Different touchscreens are powered by different technologies. Some of them are powered by capacitive technology, for instance. Capacitive is the world’s most popular touchscreen technology. It leverages the human body’s conductive properties to detect touch commands. The second-most popular touchscreen technology, however, is resistive.
Resistive touchscreens leverage multiple layers to detect touch commands. The layers feature electrodes on them so that when they are pressed, a circuit is formed. If you’re thinking about choosing a resistive touchscreen, you may want to consider a 5-wire resistive touchscreen.
What Is a 5-Wire Resistive Touchscreen?
A 5-wire resistive touchscreen is a type of touchscreen device that, as the name suggests, is powered by 5-wire resistive technology. It’s still made of multiple layers — just like all resistive touchscreens. With that said, 5-wire resistive touchscreens feature a special design that distinguishes them from other types of resistive touchscreens.
How 5-Wire Resistive Touchscreens Differ From 4-Wire
While some resistive touchscreens use 5-wire resistive technology, others use 4-wire resistive technology. Both types of touchscreens are designed with a glass bottom layer and a top film layer. How do they differ exactly?
In 5-wire resistive touchscreens, only the glass bottom layer has electrodes. The top film layer is simply used to measure the voltage. In 4-wire resistive touchscreens on the other hand, both the bottom layer and the top layer have electrodes. It’s a subtle nuance that can affect their performance in several ways.
Benefits of Choosing a 5-Wire Resistive Touchscreen
As previously mentioned, 5-wire resistive touchscreens only have electrodes on the bottom layer. The top layer is used as a voltage-measuring probe. This means scratches and other minor forms of damage to the top layer won’t affect their operation. A 5-wire resistive touchscreen will still be able to sense and respond to your touch commands.
One of the main benefits of choosing a 5-wire resistive touchscreen over a 4-wire resistive touchscreen is durability. All resistive touchscreens are durable. They are considered more durable than their capacitive counterparts, which is why resistive touchscreens are commonly used in the workplace. Nonetheless, 5-wire resistive touchscreens offer a superior level of durability.
In addition to their durability, 5-wire resistive touchscreens are more accurate than 4-wire resistive touchscreens. They can detect touch commands with a higher level of accuracy. The speed at which they respond to touch commands is also faster than that of 4-wire resistive touchscreens. The bottom line is that 5-wire resistive touchscreens are durable, accurate and responsive.
