Author Topic: IT WORKS!!! (HELP: Just got my ELO Touchscreen and need help making ......) (Read 33958 times)

unclet · « **on:** March 08, 2007, 06:58:22 pm »

The monitor comes on and is very clear and I can navigate using he mouse no problem.

I installed the ELO XP driver for the monitor and I now have a little ELO task bar icon (located at the lower left of the screen). I only have one COM port and this is the only port available (which I selected) when installing the drivers. My serial cable is connected from the computer to the monitor as well..

Is there anything I need to do to get this touchscreen screen to react to a finger press?

Otherwise I think I just wasted some money ..... please help if you can ....

Just noticed this screen ... perhaps someone can tell me what is going on. Perhaps I have a bad seerial cable? I will swap out and test after eating something.....

alandrogers · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2007, 08:46:13 pm »

Hey .. an opportunity to contribute some knowledge

I had these in my kiosks (see my other post regarding my new project).

If you installed the software you should have an ELO Control Panel now. (Start >> Settings >> Control Panels)

You set up the touchscreen from there. It has several options, primarily the calibration.

You DID restart after installing the drivers I hope?

The control panel is fairly self-explanatory. Been a while since I looked at it, but I set up and adjusted A LOT of these systems over the past few years.

A.

unclet · « **Reply #2 on:** March 08, 2007, 09:04:55 pm »

Yes, I restarted after installing the drivers and I do have an ELO Touchscreen setup window I can get to ..... the problem is ... I am not sure what to do (or what to set) to get the touchscreen working.

leapinlew · « **Reply #3 on:** March 08, 2007, 09:08:04 pm »

Mine needed calibration (which was in the elo control panel)

After that, it worked!

unclet · « **Reply #4 on:** March 08, 2007, 09:46:05 pm »

When I open my ELO properties window from the control panel there is a "General" tab which has an "Align" button on it. When I click this with the mouse, then it requests me to touch the screen at a target image which it has displayed. I obviously can not do this since the touchscreen is not activated yet. I simply press ESC to quit out. I am assuming this is the calibration you were talking about.....

I also did the following:

1) Tried a few different serial cables and this is not working either ..... unless I have a bad serial card, but that would be unlikely I would assume ......

2) Tried reinstalling the drivers as well... no luck

3) Tried on a different computer, no luck

** I am wondering whether the drivers are the correct drivers. I installed the sw600071.exe drivers from the following site:

http://www.elotouch.com/Support/Downloads/dnld.asp

... however, since my touchscreen interfaces via a serial connection and should be able to be used by a user's finger then it must be a capacitive type of monitor so should I be using the setup 2.04.043.zip drivers instead which are listed later on in the link provided above?

I am at a lost here ..... both of my computers which I tried this on can not have bad serial cards, so is it looking like my monitor is bad?

Knievel · « **Reply #5 on:** March 08, 2007, 11:12:52 pm »

You've got the right drivers, that screen is telling you the controller isn't being seen.

Can you see the touchscreen controller or is it mounted inside the monitor? One of the cables may be unplugged from it. You might need to crack the monitor open to get at it.

There's a green LED on there that will tell you it's status.

unclet · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2007, 11:30:32 pm »

Keep in mind I never dealt with a touchscreen before .... it is probably obvious at this point

.... so what do you mean by "can you see the touchscreen controller"? Is there something on the screen I should be looking for?

I attached a couple of pictures showing the plugs used for the connection as well as the buttons on the front of the monitor. I have never touched any of the buttons on the front except for the power button (button all the way on the right).

ahofle · « **Reply #7 on:** March 08, 2007, 11:32:45 pm »

Did the monitor come with that serial cable? Or is it one you got somewhere else? Some serial cables have a crossover in them (null modem) -- perhaps this would be a problem? If you have another, try a different cable. Just a guess.

Knievel · « **Reply #8 on:** March 08, 2007, 11:41:54 pm »

Yea that's true about the serial cable, I had that problem once.

Your touchscreen controller is monted inside on that monitor. I would try swapping the serial cable and if that doesn't help then crack it open and we'll go from there.

unclet · « **Reply #9 on:** March 09, 2007, 12:21:37 am »

I tried 3 separate serial cables so far and nothing helps. I will need to wait until tomorrow to verify whether the pins on the cable go straight through with my cable tester.

It is getting very late now and I need sleep ... so please check the thread tomorrow and we can go from there. I appreciate this help .... as I have no clue what needs to be done.

BTW: I attached text from the help page regarding what type of serial connection is required. Not sure how to confim I have this type of connection. My computer which this is running on is a 900+ Mhz machine and is about 9 years old.

** Notice the last line of that text ..... mentions the controller will not show up in the Control Panel ..... maybe thisis my problem?

Goodnight for now

ahofle · « **Reply #10 on:** March 09, 2007, 12:34:49 am »

Did you set the serial port to 9600 baud? Maybe the default is too high?

Also, maybe try their support and see if you need a null modem serial cable.

BobA · « **Reply #11 on:** March 09, 2007, 01:00:15 am »

If your computer is not recognizing the ELO serial interface then download the compdump diagnostic program from ELO and follow the instructions on the compdump descp. You can then determine if the serial interface is a problem or if you have some software that is interfering.

The compdump diag util is down the page below the drivers.

You do not need a null modem cable. The proper serial cable is a straight thru.

Quote from ELO

"Serial Interface: A general-purpose interface, where one cable connects the touchscreen to an available COM port. All modern Elo serial monitors have internal controllers (inside the monitor), with a female DB9 (9 pin D-shaped) touch output connector. The connection to the male-pinned COM port is made by a standard straight-through male-to-female DB9 cable."

blueznl · « **Reply #12 on:** March 09, 2007, 05:52:05 am »

I have a bunch of ELO lightwave touchscreen CRT's. The software appears to be made to cover ranges of models, not just a single model. Mine came with a cable (as they are open CRT's the controller's not using a serial connector but just a print header and a piece of flatcable).

It's install the drivers and go. Either your cable is broken or the touch screen controller is dead.

leapinlew · « **Reply #13 on:** March 09, 2007, 06:19:23 am »

UncleT -

What Knievel is talking about is your touchscreen controller (which is inside the case). Your touchscreen monitor is a normal monitor with a touchscreen overlay. Inside the case of the monitor you would see that there is another piece of glass on top of the monitor glass. Connected to this glass is the touchscreen controller which connects to a serial cable. Perhaps there is something loose on the controller. The only way to tell is to open the monitor case.

unclet · « **Reply #14 on:** March 09, 2007, 07:17:43 am »

Ok, I tried the compdump utility from ELO. I disabled the existing drivers from the Device Manager and then executed the compdump.exe appliction from within a command prompt window. The data verified my serial connection was set to 9600 baud but the data which is should be producing when I touch the screen was not being generated.

I guess my next step is to take off the computer monitor case on the back? Perhaps someone can tell me exactly what I need to unscrew and what I am looking for?

I am off to work now so I will need to do this later tonight. I will be working late tonight, so if someone can give me detailed description, then when I get home I can get to work on this problem.

Lets say there is a problem with the monitor .... where do you take these things to get fixed? Does a normal computer store know how to fix these things or is it easy enough to buy a new controller and stick it in from ELO? Although I bet this monitor is not being manafacturer anymore.

Here is a pic of the back of my monitor.

sewerrat · « **Reply #15 on:** March 09, 2007, 07:29:46 am »

You sure you got the right drivers??
I didn't think the NEC Multisync's used ELO touchscreens?

danny_galaga · « **Reply #16 on:** March 09, 2007, 08:04:40 am »

just has to be done. sorry.

Extreme8 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 09, 2007, 08:37:45 am »

Dunno if it helps, but on my ELO I used a mouse cable (serial obviously) designed to run between a pc & a KVM switch.
It might be worth grabbing one before you start tearing the monitor down, just to rule out a cable problem.

unclet · « **Reply #18 on:** March 09, 2007, 08:58:50 am »

I am not sure whether I have the right drivers .... I just installed the drivers people have been recommending and swear are the correct ones. WinXP does recognize the ELO monitor as "New Hardware" and the driver seems to be installed.

I contacted the seller for help as well. He already left me positive feedback via Ebay and seemed like a very nice person (good communications, many emails describing monitor, overall very helpful). I will see where that leads. He shipped via UPS so possibly a claim can be filed if it comes to that. He would swear it worked before shipping and I would swear it does not work now. Who knows where that would lead.

One thing, however ...... when the monitor reached my doorstep, the shipping box was compeltely torn open on one side ..... must of had a bad trip to my doorstep. There was plastic bubble wrap around it and stiff cardboard as well, but it seems the box split open. He informed me that he takes the packages to UPS and has them pack it for him ..... whoever did this should be fired ..... unless he really packed it himself to save a few bucks. Anyway, hopefully something is just loose, although I do not hear anything moving around if I when gently move the monitor around/up/down.

PS: The only serial cable which came with the monitor was the serial cable connection coming out of the back of the monitor itself. This cable is only 12 inches long and would never be able to reach a computer so I guess an extension cable must be used. I have a mess of serial cables in my garage, so I simply added a M->F serial cable extension to attach it to my computer. Maybe using an extension cable is bad ...... somehow? The cable is about 8 feet long I would say.

sewerrat · « **Reply #19 on:** March 09, 2007, 09:11:55 am »

I'm 99% sure you got the wrong drivers.
I can't see much from your photos, but it looks like you have a Pixlink control module.
The drivers for that can be found at the Richardson Electronics website
http://teklink.rell.com/MRcgi/MRentrancePage.pl

It then ask you if you want the ELO drivers or the 3M drivers. It looks to me like you have a 3M touchscreen, not an ELO, but its hard to tell without a closeup of the labels on the back of the monitor.

unclet · « **Reply #20 on:** March 09, 2007, 09:13:48 am »

In the last picture I posted (about 4 posts ago?) It shows a sticker on the back of the monitor which states "Pixelink". I am not at home to verify whether it is an ELO or 3M though. However, by the monitor simply stating "Pixelink", does this confirm I am using the wrong drivers and I simply ened to figuer out what drivers to use based on ELO vs 3M?

I will not be home until later tonight ...... so I can not verify this now.

BobA · « **Reply #21 on:** March 09, 2007, 09:26:59 am »

This whole thread was based on the unit being an ELO touchscreen. Did the seller state it was ELO? Seems that he may not have checked it out fully if it is not. Good catch on the Pixelink label sewerrat. Only takes a few minutes to try a driver before you have to open the screen and look at the controller.

alandrogers · « **Reply #22 on:** March 09, 2007, 09:29:06 am »

What he said.... you have an NEC touchscreen, not an ELO touchscreen.

There are differences in technology.

Your monitor picture above shows something that looks like "NEC Multisync 1850(unreadable)

Try going here for the monitor driver: http://www.necus.com/support/

Then search the NEC site, or send an email to NEC support regarding the touchscreen portion.

These may be two separate things. 1) Monitor driver 2) Touchscreen interface driver

unclet · « **Reply #23 on:** March 09, 2007, 09:46:42 am »

Well the seller did state it was an ELO monitor, so it never occurred to me to figure out if it was a different kind. Oh well. The monitor seems to be very clear and is 18". Hopefully the problem is with the drivers.

The monitor comes up with Windows and I can use the mouse so I would think the NEC "monitor" drivers are working. I will figure out whether the touchscreen is 3M or ELO when I get home and try the drivers sewerrat recommended. IF those do not work, then I will call NEC for help I guess.

This morning it seemed hopeless, but at least now it seems promising there might be a software explanation as to why this might nto be working. Too bad I am here at work, I am of course really wanting to try this out. I work about 40 minutes away so no going home for lunch either ....

I will let you know how it goes later tonight.

BTW: This is my NEC monitor (1850E) I have (see link below).

http://www.accurateit.com/details.asp?iid=544

I can not be sure whether the touchscreen part is from ELO or 3M until tonight, but the description in the text does state "PixeLink" and mentions "ELO" and also points to the exact ELO driver page I got my drivers from. Perrhaps 3M converted these monitors to touchscreen as well? Guess I need to wait until I get home to see if there are any ELO stickers on the monitor or 3M stickers.

BobA · « **Reply #24 on:** March 09, 2007, 10:00:26 am »

That info says ELO all over it. It even mentions Pixelink as the company that puts the Nec and ELO parts together. I guess you will have to try the other driver but my initial reaction is that the ELO driver should work on this unit. Maybe the seller can work a deal with you to send you the touchscreen interface out of a unit that may have some physical damage if you need a new interface.

Hope you don't have to go in but if you do the interface has a couple of connectors that could have come loose. Power, RS232 and the cables from the touch screen.

unclet · « **Reply #25 on:** March 09, 2007, 10:07:56 am »

Yeah, I was hoping the monitor description stated 3M instead of ELO, but that is not the case. With the description "Pixelink" as well, I would assume ELO drivers are what I should be using and that something is just broken.

alandrogers · « **Reply #26 on:** March 09, 2007, 10:29:54 am »

One more note on this ...

once you get new drivers, UNINSTALL the previous ones before loading the new ones.

Windows is smart enough that your monitor will still work as 'generic lcd' until you get the new ones loaded.

another thing ... are you installing this stuff in Administrator mode? (probably, or else it wouldn't let you install anything) but it's just a thought.

unclet · « **Reply #27 on:** March 09, 2007, 11:08:06 am »

Yeah, I uninstall drivers before loading new ones ....

As for Administrator mode ... I have no idea. It is my home computer so I am assuming I can install whatever I want. Never had any problem installing stuff before due to admin rights or stuff like that.

unclet · « **Reply #28 on:** March 09, 2007, 05:40:15 pm »

GOT IT WORKING!!!

Ok, I decided to come home before heading out for a quick test. I decided to try installing the same drivers I had from the beginning on my newest computer (instead of my old computers) and the monitor worked fine. After the drivers were installed, I calibrated it and it worked perfectly.

The reason I did this was I knew that the serial cable connected to my newest computer works for sure, so I wanted to eliminate the "bad cable" thought I was having. Anyway, I guess I know that the problem is either with my older computers not working with the serial connection or the serial cables I have been using. I kind of doubt that it is my old computers since what are the odds that both old computers do not interact with the serial port, but I guess I really do not know. I am going to try other serial cables and find which one works. Taking the serial cable off my current computer to move to an older computer will be a pain in the butt do to all the stuff I would have to move to get to the back of it.

Anyway, I am happy knowing that my money was not wasted. Thanks for everyone's help!

BTW: There were no stickers on my monitor anywhere which I could see that statred ELO or 3M ...... but since it works, I guess it is made by ELO.

(EDIT)
I just tried it on my old computers with a new serial cable and it works fine. The problem was I tried 3 bada serial cables in a row. These cables are now in the garbage. Can you believe it .... 3 different cables were bad.

I tested out my jukebox software on it and it works extremely well with a touchscreen monitor now. I am even more excited. What a nice way to start the weekend. Thanks again. I have to get back to coding my jukebox software updated.....
(EDIT)

BobA · « **Reply #29 on:** March 09, 2007, 10:03:33 pm »

Glad you got it working. 3 bad serial cables.... What a pain. Have fun with it.

BobA

bfauska · « **Reply #30 on:** March 10, 2007, 01:26:06 am »

I wonder if you tried 3 modem cables? If you didn't need them for something else then I suppose it doesn't matter if they were bad or modem, but it just made me curious.

Congratulations on finding the problem though. Now you get to start the fun part.

Later,
Brian

Knievel · « **Reply #31 on:** March 10, 2007, 09:09:37 am »

Good work! welcome to the amazing world of touchscreen jukeboxes..where the coolness factor increases dramatically. People will gaze in awe as you tap your finger on the screen and magically produce music.

I'm quite sure you had modem cables, I had the same thing happen to me. Pulled out a fair amount of hair before I diagnosed it..luckily I've got lots.

unclet · « **Reply #32 on:** March 10, 2007, 10:08:55 am »

It never occurred to me that I had different types of serial cables and I obviously did not test them before using. Anyway, the touchscreen is an 18" clear monitor which works extremely well with my jukebox software.

Thanks to everyone again!

memmy · « **Reply #33 on:** June 07, 2013, 04:21:20 am »

Quote from: unclet on March 10, 2007, 10:08:55 am

It never occurred to me that I had different types of serial cables and I obviously did not test them before using. Anyway, the touchscreen is an 18" clear monitor which works extremely well with my jukebox software.

Thanks to everyone again!

sorry for creating a Zombie thread.

Thanks to this thread, I fixed a similar issue.

I went through all manner of drivers, changing comport settings etc only to find out that the ebay seller had provided a crappy serial cable !!!!.
I was about to give up and send it back, thanks for the good read - got me thinking about this problem correctly.

TL;DR - TEST WITH KNOWN WORKING SERIAL CABLE !!!!


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