Which one is better, PCAP (Projected Capacitive) Touchscreen or 5 -Wire Resistive Touch Screen?
“Touchscreen technologies all provide the same function yet are considerably varied in types and methods of operation.”
Each type has specific benefits and deficiencies, thus, choosing the right type of touch screen for a specific application may be difficult and requires a comprehensive knowledge of the different types of touch technologies and their operational considerations.
PCAP (Projected Capacitive) Touch Screen vs. 5-Wire Resistive Touch Screen
- Resolution
The resolution between PCAP and resistive touchscreens is similar, with both types of Touchcreen technology offering comparable pixel resolutions. It’s not uncommon for PCAP and Resistive touch screens to have a resolution of 1280 x 1024, allowing for a superior image quality that’s capable of showing even the smallest details. PCAP displays can go up to 4k and higher if required.
- Light Reflection
While capacitive and resistive touchscreens have different touch resolutions, they have different properties when exposed to light. Resistive touchscreens are made of many individual layers. When you touch the display interface of a resistive touchscreen, you’ll press the top layer onto the bottom, which the touch controller uses to determine your point of contact. Unfortunately, the presence of these layers makes resistive touchscreens susceptible to light glare. Whether indoors or outdoors, the light will bounce off the top layers of the device to create a glare.
PCAP touchscreens with anti-glare and anti-reflection coatings don’t suffer from light reflections if properly integrated using air bonding or optical bonding techniques. When exposed to light, PCAP touchscreens will maintain a neutral surface without creating any major or otherwise distracting glare.
- Touch Sensitivity (Activation Force)
Aside from increased light reflection, another potential drawback of choosing a resistive touch screen rather than a PCAP touchscreen is a lower level of touch sensitivity. In other words, you must press your finger against a resistive touch screen harder and more forcefully than a PCAP touch screen display.
PCAP touch screens are designed to identify and register even the lightest touches. In fact, you can often perform a touch command simply by hovering your finger over the surface of a PCAP touch screen. This isn’t possible with resistive touchscreens since they require physical contact to press the top and bottom layers together. Both technologies support gloved input of many kinds for various applications and industries.
In Conclusion: Which is better, a 5-Wire Resistive touchscreen or a PCAP touchscreen?
Both PCAP and resistive touchscreens offer a high-quality, crystal-clear image. However, there are a few key advantages to choosing a PCAP touchscreen over a resistive one. As explained here, PCAP touchscreens are more sensitive to touch commands than resistive ones.
PCAP touch technology has overtaken resistive as the dominant global touch technology and offers a few primary advantages:
- PCAP is less susceptible to performance degradation due to wear and tear or scratches, as the detecting layer(s) are embedded behind the front surface and away from potential damage.
- It is capable of true Multi-Touch activation (simultaneous input from more than two touch points). Typically, there are 10 touch points, in some cases, there are 40 touch points or more.
- Costs have gone down and PCAP has finally become more affordable.
- Higher sensitivity and quicker response times give the user the familiar experience they’ve come to expect from smartphones and tablets.
Due to their proven durability and long-term reliability, coupled with total design flexibility, our PCAP (Projected Capacitive Technology) touchscreens are the ideal overall solution for a range of applications. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor environments and unattended, self-service equipment, the technology offers single and Multi-Touch capability in any design and sizes up to 86”.
For nearly three decades, AMS IMPEX has been delivering cutting-edge touch technology-based touch displays.
