touch screen

[Mach390]

We have a couple of touch screens at our plant. The areas that they're in are sometimes cold. When the operator tries to select something on the screen the cursor is sometimes 4" away from your finger and other times it is fine. Does the cold affect these screens, or is there an ajustment you can make in the screen? Thanks for any help

[PdL]

Operating temperatures should be mentioned in the screens technical specifications. Perhaps a touch calibration has to be performed ? BTW, what brand / type ?

[TimWilborne]

Also do you shut them off at night? We had problems with our displays being almost unreadable in the morning especially after they were shutdown for the weekend.

[glaverty]

Are they LCD? When LCD's get cold the reaction times/update times, whatever you want to call it get longer because they crystal can't change state fast enough. If you let them get cold enough they will crack because the liquid will freeze and therefore expand. Leave and old Calculator out in your car over night in the winter and see what happens.

[TConnolly]

Not a recommended course of action for your fancy HP or TI calculator, or any other calculator you wish to keep.

[gravitar]

I know my HP48 has been out in the car on many a cold Michigan winter night.. I've had it over 10 years and it's still alive! Same goes for notebook LCDs, I had an old Dell and my Panasonic out in the van last night and it got down to 4°.. I just brought 'em inside and they fired right up!

[Spanner]

Doesn't quite seem to be the LCD but the Touch interface that's the problem. I agree with pDl that anything about any temperature sensitive operations should be in the user manual. I often get the same with the touchpanel on my Laptop, that when you drag the cursor, it pops back to it's original position once you lift your finger but that's more a humidity based problem than a temperature based one. it could be humidity and not temperature that's the source of the problem.

[Mach390]

The touch screen is an advantech. We do not shut them off at night or over the weekend because truck drivers still come to get loads when we may not be running the plant. Edited December 21, 2005 by Mach390

[PdL]

So, have you found the screen's specs ? What does it say about operating temperatures ? Is there a touch calibration function ? A lot of people are trying to help here but with this information that's a bit difficult

[glaverty]

Interesting, I've seen people who have left thier calculators out in the cold and those suckers crack, I beleive I've seen it happen to an HP 48 too. When you fire up your notebook after being out in the cold is the display a little sluggish until it warms up? I don't leave my computer out in the garage but the ones that I have seen come in from being off and cold were a little slow.

[OkiePC]

I have had repeated trouble with an A/B touchscreen on two of my machines (ALLEN-BRADLEY P/N 6157-CEBAA2AA22, 19" CRT. I think it's actually made by ELO touchsystems). The pointer will suddenly not line up with the touch position on the screen. I have calibrated them numberous times and updated drivers to no avail. I replaced them only to have it happen again within a couple of months. I finally gave up and put a mouse at the machines. We have used another A/B 15" LCD touchscreen in a different part of the plant (also made by ELO) with no problems.

[TimWilborne]

Since you say this I assume that it is in some type of warehouse which is probably not heated that well. An easy solution may be to put a panel heater in the enclosure. The heat should transfer through to the display and help. Also you may turn off the screen saver to build heat. But then you get into the dispute over whether or not the new touchscreens have the screen burn in problem. I say they do but others swear they don't.

[Mach390]

I ran the touch screen calibration on each touch screen. It has not been that cold lately so I haven't been able to see if it helped yet.

[PdL]

Perhaps you can find the specs youself, have a look here. I don't know if the touch screens are capacitive or resisitve but that also might make a difference. Have you tried using a stylus pen ?

[Spanner]

I don't like the Ideas of Stylus' on a touchscreen. The Factory I work in had stylus' attached to the screens that went missing, then were tied to the touchscreens but still went missing and operators resorted to using Pens which blotted ink over the screen. The only positive of a stylus I can think if is that if Humidity is the problem then a stylus should be a way around any issues with Clammy fingers!

[PdL]

Exactly why I suggested; merely to see if it makes a difference

[Mach390]

I have sugested using a Stylus, but like Spanner said, I think they will come up missing and drivers will use a pen instead. I will put a Stylus out for a while and see if it helps. (and if it is still there!) Thanks again for the help

[TimWilborne]

How about the idea of putting a heater in it? Might be a cheap fix in the end.