Is Resistive Tech the Future of Computing or Already On Its Way Out?

Touch screens have been in use for quite some time since their invention in 1960’s.

They have undergone a lot of changes to the point they are today. Touch screens are not only found in tablets and smart phones, they are in many other electronics such as navigation systems, laptops, ATM machines and point of sale terminals just to mention a few. However, what we don’t know is that touch screens are of different types.

This can be explained by the fact that some screens are extremely sensitive to touch while others require a lot more effort to operate. Let us have a sneak peak at resistive touch screens. There are touch screens, that we have in one way or another encountered in our day to day lives and they the way they work is through considerable pressure applied on the screen in order for them to respond.

 

Most bank ATMs and point of sale terminals in stalls use these kinds of touch screens

Most bank ATMs and point of sale terminals in stalls use these kinds of touchscreens. This is not to leave out featured phones that are not high-end in nature. Some even require a stylus to operate in order for them to respond. They sometimes even respond when other objects, other than the fingers are used on them. They rely on resistance hence the name “resistive touch screens”. Just what are they made of? There are two layers that are thin with a gap that separates them.

They are coated on one side. The sides covered in coats face each other and when the coated layers come into contact with each other, there is a passage of voltage which when processed results in a touch at that point.

Therefore when you use any item say a stylus, your finger or any other material a little pressure is exerted on the upper layer then moves to an adjacent layer setting off signals.

This is why you can use anything to touch a resistive touch screen and it will respond. In a nut shell, anything that brings about considerable pressure at the point of contact will lead to activation of the system and a touch will result.

How good is the efficiency and speed? Resistive touch screens are considerably slow to respond to touch. This is in comparison to the other types of touch screens, capacitative touch screens. They do not support multi touch actions.

 

How do touchscreen displays work?

When one figure is making a touch then the other finger should be placed at a different point of the screen for it to register the action. As much as they may not sound like a touch screen you would prefer, they have revolutionized over time and presently smart phones that are made of resistive screen are almost as accurate as high-end smart phones that use capacitative touch screens.

Therefore the gap that that was there in the past between the different types of touch screens is slowly narrowing.

Since capacitative touch screen technology rises many times more as the size of the screen increases, then it means that companies or individuals who need ten inches or more of touch screens will incline towards resistive touch screens which will come at a cheaper price.

In addition to this, they consume less power hence they enable one to cut down on cost. Resistive touch screens have a wide range of use due to their low cost of manufacturing and ready availability.

Resistive Touch screens are also found in cameras and video games systems particularly Nintendo which is known to incorporate this technology in its game pad, and 3DS family. It is also common in POS terminals, ATM machines and in automobiles on the navigation screen.

We cannot overlook the role they play in industrial and medical equipment, due to its rugged ability to resist dirt, contaminants, debris, dust and liquids. It should be noted that they are not completely resistant to damage by debris.

They only offer top notch protection more that the capacitive touch screens.

This shows that they are widely preferred. We are evolving by the day as the technology develops, and more refined and extremely sensitive touch screens are coming into the market. However, the old is still relevant. Resistive touch screens were here first, but with continued upgrade they still continue to be the most preferred in some sectors of the economy.

Contact Faytech North America today to answer all your questions !