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  #1  
Old Fri 31 July 2009, 02:37
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Touch Screen Panel Size

Hi,
Touch screen panel will be real cool...

I am trying local source for touch screen panels. The price starts to skyrocket above 8~10". but it would be counter-productive if I have to put on my glasses to read the screen and use a palm-top pen to point.

Would anyone kindly share the practical minimum touch screen panel size for Mach 3 and EMC2.

Thanks in advance
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  #2  
Old Fri 31 July 2009, 07:22
javeria
Just call me: Irfan #33
 
Bangalore
India
15inch is what I am using with the regular screen - works great - look for SAW - screens
these work only with finger touch
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  #3  
Old Fri 31 July 2009, 21:52
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
15" will be very nice, always prominent and no strain to the eye.

15" regular LCD monitor off the shelf isn't prohibitively expensive too... but is normal computer LCD monitor without modification really suitable for the shop condition without any precautions? Consider the dust and all... I never thought that vibration will be an issue if it is mounted/located separately.

Another stupid question, how often does one look at the screen during operation?
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  #4  
Old Sat 01 August 2009, 00:13
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
Quote:
Originally Posted by KenC View Post
Another stupid question, how often does one look at the screen during operation?
Not a stupid question at all . . . .

I have noticed two different types CNC users:
- The older generation who grew up with machine tools and spent years turning handwheels and reading off dial gauges, long before the age of CNC. These guys typically stand on their feet all day, and don't go and sit down with CAD/CAM programs. These guys work closely with their machine screens and develop their programs line by line.

- The younger generation who grew up in a design / CAD environment, who have nearly no experience of getting their hands dirty. They pre-program with CAM and do as much as possible sitting down so that they need to do as little as possible at the machine screen, standing up in the dirty workshop.
On my son's machines there are the oldest/smallest/fuzziest screens saved from the scrapheap
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  #5  
Old Sat 01 August 2009, 00:40
sailfl
Just call me: Nils #12
 
Winter Park, FL
United States of America
Ken,

I am both schools. I have a computer background and some would consider me old.

When your new you are playing with the Mach screen a lot. Because you have to learn new things.

Once you have some experience there isn't much interface with the screen once you have located the start point on the material. Once that is done, you loac code, cycle start to run code. You change a bit, load code and cycle start. Repeat until all files are cut.

Hopefully J.R. will chime in here. You want to look at his build, he has a touch screen.
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  #6  
Old Sat 01 August 2009, 07:15
Jeffn11
Just call me: Jeff
 
Greensboro, NC
United States of America
I used a 15" Elo touchscreen from Ebay - I think I had less then $150 bucks in it. Personally I wouldn't go smaller - at least not with the default screens in mach - If there were some customs built with less buttons and controls for fat fingers to bump into I might try it.

Like Gerald said - I do most of my cad/cam in the office - Not in the shop. If I need to make changes while I'm cutting, I bring a laptop out to the shop - My PC for control is dedicated for control only. I do have it networked to make it easier to transfer files.

I'm currently using the MachBlue screenset - It seems to be a good balance of button sizes.
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  #7  
Old Sat 01 August 2009, 19:42
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Hi,
Thank for the very informative reply.
Gerald is making me feeling old... I used to stand all day infront of the machine with one hand on the dial during my early working years. Now I do grap a tall stool and sit infront of the machine, I can't help but to keep my eye either on the machine tool or the monitor during operation...
As I'm learning, the keyboard is alway in an arms reach...
Really gets uneasy without my hand on the dials... its like driving without holding the steering wheel.
I haven't develop any habbit on the CSD/CAM part but most likely I'll have dedicated PC as controller eventually since they will be slow for most cad/cam work.
Ebay buying is convinient but in this part of the world, the shipping cost just spoil all the fun... I got a verbal estimate of less then US100 for a 8" industrial touch screen panel here. I need to know if this would work.
Another really nice option is to use a smallish non-touch screen Industrial panel (which is even more affortable) and rig a custom keyboard like these Flight Simulator guys did here . We can even DIY remote jog control without the trouble of interfacing & huge saving.

Wonder if this will work.
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