Semi-OT: Touch sensors

[Tyler Aviss]

Perfect, that's exactly what I was thinking of, though I couldn't
remember the right name for the part. Sometimes it's just more helpful
to ask your local **geeks than get blank stares from the Home Depot or
even electronics-store staff.  :-)


Cheers,


TJA

**I include myself in that particular group, it's good to be a geek IMHO



On Oct 29, 2007 9:22 AM, Colin McGregor <colinmc151-bJEeYj9oJeDQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> --- Tyler Aviss <tjaviss-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> > The touchscreen I already have (the lilliput). What
> > I want to do is
> > install a frame that will respond to touch by
> > turning the display's
> > power on or off.
>
> Okay, so as ling as the picture frame is conductive
> (either because it is made of a conductive material
> (i.e.: metal) or because it got a conductive coating
> (i.e.: some types of metal paint)) this is a simple
> problem, you want a touch switch tied to the
> conductive part of the frame. Here is a website with
> 10 different touch switch circuits:
>
>   www.discovercircuits.com/C/capacitance-sw.htm
>
> Likely one of the above could do the job for you,
> otherwise there are tons of other similar circuits out
> there... Do a goggle search on "capacitance switch" or
> "touch switch"
>
> Colin McGregor
>
>
> > On 10/29/07, Colin McGregor <colinmc151-bJEeYj9oJeDQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org>
> > wrote:
> > > --- Tyler Aviss <tjaviss-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> > > > Hello All,
> > > >
> > > > One of my ongoing projects has been to wire up a
> > few
> > > > mini-ITX boards
> > > > as "media control" PC's for around the house.
> > > > Basically the idea is
> > > > that the board connects to the main household
> > server
> > > > via PXE-boot,
> > > > NFS-mount, etc. It will be attached to a
> > lilliput
> > > > touchscreen (for
> > > > which the linux drivers work nicely, BTW).
> > > >
> > > > Now the end-plan for this is to move the
> > touchscreen
> > > > into a picture
> > > > frame, with the rest of the wiring in-wall or
> > just
> > > > otherwise somehow
> > > > safely hidden. What I would like to do is have a
> > > > touch-sensor attached
> > > > to either the picture frame or perhaps a little
> > > > plaque attached to a
> > > > wooden frame. Like a touch-lamp, the sensor
> > would
> > > > then turn on the
> > > > screen. Depending on how fast I can get my
> > boot-time
> > > > going with
> > > > openbios and "sleep" modes, the motherboard...
> > > > although I may just opt
> > > > to leave this on 90% of the time since via
> > boards
> > > > consume very little
> > > > power.
> > > >
> > > > Anyhow, feel free to critique the idea as a
> > whole,
> > > > but my main
> > > > question at this point is:
> > > > where do I find the equipment needed to make a
> > > > touch-sensitive metal
> > > > surface for the frame/plaque.
> > > >
> > > > Any ideas?
> > >
> > > I'm not quite sure what your goal is here. Simple
> > > on/off control or something a bit more complex.
> > >
> > > For simple on/off, and a metal plaque your talking
> > > the fodder of umpteen hundreds of introductory
> > > electronics books / magazines.
> > >
> > > For a level up from that and any surface, a number
> > of
> > > years ago I read a construction article in a home
> > > automation magazine that had a small LCD module
> > that
> > > sort of did a touch screen. What they did was
> > mount a
> > > set of infrared LEDs and light sensors in pairs
> > around
> > > the LCD module. Fingertip interrupting the beam
> > told
> > > the automation system that the display was being
> > > touched and about over which area of the display
> > was
> > > being touched. A bit of menu software and presto a
> > > home control system by fingertip. One point in the
> > > above that I recall them putting emphasis on was
> > you
> > > want the light sensors at the top and the light
> > > sources at the bottom (to reduce false triggers by
> > > sunlight etc..
> > >
> > > For a level above this, I'm not sure ... gut the
> > likes
> > > of a Palm Pilot?
> > >
> > > Colin McGregor
> > > --
> > > The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings:
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> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Tyler Aviss
> > Systems Support
> > LPIC/LPIC-2
> > (647) 477-1784
> > --
> > The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings:
> > http://gtalug.org/
> > TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text
> > below 80 columns
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> >
>
> --
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>



-- 
Tyler Aviss
Systems Support
LPIC/LPIC-2
(647) 477-1784
--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists