6 Differences between capacitive touch screen vs infrared.

Generally, most touchscreens are powered by two main types of technology: infrared (IR) and projected capacitive (PCAP). But how exactly do these display types differ? Here are the differences between capacitive touch screen vs infrared; and take a look at how they may be better suited to the needs of certain industries based on factors like cost and practical applications.

Difference between capacitive touch screen vs infrared

Workings

For PCAP touch screens, There is a layer of transparent electrode film that is fixed between the LCD panel and the cover glass, when the human finger touches the screen, the current through that film changes, and the signal of the X and Y position will be transferred to the computer.

For IR touch screens, the equipment detects the finger’s position by detecting the block of invisible lights from the infrared LEDs that are embedded in the touchscreen frames.

Design

You will frequently see frames in IR touchscreens for broadcasting IR light to the surface area of the overlay, whereas PCAP touchscreens do certainly not demand frames.

They all seem to have pretty different capabilities. I know I definitely prefer resistive screens to capacitive since they don’t get confused by pencil erasers or fingernails, but they do lack multitouch. I am, however, curious about IR screens though, since it seems like they share the best of both worlds. What do you guys like to use?