Dual touchscreens from 1 pc?

[hattrick10]

I have this crazy idea about setting up my jukebox with dual touch screens.  One screen for the main jukebox interface and the other for displaying a Spectrum Analyzer via a winamp plugin or displaying videos.  I know I could use a standard lcd for the 2nd display and set up dual display from my video card (old geforce 7600GT) - but then I thought about how cool it would be to be able to touch the 2nd screen to cycle through different visualizaion presets or control video playback.  Anyone know if dual ELO's can be set up or am I gonna run in to problems with basically having two separate pointing devices?

[unclet]

I wanted to use this on my jukebox but I got to cheap to buy a second touchscreen.    My jukebox I developed allows for the second display to be a touchscreen so the user can touch the screen to cycle through the video, album art, songs lyrics and visualizations.

Instead of buying a second touchscreen monitor I decided to add a button to my application which allows the second display cycling to occur.  Basically, instead of having to touch the screen to cycle through the information, I can press the new "cycle" button to do the same stuff.

[EddieArcadian]

This may not be what you're looking for... at all, but there are devices that basically take the computing power of one PC, and allow you to hookup multiple monitors and keyboards/mice (or I would imagine, a touchscreen) to it, and actually run totally independent software/processing tasks.  So, you could be surfing the internet on one monitor, and running excel (or surfing, or playing games, etc.) on the other monitor keyboard/mouse combo.  One of the older versions of this hardware was called PC Buddy or something.  I think I've seen newer versions of this in SkyMall, and I'm sure other brands exist.  Problem is, they cost almost as much as another junky computer (about $100).  BUT, if you're running an older OS for your jukebox computer, you can probably find an old used one on ebay on the cheap.

For what you want though, you may be better off doing the dual monitor option off the video card though... just gotta find a jukebox/software that will split up your two "items" into two distinct windows.  Once you have two windows, it's easy as cake, just set your video settings accordingly (two monitors).

[unclet]

I think he knows he can attach dual monitors to a video card but I believe he is wondering whether the ELO device drivers can handle two ELO touchscreen monitors at one time.

[hattrick10]

I think he knows he can attach dual monitors to a video card but I believe he is wondering whether the ELO device drivers can handle two ELO touchscreen monitors at one time.

Yeah, that is definitely what I am most concerned about.  I tried searching the ELO website but didnt find much info there.  I currently do not own a elo touchscreen so I have no clue about how there drivers/software work.  Is there software to install for these monitors or is it basically just a device driver?  If there is software, can it handle multiple profiles?

[unclet]

I had to download the device driver for my 17" ELO touchscreen I use in my jukebox.  Once the device driver was installed, then my monitor worked like a charm ... very easy.    I have no idea whether that software would support dual monitors though.

Did you try calling ELO directly and asking?

http://www.elotouch.com/

[Kevin Mullins]

The "touch" screen is nothing more than a mouse input, so I would imagine that since you can run a mouse on dual screens then you could "touch" dual screens.
You couldn't touch both screens simultaniously though, but one at a time should be fine.
Hmmmm.... will have to set up two touchscreens on one pc now to check this out. 

But as mentioned already.... it would really be a matter of whether you can set up your jukebox software to run two different thing on two different screens.
(Jukebox on one and visualizations on the other)

[unclet]

A few jukebox applications (including mine) support dual monitors.

The problem I believe is still with the ELO device drivers though.   After you first install the ELO device driver then you will need to calibrate the monitor.  The ELO software displays four "target" circles in each corner of the screen and asks the user to touch each of the target so the software can determine where the screen boundaries are located I guess.  Anyway, in a dual monitor configuration will the ELO calibration logic place the targets in the corners of one monitor or both monitors ...... I am not sure. 

[Kevin Mullins]

After you first install the ELO device driver then you will need to calibrate the monitor. 

Ah... good point.
I still don't think the drivers themselves would be an issue, but the calibration part might.
Could calibrate on one screen, but it may not be accurate on the second and vice versa. Unless they are identical monitors maybe.

Definitely would have to experiment with this idea.

[nuka1195]

from the html docs that come with the driver.

Multiple monitors, USB controllers

Follow the procedure for Single monitor, USB controller installation above.

The driver files will install. When the Setup Complete screen appears, you may choose to run calibration (the Elo Video Alignment program, EloVA) immediately or wait until later. If you choose not to run this program now, you can run it from the Elo Control Panel application. When EloVA runs for the first time, it will attempt to calibrate all controllers and/or serial ports that were installed. Press the Esc key on the keyboard to terminate or skip calibration for any monitor, or allow the program to time out (as indicated by the progress bar reaching maximum). The program will continue until all controllers and/or ports have been calibrated.

[hattrick10]

from the html docs that come with the driver.

Multiple monitors, USB controllers

Follow the procedure for Single monitor, USB controller installation above.

The driver files will install. When the Setup Complete screen appears, you may choose to run calibration (the Elo Video Alignment program, EloVA) immediately or wait until later. If you choose not to run this program now, you can run it from the Elo Control Panel application. When EloVA runs for the first time, it will attempt to calibrate all controllers and/or serial ports that were installed. Press the Esc key on the keyboard to terminate or skip calibration for any monitor, or allow the program to time out (as indicated by the progress bar reaching maximum). The program will continue until all controllers and/or ports have been calibrated.

Well, that is a promising read!  Sounds like the ELO software should have no problems with multiple touch screens.  Now, just need to make sure my software can do it.  Thanks for the input everyone.