Touch Screen Calibration

[testyourdesign]

I found a 4-wire resistive touch screen overlay panel that works very well with both the G2 and G3 controllers. It uses a neat little USB control panel P/N: STP-RAP45U2U-S V2.19 to collect the touch screen inputs. The one I bought is for a 17" monitor so it's a little larger than the 15" size monitors that have been recommended by Masso.

Unfortunately, my panel requires a way to calibrate the X & Y range to compensate for the larger screen area. I was able to adjust it in Windows using the built-in Tablet PC calibration app but I don't see a way of calibrating within Masso. Does anyone know of a way to adjust the X & Y calibration on a resistive touch screen without using calibration software?

Cheers, Stephen Brown

 

[cncnutz]

Hi Stephen,

I wish i knew the answer to your question.
I hunted for a overlay touch screen last year but couldn't find one. I found the board you referenced and they are really cheap.
Do you have a link to the touch screen kit?

Cheers
Peter

 

[testyourdesign]

Hi Peter,

The seller was very helpful but that one didn't work straight out of the box. I had to swap the pins on the screen connector to get it oriented correctly. It works very well after changing the pins but the outer touchpoints are just out of range of the Masso buttons so it's not useable. My guess is that it needs a simple software adjustment but it didn't come with software or a manual. HERE is the link to the one I bought on E-Bay.

In the meantime, I found another USB Touch Screen Controller that is a little more promising. The Microchip Technology AR1100BRD is a programmable touch screen controller board that is very inexpensive and comes with full documentation. I think this might be a better option since it also comes with software that allows you to program it from a PC. I just ordered one from Digi-Key so I can test it out. HERE is the link to the one I ordered. If you have time or interest you can review the AR1100BRD manual on this LINK.

Cheers, Stephen Brown

 

[cncnutz]

Thanks Stephen, I have been looking for another touch screen and this might be the answer. I will have a read up when I get some spare time.
Cheers
Peter

 

[angelars]

Quote from testyourdesign on June 6, 2020, 10:31 pm

I found a 4-wire resistive touch screen overlay panel that works very well with both the G2 and G3 controllers.

Does that just sit on top of a standard monitor. How is it connected to the monitor?

 

[testyourdesign]

@cncnutz

I have some good news to report. I figured out how to calibrate my touch screen overlay panel to work with Masso. The eBay seller pointed me to a windows driver application that allows you to write to the little USB control panel P/N: STP-RAP45U2U-S V2.19 board from your Windows 10 PC. I simply plugged the 4:3 VGA monitor that I use with my Masso and plug the little USB card into my PC. Then I installed the eGalaxy Touch driver for Windows 10 and ran the built-in calibration app for a 9 point calibration. Once that was completed it wrote the data onto the USB card so it is matched up perfectly with my screen. Plugged both of them back into the Masso G3 and bingo everything lines up perfectly. I also tested it on my G2 and it works very well on the old one too. Calibration software "driver" for the above touch screen overlay can be downloaded here:

http://www.eeti.com.tw/drivers_Win.html

@angelars

The overlay panel I bought is designed to replace touch screen panels on Point of Sale Machines as you see in use by local retail stores. I will be mounting it to the front of my VGA monitor using a narrow strip double-sided transfer tape around the perimeter and adding a simple frame to dress it up and to protect the USB board and wires. Here is the link to the eBay page where I bought my overlay panel. Just make sure you choose a 4 Wire Resistive Touch panel as this type of panel mimics the function of a single mouse click.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17inch-288...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Hope this information will help others but as everyone who has tried knows its not easy problem to overcome. Thanks to @masso-support for giving us such a great tool.

Cheers, Stephen Brown

 

[cncnutz]

That's brilliant Stephen.
You will have to post a photo once you get it set up.

Cheers Peter

 

[jv]

How is this touch screen connected to the MASSO. The 17" VGA screen I use as only a VGA input.

JV

 

[breezy]

JV,

It is a touch overlay that you attach to the existing screen and connects to MASSO via a USB port, if you look at the picture that Stephen posted, you can see the circuit board to the left of the USB cable bundle.

Regards,

Arie.

 

[jv]

Thanks for the information.

So as soon as the touch screen is calibrated using a PC, you can just plug the usb cable into the MASSO and it will work?

JV

 

[breezy]

JV,

From Stephen's post #6

Once that was completed it wrote the data onto the USB card so it is matched up perfectly with my screen. Plugged both of them back into the Masso G3 and bingo everything lines up perfectly. I also tested it on my G2 and it works very well on the old one too.

Regards,

Arie.

 

[testyourdesign]

I've been testing this touchscreen overlay panel for several days now by cycling it on and off repeatedly throughout the day. This mainly because I'm limited to 10 touches by the basic system limitations as I'm waiting for Masso to send me the license update for unlimited touch screen capability that I ordered. Its been working flawlessly without any issues when directly connected to one of the G3 controllers USB port. I did run into connectivity issues on the G2 controller that was resolved by unplugging a replugging the touch screen USB cable. I think it is probably because I had to connect it through a USB hub given the limited number of USB ports on the G2 model. Another minor issue I noticed is that the little white cable connection to the USB card is very delicate and has no strain relief so its best to use caution and support it properly especially during bench tests. I plan to 3d print a small mounting plate for it that will include strain relief supports for both cables.

So far I really like the touch screen interface. It's so much better than the fumbling with the keyboard. I added a feature request to include an on-screen-keyboard to the G3 controllers that have touch capability. Hopefully, it gets traction so that I can get rid of the keyboard and mouse altogether. That would give this controller a really modern interface, unlike any other machine controller on the market.

Cheers, Stephen Brown

 

[gmarsh1]

Stephen,

Some years back, I set-up my first (Pre-Masso) CNC Mill with a touch screen, and originally used an on-screen keyboard .. It didn't take me long to switch back to a physical keyboard due to constantly having to switch screens back & forth between the keyboard & the mill control. If you can set it up with the keyboard always open at the bottom of the Masso screen it might solve that problem. I couldn't get the control software I was using & keyboard to both stay active & usable at the same time. Perhaps the software has evolved to make that a workable option by now.

Good luck, Gary

 

[testyourdesign]

@gmarsh1

You bring up a good point regarding the workflow and integration. What I had in mind was a pop-up keyboard when you touch the text editor box in a window. Something similar to what they have on smartphones and tablets.

Stephen Brown