PCT touch sensors have winning functionality for gaming terminals

Zytronic has made further progress in the gaming/leisure market with advanced touch sensing solutions based on its patented Projected Capacitive Technology (PCT). Through its Australian distribution partner JEA Technologies, the company has secured ongoing business with Transcity, a design and manufacturing specialist producing lottery and wagering terminals.For incorporation into the terminals, Transcity has specified a custom printed 17-inch (431.8 mm) version of Zytronic’s highly popular ZYTOUCH sensor and accompanying XY controller to augment touch accuracy and responsiveness. Among Transcity’s customers for these terminals is Tabcorp, Australia’s leading wagering, gaming and Keno operator. Tabcorp uses touch interactive displays in customer information and wagering terminals, and most recently, in its popular Keno lottery game, which is found in clubs and hotels in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Due to the demanding public environments in which they are situated, it is essential that all aspects of the terminals are sturdy and robust in form, with the ability to reliably stand up to frequent rough handling. Simultaneously, they must have an attractive exterior in keeping with their surroundings, thereby encouraging player interaction. As a result the touchscreens used in the systems have to be both rugged in nature and customised in appearance. The thick, laminated and screen printed PCT sensors used by Transcity were specifically designed to meet both these requirements.
The screens accurately detect touch by picking up small capacitance changes in a micro-fine capacitor matrix embedded within a laminated substrate. This matrix is ordered into an XY grid subdividing the touchscreen into a sensing grid capable of detecting touch to high levels of accuracy.
Unaffected by dirt, dust and liquid spills, the sensor can also be placed behind a thick protective overlay (of glass or polycarbonate) to further enhance vandal and impact resistance. With the sensing matrix safely embedded behind the overlaying material it is practically invulnerable to damage from external sources, unlike most conventional touchscreen technologies.
PCT sensors can also be designed to eliminate the need for including a bezel – an increasingly popular look in today’s touchscreens. Furthermore, as PCT delivers rugged, drift-free operation, while many other touch technologies drift over time, touchscreens employing it do not need recalibration – a feature that is often overlooked when factoring expensive service engineer call-outs into the total cost of deploying a touch interactive system in public environments.

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