Capacitive touch screen stylus

[David WE Roberts]

a bit clunky, and what I really need is a fine tip stylus to draw on my Samnsung Galaxy S3.

I have a cheap stylus but the end is broad and spongy - good for tapping virtual keys but not for drawing fine lines or for writing freehand.

So what is a firm conductive material which can hold a point but not scratch glass?

Cheers

Dave R

[polygonum]

You might not wish to spend out anything for a stylus, but you can buy "sharp" stylus refills such as this:

[Owain]

Conductive rubber?

How to make your own at

Owain

[David WE Roberts]

Conductive rubber?

How to make your own at

:-) Looks like loads of fun, as long as you can cast or fabricate a sharp point.

Now wondering if fitting a screen protector would allow you to draw using a key or similar blunt metal object.

[David WE Roberts]

The 3 multi-pens linked through to all have blob ends.

[Brian Gaff]

Does this mean you cannot use touch screens while wearing gloves then? Brian

[Dave Liquorice]

Capacitive touch screens, yes. iThingies etc have capacitive touch screens.

This prompted me to play with the touch screen on my Tab 2. The metal ca= p of a propelling pencil is ignored. A 2" No 8 woodscrew works but only if= I'm holding it directly, insulate me from the screw with a bit of paper =

and it doesn't.

I also have an iPAQ with pressure/resistive touch screen that'll work with anything, finger, gloves, stylus. The iPAQ stylus won't operate the= Tab 2's touch screen.

As for the OP, presumably the Samsung Note range of tablets have a capacitive touch screen. How about a spare stylus from one of them. Migh= t not like the price though at around =A315.00 each.

Screen damage is probably more of an issue with a stylus, fingers are very soft and very sensitive to bits of dirt.

[polygonum]

Sorry - my mistake. Yes - I too have an ultra-cheap blob-ended one and know what you mean. (Actually, I have three identical.)

[Andy Burns]

film anti-static bag.

Fine tips don't work very well, you need something approximating a finger end.

[polygonum]

[dennis]

You can buy gloves with conductive thread in them so that you can wear gloves while using capacitive touch devices.

[Simon Cee]

I've made my own from conductive foam from Maplin. It's firmer than rubber, and glides more easily. However, from much experimenting it needs a minimum area in contact with the screen to work. The smallest I've managed is about 5x5 mm.

You have to rely on the software to interpret the broad contact area and draw a thin line at the centre. Not much good for accurate work. I don't think theres a way round it with current screens.

[David WE Roberts]

Thanks - useful info :-)