Capacitive has taken over the touchscreen market. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the technology, you’ve probably used a capacitive touchscreen. Most smartphones, as well as many tables, use capacitive technology. There are also human machine interfaces (HMIs) and other touchscreen devices that use capacitive technology.
While capacitive is the most popular form of touchscreen technology, that doesn’t mean resistive touchscreens are obsolete. In some applications, capacitive touchscreens will offer the greatest performance. In other applications, resistive touchscreens work best. When should you choose a resistive touchscreen exactly?
Protection From Contaminants
For protection against contaminants, there’s no better choice than a resistive touchscreen. They are able to withstand moisture, chemicals, dirt and other contaminants without sustaining damage. The same can’t be said for other types of touchscreens. When exposed to contaminants, other touchscreens may fail.
Resistive touchscreens offer a superior level of protection against contaminants because of their layered design. They are designed with two layers, both of which are made of an electrically resistive material. The top layer is sealed so that contaminants can’t reach the underlying bottom layer and the device’s computer circuitry.
Stylus Support
You should choose a resistive touchscreen if you want to use a stylus. Styluses aren’t supported by all types of touchscreens. Capacitive touchscreens, for instance, only support conductive objects. And because styluses are made of hard plastic, you can’t use them to control a capacitive touchscreen.
Fortunately, you can use a stylus to control a resistive touchscreen. Resistive touchscreens don’t require the use of a conductive object. You can use any object to control them, including non-conductive objects like a stylus.
You’ll have the freedom to control a resistive touchscreen using your finger or a stylus. Resistive touchscreens will respond to touch commands performed by any object. As long as you press the object on the interface, the two layers will make contact, thereby registering your touch command.
Low Cost
If you’re on a tight budget — or if you’re simply looking to save money — you should consider choosing a resistive touchscreen. All touchscreens cost money. Resistive touchscreens, however, typically have a lower price tag than their capacitive counterparts.
With their low cost, resistive touchscreens are often purchased in bulk. If you’re planning to buy multiple touchscreens for your business, you may want to choose resistive touchscreens. Resistive touchscreens are protected against contaminants, support styluses and cost less than most other types of touchscreens.
