up. Afterwards, put the matrix + touch panel unit aside. Next, the matrices should be finalized.

The LCD panel is attached to four corner brackets. Using a file, you need to deepen the groove by 5 mm and reduce the height of the bracket accordingly by the same 5 mm, sawing off the upper part with a hacksaw.

When installing the PenMount 9026 controller, be aware of the interface cables. If there is no suitable hole in the back cover of the monitor, make a new one, only when you connect the cord to the controller, do not forget to strengthen it, for example, as shown in the photo or simply tie a small knot.

The controller PCB has two screw holes. In my case, one was enough. The PenMount 9026 measures only 65 x 25 mm (length x width), so finding a place for it was no problem and it was successfully mounted on the back of the monitor.

You must also remember to glue the damper strips to the back of the front cover of the monitor. The remodeling process is nearing completion.

We connect the connectors of the LCD matrix, having previously docked the touch panel with the controller. Having leveled the screen, close the front panel of the monitor. Voila, your touch monitor is ready!

Connection

The controller connects to the computer via an RS-232 interface or simply via a COM port. There are also USB modifications. PenMount 9026 still requires additional power from the PS/2 port.

If the PS/2 connector is occupied by a keyboard or mouse, you can use a “double”, that is, connect the controller to the computer, and the mouse or keyboard to the corresponding controller cable. After this simple manipulation, you can begin installing drivers and calibrating the panel.

Driver installation, calibration

When the OS starts, a new device is automatically detected. Requests for installation should be refused. They must be installed from the included CD as the drivers are included with the PenMount software package. The system on which the drivers and software were installed runs Windows XP SP2.

In the system, the controller with the panel is designated as PenMount DMC9000 and DMC9100. I would like to note that the presented drivers support almost all well-known operating systems, such as DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows CE, Linux and Qnx, but for some reason MacOS remained on the sidelines .

After restarting the computer, an icon with the letters “pm” on a blue background appeared in the taskbar - PenMount Monitor. Through the “monitor” you can select some options, as well as call up the control panel - PenMount Control Panel.

All settings and adjustments can only be made through the Control Panel. The first tab of the control panel is Calibrate, where you can select the setting mode, but more on this will be a little later. The Draw tab is used to check the operation of the panel. The Multiple Monitors tab allows you to enable support for multiple panels.

In the Options you can select either spot or continuous modes. It is possible to duplicate each touch on the touch panel with a sound signal, the frequency and duration of which is regulated in the same menu item. At the time of writing, the latest driver version 4.01 and controller firmware version A1.30 were used.

Let's leave the software description alone and move on to setting up the touch monitor. It’s best not to be lazy and calibrate the “point-screen” using 16 points in the Advanced Calibration mode.

A small circle with a red dot inside will appear on a white background; after clicking on one, another will appear, the same, only in a different place. It’s better to press exactly in the center, on the red dot. For precision, I used a toothpick, but you can use your own finger.

Working in applications

In Windows XP, it's easy to control with the touch of your finger, thanks to large virtual buttons and labels. The sensitivity of the touch screen is high, so you don’t need to put too much pressure on it.

There are no complaints when working in system and office applications. But there are problems in some graphics programs.

It was interesting to see how the touch screen would act as a graphic LCD tablet. It turned out not very good. For example, in Adobe Photoshop 8.0 CS and 7.0 the signal from the “dot panel” was perceived incorrectly by the program. It's the same story in Corel Draw 10.

But in Paint and Corel Xara you can draw as if you were using a pencil on paper. If you figure out the problem that occurs in Photoshop and Corel, the touch display can be used as a graphics tablet. Most likely, the reason lies in the driver.

Cost of touch monitor

If you decide to convert your monitor into a touch screen, I suggest you first get acquainted with the cost of the components.

  • AMT9102 Touchpad – $120
  • AMT PenMount 9026 Controller - $60
  • LCD monitor SoCool - $280

The total is 460 dollars. This is significantly cheaper than a ready-made monitor with a “precise screen” of a similar class. As you can see, touch technologies are quite accessible.

conclusions

My experiment, which I had pinned my hopes on, was a success. Now we can say with confidence that it is possible to create an inexpensive touch monitor that is practically in no way inferior to brands! The areas of application of such a monitor are different and are determined by its functionality. The display can be used to create various exhibition stands, as a monitor for a trading terminal, in the design of museum compositions, as a personal computer monitor for people with physical disabilities or limited mobility.

As you can see, touch technologies are becoming closer and more accessible. And finally, this movement is beginning to gain popularity in our country. A touch monitor is just one type of alternative means of information input and output, but there are also such powerful complexes as information kiosks. We may talk about them a little later.

Flaws

  • lack of anti-reflective coating;
  • large panel thickness;
  • problems when drawing in Photoshop 8.0 CS and Corel Draw 10.

Advantages

  • relatively low cost of rework;
  • Availability of drivers for all common operating systems;
  • ease of modernization.

The AMT9102 touch panel and PenMount 9026 controller were presented for testing by GIDROER.

Pavel Kapysh

September 24, 2004

Recently, in many Hollywood science fiction films, bizarre devices have begun to appear that the characters in the film control with their own hands. For example:

Abroad, touch technologies are already widely used in various products, for example, information touch kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, car multimedia systems, tablet PCs, PDAs and other devices.

This technology is also widespread in Russia; I do not mean handheld computers that are sold in our country. The speed of its spread is apparently limited by the high retail cost of finished products.

Currently, there are about a dozen companies working in this area, and I managed to get a “sensory kit” from one of them for a test. Is it possible to make a touch monitor with your own hands, which would also have a low cost? After reading this review you will confidently say “Yes”.

Touchpad and controller

The touch panel that was provided for testing is manufactured by the Taiwanese company Apex Material Technology Corporation (AMT), one of the largest Asian manufacturers of touch components. AMT's head office and production facilities are located in Taipei, Taiwan.

There are several types of touch panels - resistive, capacitive, infrared and surface acoustic wave screens. AMT9102 belongs to the class of analog resistive touch screens. But there are also resistive panels, multilayer and 4/5/8 wire, this model is a two-layer four-wire.

AMT9102 Specifications:

  • Panel dimensions: 332.6 x 257.5 mm;
  • Panel thickness: 3.3 mm;
  • Active area: 304.1 x 228.1 mm;
  • Thickness of the sensitive layer: 0.188 mm;

Electrical Specification:

  • Resistance of the circuit section (pressed): 10 MOhm;
  • Resistance of the circuit section (pressed): 2 KOhm;

Press response time:

  • 10 ms;

Layer resistance:

    Analog: 200

800 Ohm/m2;

  • Operating voltage: 5V;
  • Operating temperature: -10°C to 60°C;
  • Storage temperature: -20°C to 80°C;
  • Humidity: no more than 90%;
  • Pressure force with a stylus or finger: from 10 to 80 grams;
  • Surface density: 3H;
  • Durability: 10 million point clicks;
  • Transparency: 80%.

Resistive technology is based on the method of measuring the electrical resistance of a part of a system at the moment of touch. To determine the X and Y coordinates, special sensitive layers are used, between which there is another, “neutral” layer.

When the top layer comes into contact with the bottom layer, the electrical circuit is completed and the controller receives X and Y coordinate information from the top and bottom layers, respectively. In order for the controller to distinguish between signals, the currents of the upper layer flow in a direction perpendicular to the lower one. Compared to other types of “dot-screens”, resistive has a high resolution (300 dpi), a long service life (10 million touches), a short response time (about 10 ms) and low cost. But in addition to the advantages, there are also disadvantages, such as a 20% loss of luminous flux.

The controller was taken from the same manufacturer - PenMount 9026. Model 9026 is compatible with four and eight wire designs. The controller is designed for installation inside the monitor case and has an RS-232 connection interface.

Technical characteristics of PenMount 9026:

  • Connection interface: RS-232;
  • Plug & Play: Full support;
  • Maximum resolution: 1024 x 1024 pixels;
  • Signal transmission speed to port: 19,200 baud;
  • Power consumption: from 5V to 12V;
  • Indicators: LED built into the controller;
  • Overall dimensions: length 65 mm x width 25 mm x thickness 2.5 mm.

Contents of delivery

The touch panel is covered with a protective film and packed in a bag in which you can also find eight self-adhesive strips of different lengths. This is where we can finish talking about the AMT9102 delivery kit.

The PenMount 9026 controller is also packaged in cellophane and comes with interface cables and a CD with drivers and software.

Selecting a Monitor to Upgrade

We have a 15″ touch panel, the next step is to choose a suitable monitor. It is not possible to install a touch screen in every display; if everything is more or less clear with a CRT monitor, then you will have to look for a suitable LCD, and we will implant a “point screen” in the LCD monitor.

Initially it was planned to use one of two 15″ models - Philips 150B2B or EIZO FlexScan L355. The fact is that these monitors have a built-in power supply and very limited free space, which is typical for many branded displays. Therefore, installing the controller and panel, in this case, is almost impossible.

As practice has shown, to install the AMT9102 you need about 5 mm of distance between the front panel and the LCD matrix of the monitor. Why 5 mm if the thickness of the touch screen is 3.3 mm, you ask. To connect the “dot screen” to the LCD matrix, special damper self-adhesive pads are used, the thickness of which is 0.85 mm. From all this we get an additional 5 mm.

After an unsuccessful attempt to integrate a touch screen into the Philips 150B2B and EIZO FlexScan L355, it was decided to look for a monitor with an external power supply. It didn’t take long to look for such a display, as the computer market is full of models from “noname” manufacturers.

The choice fell on a 15″ LCD from an unknown manufacturer, which is sold under the name “SoCool”, which literally means “So Cool”. Let's see if he's really that good.

SoCool uses a 15.1″ LCD panel CHUNGHWA CLAA150XH01 with a thickness of only 6 mm, and the boards are mounted on the back wall of the monitor, so there was plenty of space.

Preparing for rework

Before you begin upgrading your monitor, prepare your work area. The main thing is that there are no sharp protrusions on the surface where you place the panel and matrix that could scratch them.

In addition, prepare a clean cloth in case fingerprints appear on the screen. The tools you will need are a needle file with a round profile, a hacksaw and a sharp knife, in case you need to cut the body. Also be patient and be prepared to spend 2-3 hours of free time.

Modernization process

Well, shall we get started? If everything is ready, let's begin. First, carefully remove the front panel and set it aside. For now our attention is focused on the LCD screen. Having loosened the four mounting screws, we demonstrate the panel and move the rest of the monitor to the side.

Brush off dust and remove any foreign objects from the work area before work begins on combining the point-screen with the LCD panel. First of all, thoroughly wipe the surface of the LCD matrix and make sure there is no dust or other dirt on it.

As noted above, the touch panel kit includes special self-adhesive damper strips. First, they should be glued around the perimeter of the screen, naturally to the metal edge of the panel.

Having removed the packaging film from the touch panel, we install the “precise screen” on the LCD matrix, the most important thing is not to confuse the working side of the panel (refer to the inscription in the upper right corner), it should look up. Afterwards, put the matrix + touch panel unit aside. Next, the matrices should be finalized.

The LCD panel is attached to four corner brackets. Using a file, you need to deepen the groove by 5 mm and reduce the height of the bracket accordingly by the same 5 mm, sawing off the upper part with a hacksaw.

When installing the PenMount 9026 controller, be aware of the interface cables. If there is no suitable hole in the back cover of the monitor, make a new one, only when you connect the cord to the controller, do not forget to strengthen it, for example, as shown in the photo or simply tie a small knot.

The controller PCB has two screw holes. In my case, one was enough. The PenMount 9026 measures only 65 x 25 mm (length x width), so finding a place for it was no problem and it was successfully mounted on the back of the monitor.

You must also remember to glue the damper strips to the back of the front cover of the monitor. The remodeling process is nearing completion.

We connect the connectors of the LCD matrix, having previously docked the touch panel with the controller. Having leveled the screen, close the front panel of the monitor. Voila, your touch monitor is ready!

Connection

The controller connects to the computer via an RS-232 interface or simply via a COM port. There are also USB modifications. PenMount 9026 still requires additional power from the PS/2 port.

If the PS/2 connector is occupied by a keyboard or mouse, you can use a “double”, that is, connect the controller to the computer, and the mouse or keyboard to the corresponding controller cable. After this simple manipulation, you can begin installing drivers and calibrating the panel.

Driver installation, calibration

When the OS starts, a new device is automatically detected. Requests for installation should be refused. They must be installed from the included CD as the drivers are included with the PenMount software package. The system on which the drivers and software were installed runs Windows XP SP2.

In the system, the controller with the panel is designated as PenMount DMC9000 and DMC9100. I would like to note that the presented drivers support almost all well-known operating systems, such as DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows CE, Linux and Qnx, but for some reason MacOS remained on the sidelines .

After restarting the computer, an icon with the letters “pm” on a blue background appeared in the taskbar - PenMount Monitor. Through the “monitor” you can select some options, as well as call up the control panel - PenMount Control Panel.

All settings and adjustments can only be made through the Control Panel. The first tab of the control panel is Calibrate, where you can select the setting mode, but more on this will be a little later. The Draw tab is used to check the operation of the panel. The Multiple Monitors tab allows you to enable support for multiple panels.

In the Options you can select either spot or continuous modes. It is possible to duplicate each touch on the touch panel with a sound signal, the frequency and duration of which is regulated in the same menu item. At the time of writing, the latest driver version 4.01 and controller firmware version A1.30 were used.

Let's leave the software description alone and move on to setting up the touch monitor. It’s best not to be lazy and calibrate the “point-screen” using 16 points in the Advanced Calibration mode.

A small circle with a red dot inside will appear on a white background; after clicking on one, another will appear, the same, only in a different place. It’s better to press exactly in the center, on the red dot. For precision, I used a toothpick, but you can use your own finger.

Working in applications

In Windows XP, it's easy to control with the touch of your finger, thanks to large virtual buttons and labels. The sensitivity of the touch screen is high, so you don’t need to put too much pressure on it.

There are no complaints when working in system and office applications. But there are problems in some graphics programs.

It was interesting to see how the touch screen would act as a graphic LCD tablet. It turned out not very good. For example, in Adobe Photoshop 8.0 CS and 7.0 the signal from the “dot panel” was perceived incorrectly by the program. It's the same story in Corel Draw 10.

But in Paint and Corel Xara you can draw as if you were using a pencil on paper. If you figure out the problem that occurs in Photoshop and Corel, the touch display can be used as a graphics tablet. Most likely, the reason lies in the driver.

Cost of touch monitor

If you decide to convert your monitor into a touch screen, I suggest you first get acquainted with the cost of the components.

  • AMT9102 Touchpad – $120
  • AMT PenMount 9026 Controller - $60
  • LCD monitor SoCool - $280

The total is 460 dollars. This is significantly cheaper than a ready-made monitor with a “precise screen” of a similar class. As you can see, touch technologies are quite accessible.

conclusions

My experiment, which I had pinned my hopes on, was a success. Now we can say with confidence that it is possible to create an inexpensive touch monitor that is practically in no way inferior to brands! The areas of application of such a monitor are different and are determined by its functionality. The display can be used to create various exhibition stands, as a monitor for a trading terminal, in the design of museum compositions, as a personal computer monitor for people with physical disabilities or limited mobility.

As you can see, touch technologies are becoming closer and more accessible. And finally, this movement is beginning to gain popularity in our country. A touch monitor is just one type of alternative means of information input and output, but there are also such powerful complexes as information kiosks. We may talk about them a little later.

Flaws

  • lack of anti-reflective coating;
  • large panel thickness;
  • problems when drawing in Photoshop 8.0 CS and Corel Draw 10.

Advantages

  • relatively low cost of rework;
  • Availability of drivers for all common operating systems;
  • ease of modernization.

The AMT9102 touch panel and PenMount 9026 controller were presented for testing by GIDROER.

How to take a screenshot on a computer or laptop in Windows XP, 7 and 8

The most ancient and proven way to take screenshots on a computer is still the “Print Screen”

. It is usually located at the top right of the keyboard, as shown in the following figure:

True, on different types of keyboards (depending on its size and purpose), instead of “Print Screen” it may be written: PrntScrn, PrtSc, PrtScn, PrtScr or something similar.

On laptops

However, to make a screen you may need to press not one key, but a combination of them:
Fn + Print Screen
. The fact is that laptops (especially small ones) use a truncated keyboard, some of the keys of which are accessible only by holding down the additional Fn key, usually located at the bottom of the keyboard (these virtual keys will be written in the same color as the Fn inscription).

When you press the Print Screen key (or Fn + PrtScn in the case of a laptop), a screenshot of everything that was displayed on the screen of your computer or laptop at that moment will be copied. If you need to take a screenshot of only the currently active program window (which currently has focus), then you should use the key combination Alt + PrintScreen

.

Okay, we can assume that we have learned how to take screenshots. Now is the time to learn how to use them, i.e. save them in the form of graphic files, which can then, for example, be sent to someone, inserted into a website (as I do) or stored in a secluded place. To do this, you will need to paste screenshots from your computer’s clipboard into any graphics program you have on your computer or laptop (off the top of my head, I can give examples of Photoshop, IrfanView, and dozens of others).

If there is nothing like this (you haven’t installed it, or you are working on someone else’s computer), then the Windows operating system itself has a built-in free graphics editor, Paint. Even if it is not perfect (more likely even simply wretched), but to “manifest” the screenshot taken

will do just fine. So, in order to fish Point out of the wilds of the software built into Windows, you will need to do the following manipulations: “Start” - “Programs” - “Accessories” - “Paint”.

Now, in an open graphic editor (Point or any other), select “File” - “Create” from the top menu (or press the Ctrl+N combination), and then type the Ctrl+V key combination (or select “Edit” from the top menu - "Insert"). The screenshot previously copied to the clipboard will be pasted into the editor window, and you can, if necessary, properly process it (crop, add captions, highlights, etc.).

At this stage, we have achieved that we finally saw with our own eyes the screenshot we made and even managed to mock (process) it, but this is not enough. It will still need to be saved as a graphic file (most often used for this). To do this, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S, or select “File” - “Save As” from the top menu. All that remains is to select the desired format and give the file a name. All. Now you can do whatever your heart desires with it.

How to take screenshots in the Scissors program from Windows 7 and 8

There is one obvious drawback in the method of taking screenshots described above - the process itself does not occur in an explicit form, and for those who encountered this for the first time, it may seem that after clicking the “Print Screen” button, nothing happened at all. However, in Windows Vista, 7 and 8, a new tool called “Scissors” has appeared, which allows you to take screenshots in a much more understandable and visual way. In the same program they can be processed and saved as a graphic file.

The “Scissors” program lives in the same place as the Point discussed above: “Start” - “Programs” - “Standard” - “Scissors”. As a result, you will see a tiny program window, and the rest of the screen will seem to be overexposed.

It is assumed that you are already ready to select the desired area of ​​the screen on your computer or laptop in order to take a screenshot of it. If this is the case, then hold down the left button and select the fragment. If what is open at the moment is not what you wanted to “capture”, then click on the “Create” button in the “Scissors” program window (or click on Escape) so that it is pressed out. After that, open what you want to screenshot, and again click on the “Create” button, then select the required area of ​​the screen.

The default is to select a rectangular area

, but if you click on the arrow to the right of the “Create” button, you can choose one of four options:

  1. Free form - you are free to circle the desired area with the mouse cursor or a graphic pen (if you use one)
  2. Rectangle - default
  3. Window - a screenshot of the window of the program that will be located under the mouse cursor will be taken (for clarity, it will be surrounded by a red frame)
  4. Whole screen - in this case the program takes a screenshot of everything that is currently displayed on the screen (except for the mouse cursor)

What makes this method better than using the “Print Screen” button is that you will immediately see the screenshot taken in the window of the graphic editor built into “Scissors”, where you can draw on something using the three available tools: a pen, marker and eraser.

The functionality of the “Scissors” editor doesn’t even reach Point, but it will be possible to quickly scribble something on a screen (I’m getting greedy in this regard, because I use a professional program to work with screenshots, which will be discussed below). In general, when you make the necessary notes, you can safely press the button with a floppy disk to save the screen

in the form of a graphic file in Gif, Png or Jpg format, and it is also possible to do this in the form of a separate Html file (it is not very clear, however, for what purpose).

There is also a button on the program panel for sending a screenshot as an email attachment, for example, when you took a screenshot to show it to someone. Again, there are options for third-party programs for computers and laptops that allow you to automatically upload screenshots taken to the network and give everyone access to them, but we’ll talk about them a little later.

And finally, by selecting “Tools” - “Options” from the top menu, you will have access to the limited settings of this program.

In my opinion, the developers of Windows 7 and 8 could have added a little functionality to this built-in program so that it would not look so unpresentable in terms of editing screenshots. .

Yes, I also forgot to say that “Scissors” allows you to take a screenshot of, for example, a drop-down menu. To do this, you will need to open this menu and press the key combination “Ctrl+Print Screen”. A screenshot of the desired menu will be taken, which can then be cropped and saved.

IT Blog thinkit.ru Touch monitor from a regular monitor

This article is about how to make a real touch screen monitor from an ordinary monitor. I made a touchscreen monitor from an ordinary LCD 15 and, in fact, the touchscreen itself. Be careful! Lots of photos :)

Author: iNik | Added: October 27, 2009 | Tons of comments | So we have:

  • 15″ monitor (I had Proview)
  • crazy desire to get a touch screen

Let's get started.

First you need to take everything apart and see what's inside. To do this, unscrew the bolts. In my case there are only two, if the monitor is different, then there may be fewer or more bolts, but it’s easy to unscrew them.

After unscrewing, very often the front panel of the monitor still does not want to come off. This means you need to unlatch the latches. I can do this well with a screwdriver:

All. The cover was removed. Looked at the latches :)

Now we have a bare screen:

We pick it out of the case (don’t ask why, you’ll see for yourself right now)

They picked it out. We look, looking for empty spaces.

But now I’ll tell you why. At the very beginning of the article I said that we would install a touch screen. So, the touchscreen that I installed consists of the touchscreen itself (glass with a film glued to it) and a USB controller, which I also decided to stuff inside.

Here is the controller itself:

Quite small. A little more than 10cm in length, about 4-5mm in height.

The controller does not heat up, so I wrapped it with electrical tape just in case.

I glued it to the back with 2-sided tape. This tape will glue the controller to the case. Such fastening will be sufficient, since no force will be created on the touch-screen controller, so there is no need to fence anything extra.

Glue it to the body. It is advisable to glue it so that it does not stick out from behind the metal cover, but is level with it, since we still have to put the screen back :)

We remove the extra “ventilation grille ribs” of the monitor from below in order to bring the controller’s USB cable out. I did this with a regular soldering iron and scalpel.

We pass the cable. Since the kit includes a cable with filters (barrels), I had to cut off a few more plastic stiffeners.

To ensure that all this does not dangle during the installation process and to ensure that the cable is not accidentally pulled out of the connector when using our future touch panel, we secure the cable with plastic ties.

Now we proceed to the installation of the glass itself with the touchscreen. First, wash the monitor screen (which shows the picture) very carefully, because if you don’t wash it, it will be difficult to get to it, and we don’t really need stains “inside” the monitor! :)

After this, we glue double-sided tape (thin automotive tape) onto the steel frame of the monitor screen.

We glue the glass with the touch screen onto this tape. At first I had a desire to glue the glass over the entire surface, but after thinking about it, I abandoned this desire - it won’t fall out anyway (and there’s also a frame on top), but if you have to disassemble this structure, it will be very difficult to remove it from the car tape.

All that remains now is to connect the touch screen and the USB controller. A cable with a connector is used for connection. The cable is thin, so it can be “wrapped” around the screen and the base of the screen. So that it would not dangle, I also glued it.

Then you can put on the mounting strip (damn! I forgot to say that I took it off :)):

It was very lucky that there was a mounting recess in the place where the touch screen cable goes. Now you don’t have to worry about the cable being pinched or anything else happening to it.

First test drive:

After I tried to put the front panel of the monitor back, it turned out that this panel was pressing on the touchscreen, thereby interfering with calibration. I had to come up with this hack:

Well, I think the idea is clear - we make small protrusions so that the touch screen does not touch the front muzzle.

That's all. Finally, a video with the result of my work today:

As you can see in the video, I don’t have any problems with positioning at all and I don’t press the screen too hard either. Overall it works great.

PS Xeon will come soon and tell you exactly what kind of screen it is, where he got it and how much money it cost.:) I really don’t know.

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Programs for working with screenshots in Windows

First, I’ll tell you a little more about the programs that I use myself, and then I’ll give a list of other popular applications for working with screenshots.

One of the most popular software on my computer is . It has a lot of capabilities and can be useful not only for a webmaster, but also just in the household for solving a number of everyday tasks, one way or another related to taking a screenshot or recording video from the screen.

The program has powerful functionality for both taking screenshots and processing them. For example, it easily allows you to take a photo of a web page that takes up more than one screen (it takes a long time to scroll to the end).

For this purpose, there is a universal and convenient “All in one” operating mode, when by pressing the red button or the Print Screen key (when Snagit is running, this key starts working specifically for this application, and not for copying the screen to the clipboard), you can easily do whatever you please.

For example, if you press the “Print Screen” button and move the mouse cursor to the application window from which you would like to take a photo, then magic happens. By moving the cursor over different places in the window, you will see that either the entire window, or the menu, or some other internal divisions will be automatically selected. Those. you don’t need to aim precisely to draw a frame around the fragment you want to capture.

But you can also work in normal mode, selecting the desired area while holding down the left mouse button, and at the same time you can aim accurately, because a magnifying glass appears under the cursor, magnifying the point of contact of the cursor with the screen.

With the help of Snagit, you can capture video from the screen and do much more. And now about the possibilities of processing screenshots on your computer or laptop

In general, songs can be composed. Here it will probably be easiest to provide a few screenshots so that the greatness of this creation can be understood:

There are a number of other programs that are roughly on par with Snagit:

  1. FastStone Capture
    is a good screenshot for a laptop or computer, not overloaded with anything unnecessary.
  2. PicPick
    - allows you to quickly take a screenshot of your computer screen or any selected area of ​​it, including scrolling windows. In terms of functionality it is very close to Snagit, except that it can’t capture video. The built-in editor allows you to actually professionally process the resulting image.

Programs for taking and uploading screenshots from a computer to the Internet

Clip2net can not only take screenshots and record videos from the screen, but also allows you to instantly post the whole thing on the Internet (the link to the screenshot will be automatically copied to the clipboard and you just need to paste it into an email, website, forum or blog). As a result, you will not need to use your own hosting or one of Yandex Disk, Dropbox, etc.

After taking a screenshot, the program will open a window for editing the captured image. If you do not need this operation, then in the Clip2net settings, check the “Immediate download” box. In the editing window you can use standard tools (inserting labels, selections, arrows):

Clip2net is not a unique program of its kind, and there are several good programs on the market for quickly sharing screenshots

:

  1. Joxi
    is a good screenshotter with instant sharing capabilities. They are edited directly when the desired area of ​​the screen is selected, i.e. without going to the editor window.
  2. Lightshot
    - allows you to quickly take a screenshot, add notes to it, draw arrows and other shapes with a pencil. When a file is saved on a computer, it is immediately assigned a unique name, and you can immediately send it to the developers’ server and instantly receive a link to it, which is very convenient.
  3. — outrageously simple and concise to use. There seems to be nothing superfluous in it, but everything that is there hits the bull’s eye (in my experienced opinion). Actually, the idea, as far as I understand, was taken from the Apple people (Mac) - you activate the key combination and the picture with the screenshot will immediately fall on the desktop.
  4. , which not long ago learned how to take screenshots and upload them to its own Yandex cloud with a link to them. The program has a fairly convenient graphic editor that allows you to add arrows, frames, lines, etc. to the screenshot. things.
  5. Monosnap
    is also a very good service that allows you to take, process and publish not only screenshots, but also screencasts (video captures from the screen). It also allows you to organize access to your desktop or webcam in real time.
  6. Skitch
    is a simple screenshot and screencaster, but with somewhat poorer functionality than the services described above. However, it allows you to send screenshots from your computer or laptop to Evernote, of which it is a part.
  7. Jet Screenshot
    - allows you to capture the entire screen, the active window or a selected area, and then crop the resulting screen, add arrows, circle the desired area or insert an inscription. In the program settings, you can specify where the final file will be saved - on a computer (laptop) or on a developer server with a link to it.

How to take screenshots on a phone (Android, iOS and other platforms)

Also quite an interesting question. If everything about a computer or laptop is more or less clear, the problem is not how to do it, but how to do it in the most optimal and convenient way. But it’s a little more difficult to understand how to take a screenshot of a mobile phone or smartphone, because there is no special button for this purpose, but a combination of control keys is used, which will differ for different types of mobile operating systems.

Let's start with iOS

, which also includes phones from the Apple campaign (
iPad and iPhone
). In order to take a screenshot, you will need to hold down two buttons for several seconds: “Power” (sleep/wake) and “Home”. The resulting images are saved in the Photos application on your device as part of the operating system.

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