Laser Cutter Touchscreen

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Laser Cutter Touchscreen

Why do we need a touchscreen!?

When people need to move the laser cutting head, they have to use the controls at the PC. The PC is about 10 ft away and the head isn't visible from the PC. So, you need to get a friend to help or walk back and forth checking the position of the head.

With a touchscreen, you can move the laser cutting head into position while you're standing in front of the laser cutter (where you can see what you're doing).

According to Lisa, another advantage of the touchscreen is being within arm's reach of the E Stop button in case the auto focus fails.

Parts


Total cost: ~$150

Touchscreen Driver

Link: http://www.inotouch.co.kr/new_eng3j/sub04_01.html

Current Issues

  • The computer has Deep Freeze installed, and it will wipe out the driver every time the computer is restarted. (Andrew LeCody can fix this?)
  • I used a VGA splitter. An unintended consequence was that the resolution on the 1080p monitor needed to be lowered to a compatible resolution (1280 X 1024) for the touchscreen monitor.
    • The video card has an open HDMI port, but neither of the monitors have HDMI. So, I ordered a HDMI to DVI adapter.
  • To do cleaner cable management, we might need to lengthen the USB cable attached to the monitor another 3 ft.
  • The monitor didn't come with a bezel. Someone should laser cut one.