touchpads...what's behind the magic?

[MTputerman]

Hi,
I was curious if anybody knows exactly how a touch pad works on a laptop etc. Are they heat sensitive?

Just curious. Have a need to figure out something to make one work other than giving it the finger. In a situation where gloves are often in use, an alternative to the finger would be nice. Pencils etc don't work...

Any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[Newposter]

Touchscreens are either capacitive or resistive sensors. The capacitive ones require that your body touch the screen, not an inanimate object. They sense the X-Y position based on the proportion of capacitance or resistance at that point vs the whole width of the screen. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."

 

[chriseubank]

try

http://www.howstuffworks.com

They have the answer for EVERYTHING there haha

Solution to your specific issue: what about using a trackball?

Good luck!