Thread

Can you use a touchpad as a drawing tablet?

· Hardware · 13 posts · Jan 4, 2004 — Jan 6, 2004 View original thread ↗

#1 Sun, 4 Jan 2004 - 21:31

The touchpad in my laptop works with my finger, my ear, my nose, my toes and even with my ****. However, I would like to use it with something pen shaped, so I can do simple sketchs on it. I am much more skilled "penciling" than "mousing", but every inanimate object I have tried does not move the cursor

#2 Sun, 4 Jan 2004 - 21:33

Quote:

Originally posted by The Godfather:
The touchpad in my laptop works with my finger, my ear, my nose, my toes and even with my ****. However, I would like to use it with something pen shaped, so I can do simple sketchs on it. I am much more skilled "penciling" than "mousing", but every inanimate object I have tried does not move the cursor

You could always use somebody else's finger.

#3 Sun, 4 Jan 2004 - 21:43

well since it tracks based on changes in resistance and conductivity you're pretty much SOL when it comes to anything synthetic...

that being said, I think using someone elses finger is a killer solution. Not completely sure how long the dead finger will continue working tho, so you'd be better off keeping the donor around for awhile so you can cut off a new, fresh one as the old ones cease to work...

#4 Sun, 4 Jan 2004 - 21:48

Quote:

Originally posted by CMYKid:
well since it tracks based on changes in resistance and conductivity you're pretty much SOL when it comes to anything synthetic...

that being said, I think using someone elses finger is a killer solution. Not completely sure how long the dead finger will continue working tho, so you'd be better off keeping the donor around for awhile so you can cut off a new, fresh one as the old ones cease to work...

Maybe you would have to hook it up to a battery or something then. The finger I mean.

#5 Mon, 5 Jan 2004 - 00:06

But touchpads aren't pressure sensitive, and can only move the cursor relative to where you press.

#6 Mon, 5 Jan 2004 - 00:24

Someone make this and get rich:

The pen hooks up through bluetooth and it has the pressure sensitive tip. You would develop a program to map the touch pad and have the program enter the pressure tip variables.

#7 Mon, 5 Jan 2004 - 01:37

the touchpad if I'm right is just a grid of heat sensors.. it's not so much that it has to be a finger so much as it does need to be warm...

Granted there aren't really any *heated* pens around hehe. Um maybe a small light that would get hot enough.. but those will also be hard to find.

#8 Mon, 5 Jan 2004 - 02:41

No, it has nothing to do with heat or pressure.

It works by measuring capacitance. It would be possible to make a stylus that has similar capacitance as a finger, but why, when for $100 you can buy a graphics tablet that is pressure-sensitive, larger, and support absolute positioning (which makes drawing on-screen a LOT easier).

tooki

#9 Mon, 5 Jan 2004 - 14:18

well now, that sounds a lot like what _I_ said...

in retrospect, however, I think I'd definitely prefer to cut off a baby finger....smaller means more precise, eh?

#10 Mon, 5 Jan 2004 - 14:51

http://www.i-penz.com/penmouse.html

#11 Mon, 5 Jan 2004 - 15:22

Sure, I use my touchpad all the time with a pen. Sharpies work best. My iBook loves it, but it has to be uncapped or else it doesn't move the cursor. Jumbo Sharpies have enough charge to move the cursor without a touchpad, using the pen right on the screen, using special Sharpie-Apple technology. The pens are only like $3! But you have to write "pen15" on your drawing hand with the Jumbo Sharpie for it to work properly.

#12 Mon, 5 Jan 2004 - 22:53

Quote:

Originally posted by AB^2=BCxAC:
Sure, I use my touchpad all the time with a pen. Sharpies work best. My iBook loves it, but it has to be uncapped or else it doesn't move the cursor. Jumbo Sharpies have enough charge to move the cursor without a touchpad, using the pen right on the screen, using special Sharpie-Apple technology. The pens are only like $3! But you have to write "pen15" on your drawing hand with the Jumbo Sharpie for it to work properly.

ROFL

#13 Tue, 6 Jan 2004 - 01:06

LOL!