Installing a touchscreen in the Home

[Dj Elmo]

Hi all

Whats the best way to install a touchscreen? (Anybody got any links?) I am assuming that the screen does need to be connected to a local PC, either in the room / wall or roof.

Is there anyway of using a touchscreen that is only connected across ethernet? This was no pc is needed and only power to the screen.

I am aiming to be able to control audio / video etc in different rooms.

Thanks all

[milanp]

You can use a PocketPC or TabletPC for your needs.
Just google those two words or use the search button here in the forums.

[Dj Elmo]

Hmmmm... I already have the PPC setup and running. I want to make it a bit more of a permanent thing. Say mounted in the wall.

[milanp]

I have tried to extend the VGA Cables up to 20m and it worked.
The main problem with touch screens is the touch interface, there are
serial,usb,ps/2 versions.
You will have no problems with the serial and PS/2 connections at lengths of 20meters, but I would not count on USB.

[rhinoman]

You can get a usb to network cable convertor that will allow usb over much much longer distances.

[rtarver]

I did something along those lines. I had a touchscreen upstairs near all the A/V equipment. Downstairs I had another touchscreen that mirrored the upstairs monitor. I was using a KVM switch/extender that allowed control from either end. Everything ran over cat5... probably about 40 meters total. I had occasional problems with the touchscreen downstairs though. The touch portion reliability was low so I ended up putting an optical mouse down there. I suspect that the issue was the KVM switch part rather than the extender.

Let me know if you want to know more particulars.

Russ

[btrcp2000]

russ-

I wouldn't mind hearing some more particulars if you don't mind, as I'm in process of setting up the same thing.

Are your touchscreens and also extenders rs232 or USB? What brands do of extenders and touchscreens are you using?

I am tearing my hair out over my problem with an extender. I have a xenarc 1040 touchscreen that has a ps/2 input on the screen itself. It came with a proprietary cable that is ps/2 on the monitor end and both ps/2 and serial on the pc end. I was hoping to use a belkin f1d084 that I found for $99, and put the proprietary cable on the pc end, and just use a male/male ps/2 cable from the monitro to the remote extender unit. UNfortunately, whenever I connect the monitor to the extender with the ps/2 cable, the extender powers off (vga works fine otherwise). As soon as I unplug the ps/2, it comes right back up as if nothing had happened. The only thing I can think of is that the extender is expecting a non-powered ps/2 mouse, and I'm tripping a "breaker" or something when I connect the powered touchscreen. It doesn't seem to cause a problem if I use the proprietary cable (which has a little inline circuit board) to connect the touch to the extender, but that doesn't work, because the touchscreen needs to connect to the serial port of the pc, which is at the other end of the exetnder. My next attempt will be to use a couple rs232 to ps/2 adapters and hopefully the mouse ports of the extender will be able to pass along the rs232 signal.

[GFORCE]

i think the PS/2 Cable has a voltage running thru it, you can use a standard female to male lead

[btrcp2000]

gforce-

can you clarify what you mean? I tried using a male/male ps/2 cable, like for a kvm switch. I suspect there is voltage runnign through it too, and I would bet that the inline controller (little circuit board lookin' thing) on the proprietary cable somehow stops it.

[rbziggy]

Hi all

Whats the best way to install a touchscreen? (Anybody got any links?) I am assuming that the screen does need to be connected to a local PC, either in the room / wall or roof.

Is there anyway of using a touchscreen that is only connected across ethernet? This was no pc is needed and only power to the screen.

I am aiming to be able to control audio / video etc in different rooms.

Thanks all

I've just decided to go down this route myself and have ordered a small 8"touchscreen monitor (800 x480):

http://linitx.com/product_info.php?cPat ... cts_id=877

And a USB KVM Extender:

http://www.aten.com/products/productIte ... 4144022002

It had to be USB as the touchscreen i/f is USB based. I did quite a bit of research and this seemed to be about the best proper USB KVM extender at anything approaching 'reasonable' money; still a bit pricy though at GBP180. (It will do a keyboard too and has another advantage in that you can also use a screen locally to the pc as well as the remote screen. I won't be using this though as my pc is in the attic!)

The problem with USB KVM extenders seems to be they are generally specialist (console room extenders) and thus very pricy bits of kit. The only others I found were getting on twice as expensive and may were in quite big boxes.

Should all be delivered this week so I'll post and let you know how things turn out. (If it all goes wrong I'll be having a sale on ebay!)

I was sort of forced down this route as my PPC setup worked really well everywhere apart from the kitchen where the microwave interferred with the wireless connection and locks everything up whenever its used.

[GFORCE]

what screen do you have?

[btrcp2000]

The link below is as close as I can find to my model, as apparently they no longer make the serial model, only usb. This is the same manufacturer, and it even looks identical. Mine has three inputs on the back, one for ac power, one for vga, and a female ps/2 input for the touchscreen. There is proprietary cable that connects the touch interface to the pc. The touchscreen end has a male ps/2 jack, which is the only connection to the monitor. The pc end has a 9 pin serial plug, and out of the back of it there is an male ps/2 extension that goes into the mouse port of the pc.

http://www.xenarc.com/product/1040ts.html

[GFORCE]

you said you have a male to male, so you are bypassing their connector and going straight into the pc?

You might only need to plug one plug into the pc.

Serial or PS/2 if thats what the cable has.

You might be causing hassles if your using both at the same time