Touchscreens are indispensable to the modern world, but there are situations when we might need something a little more tactile. Take, for example, the times when you simply need to work on instinct – driving and can’t take your eyes off the road or operating machinery that needs your complete attention. It’s here that we rely on muscle memory and haptic feedback. Looking for the right spot to touch on a screen simply wouldn’t be safe.
It’s called Human Machine Interface for a reason, so we want to make our displays as people-centered as possible and, as a result, we have now introduced Customizable PCAP Knob technology to all our HMI designs.
Also called Display on Display (DoD), this means a physical rotary knob can be integrated onto our capacitive touch screens, giving them the tactile precision of a mechanical interface with the flexibility of a modern touch display.
While it’s been conceived with automotive, industrial machinery and smart home appliances in mind, it can be used anyplace where intuitive ‘blind operation’ and haptic feedback (featuring 24 detents per revolution) are essential.
Ideal for the great outdoors
Flexibility has an honorable mention as, from a product design perspective, we’ve created a solution where the knob doesn’t have to be in a fixed position or follow a specific touch sensor pattern. This means that your standard touch displays can be reused and there is no need to cut holes or openings in the glass because the knob is glued directly onto the front panel. This makes it great for tough environments, like agricultural vehicles or outdoor machinery, as there’s no risk of damage from moisture or dust.
Of course, for such rugged applications we want you to feel completely confident, and this is why we offer a truly specialized integration service. So, while standard testing kits use 3M double-sided tape, our engineering team goes much further for customer peace of mind. Using 2K liquid glue bonds the button to the PCAP glass permanently, ensuring a weather-resistant seal. They can also recommend environmentally resistant coatings for even greater durability.
Fine tuned and tailored to suit
And yes, Aesthetics matter. So, we happily offer a range of customization options to our chrome-plated cap to match your design style. But the tweaks aren’t just limited to looks and our guarantee of operation reliability extends to expert firmware tuning. The PCAP Knob is optimized for the SIS Touch controller, which senses the knob capacitively. For maximum responsiveness and reliability, our engineers tune the touch software to recognize rotation and push actions as specific multi-touch events in real time.
This solution not only shows that there’s no need to compromise usability for aesthetics – or vice versa – but that Display on Display (DoD) technology has a big user experience and safety payoff. Simply by working with human biology rather than against it.
In short, the TCXD050IBLON-173 is one heck of an all-rounder – the multitool of modules, if you will. Because it meets the mark for a huge range of applications, from medical equipment and industrial control dashboards to automotive sub-displays and outdoor monitoring tools. But, just as importantly, it meets the flexibility needs of your software engineers and the durability requirements of your mechanical engineers. And that is unprecedented.
Our Avnet Displays come in a range of form-factors and our display-experts are on hand to guide you in the creation of display or touch solutions that meet your requirements. Find out how Avnet Displays can propel your product innovation and get in touch today.
Unprecedented is such an overused word, so it takes a lot for us to choose it when talking about products in our portfolio. However, we took an executive decision on this one, as we believe the TCXD050IBLON-173 5.0-inch TFT-LCD module deserves every accolade.
In the industrial world, the capacitive touchscreen can be a sensitive soul. It performs beautifully under ideal conditions, but this is a luxury most industries can’t afford.
Let us know about your product or your challenge and our team will get in touch to discuss how we can help.
