For almost 40 years, resistive touch screens have been a reliable option. These screens consist of two transparent conductive layers, typically composed of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), that are separated by dielectric spacer dots, resulting in a small air gap. When the display interface is touched, the two layers come into contact, causing a resistance alteration. The controller recognizes the change and responds accordingly to the touch command.

Resistive touchscreens are equipped with electrodes that are crucial in detecting touch commands. However, 5-wire touchscreens have a unique electrode configuration compared to their counterparts, the 4-wire and 8-wire touchscreens.

In 5-wire resistive touchscreens, the electrodes are strategically placed around the corners of the bottom conductive layer and connected to the flexible circuit tail of the sensor. The top layer is connected with only one wire and serves as a voltage probe for the sensor. This specific configuration provides 5-wire touchscreens with several advantages over other touchscreen technologies.

Advantages of 5-Wire Resistive Touchscreens

Compared to other resistive touchscreens, 5-wire technology offers more durability. The conductive layer responsible for producing the voltage reading to determine both the X and Y touch position is located on the bottom glass substrate, which eliminates the risk of cracking due to flexing. This is a common issue with 4 and 8-wire sensors that use the flexible top switch layer to produce voltage and determine the position in either the X or Y plane.

The 5-wire resistive touchscreen technology serves as a no-load voltage probe specifically designed to measure the voltages on the glass substrate. The use of ULTRA resistive sensors significantly extends the lifespan of the touch screen due to the rigid nature of the glass laminated switch layer, which prevents sharp flexing that could potentially crack the ITO conductive coating.

In fact, testing of a 5-wire ULTRA resistive sensor demonstrated its durability, as it withstood 225 million touches with only minor cracking of the switch layer ITO, without any noticeable decline in performance.

While capacitive touch screens are generally preferred over resistive touch screens, there are certain heavy-duty applications where resistive touch screens, particularly the 5-wire type, prove to be a superior choice. Unlike capacitive touch screens that only respond to bare fingers or light gloves, 5-wire resistive touch screens support all types of touch commands, including those made with a stylus or heavily gloved finger. Additionally, 5-wire resistive touch screens are highly sensitive, allowing them to register touch commands with a light-pressure touch from any physical object.

Wrapping Up

Any renowned flexible circuit manufacturer presents the Two-Touch 5-wire Resistive Touch Screen Controller to fully exploit the advantages of 5-wire resistive touch screens. This controller is specifically designed for applications that necessitate both resistive touch sensors and two-touch capability. It seamlessly integrates with standard 5-wire resistive sensors and offers the essential two-touch feature required by Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) in rugged environments where only resistive touch sensors can withstand the conditions.

Author Bio:

The author is a flexible circuit manufacturer and utilizes five-wire touchscreens. His professional experience and expertise as a circuit manufacturer is widely recognized.