OT: Touch Screen Pointer

I suppose this is only slightly OT since it does relate to a vision system in our plant, but I am looking for some type of pointer that will work for a capacitive touch screen. Until recently I believed that these were somehow "heat activated" which i have found out is not true.

I read the basics of how they work, but without jumping into it too far i am curious why only a finger works on these screens. Some of the operators have a hard time using some of the smaller buttons, and since this is a custom application from an outside vendor a pointer of some kind would be more attracive than rearranging the screen layout.

Thanks for any input.

Dont know for sure if it would work for you, but I've seen people use a stylus, like a PDA pen on touch screens before..

I get them from here

www.stylisource.com

Capacitive Touch Screens have a charge on the surface. Your body acts as a ground, and draws off some of the surface charge. The Stylus should be metal. If the operator has gloved hands, then try using a Stylus with a ground wire attached.

You might just as well replace the touchscreen with a larger model now. After a couple of months of encouraging the operators to use a smaller (read that as sharper) pointing device, the screen is going to get so scratched that they won't be able to read it any longer.

IMHO, it is irresponsible design for the OEM to create touch zones that are too small for reliable actuation by an operator's finger.