Comments on: Alternative Touch Interfaces http://www.embeddedinsights.com/channels/2010/09/07/alternative-touch-interfaces/ Shedding Light on the Hidden World of Embedded Systems Mon, 28 Jul 2014 16:18:37 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: A.M. @ LI http://www.embeddedinsights.com/channels/2010/09/07/alternative-touch-interfaces/#comment-1903 A.M. @ LI Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:06:27 +0000 http://www.embeddedinsights.com/channels/?p=301#comment-1903 one maufacturer after launching various products with touch capacitive switches 25 years ago eventually had the feedback from the customers that yes they were neat and easy to clean etc but just did not have that quality feel of a mechanical switch. Another project for a major motor manufacturer to design driver interface switches went through 25 iterations before the customer was happy with the feel of the switch. Apart from the neccesary evils of touch screens I am afraid I will not be buying products with these hideous interfaces one maufacturer after launching various products with touch capacitive switches 25 years ago eventually had the feedback from the customers that yes they were neat and easy to clean etc but just did not have that quality feel of a mechanical switch. Another project for a major motor manufacturer to design driver interface switches went through 25 iterations before the customer was happy with the feel of the switch. Apart from the neccesary evils of touch screens I am afraid I will not be buying products with these hideous interfaces

]]> By: Andrew Neil http://www.embeddedinsights.com/channels/2010/09/07/alternative-touch-interfaces/#comment-1864 Andrew Neil Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:25:00 +0000 http://www.embeddedinsights.com/channels/?p=301#comment-1864 The term *touch* sensing is used to distinguish from "conventional" switch technology that rely upon mechanical movement - so the NKK programmable switches are not *touch* interfaces, are they? They are not an alternative method of *touch* sensing - any more than any other "conventional" switch. The idea of incorporating a display into the switch is, indeed, very neat (though not at all new) but it is not *touch* sensing. One alternative method of *touch* sensing that you have missed is Freescale's E-field technology; eg, http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=MC34940&fsrch=1&sr=6 The term *touch* sensing is used to distinguish from “conventional” switch technology that rely upon mechanical movement – so the NKK programmable switches are not *touch* interfaces, are they? They are not an alternative method of *touch* sensing – any more than any other “conventional” switch.

The idea of incorporating a display into the switch is, indeed, very neat (though not at all new) but it is not *touch* sensing.

One alternative method of *touch* sensing that you have missed is Freescale’s E-field technology; eg, http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=MC34940&fsrch=1&sr=6

]]>