Kindle Touch with stylus?

iPocketBook · 02-03-2012, 09:43 AM

Hi all,

I expected to be able to use the Touch with any kind of object as a stylus. As it turns out, it is insensitive to objects smaller than a finger (diameter-wise).

Does anyone have an idea if this is a setting that can be tweaked somehow?

I really want to take handwritten notes etc. on the Kindle. I know, the software is not up to this task yet, but that is a different story...

cheers

geekmaster · 02-03-2012, 09:54 AM

The touch uses an IR touchscreen.

The touchscreen reports how much light is blocked from each of multiple LED/photocell pairs, and can interpolate small positions between them depending on how much light is blocked by two or more adjacent cell pairs.

I found that it works okay with the fat end of round chinese chopsticks if held perpendicular to the screen.

Using a stylus smaller than a chopstick may not case a shadow on a photocell at some positions on the screen, and in that case would be invisible to the touchscreen sensors.

The eraser end of a pencil also works.

iPocketBook · 02-03-2012, 10:09 AM

it is quite precise though, as can be seen in the built in drawing app.
Do you really think it is a problem of the resolution of the infrared-sensors?
I suspect it is an explicit threshold that discards objects smaller than a certain diameter.
Holding a huge pen perpendicular to the screen while drawing is a bit cumbersome...

thatworkshop · 02-03-2012, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iPocketBook

Hi all,

I expected to be able to use the Touch with any kind of object as a stylus. As it turns out, it is insensitive to objects smaller than a finger (diameter-wise).

Does anyone have an idea if this is a setting that can be tweaked somehow?

I really want to take handwritten notes etc. on the Kindle. I know, the software is not up to this task yet, but that is a different story...

cheers

I personally used a very small paintbrush, because I constantly have cream on my hand and it worked great.

geekmaster · 02-05-2012, 03:21 AM

Your finger is wide enough to cover multiple IR sensors. The driver measures the amount of light blocked at each location, and can interpolate based on what proportion of the outer two sensors are covered. It can read the center position accurately, but a stylus that is too thin may not cast a shadow in some postions, as I mentioned above. If you look at "teardown" photos of the Touch, you will see that there are really not many LEDs and photodiodes, but still it achieves excellent resolution for a "stylus" as wide as a finger.

02-03-2012, 09:43 AM	#1
iPocketBook Member Posts: 14 Karma: 162 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: pb 302, KT	Kindle Touch with stylus? Hi all, I expected to be able to use the Touch with any kind of object as a stylus. As it turns out, it is insensitive to objects smaller than a finger (diameter-wise). Does anyone have an idea if this is a setting that can be tweaked somehow? I really want to take handwritten notes etc. on the Kindle. I know, the software is not up to this task yet, but that is a different story... cheers

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02-03-2012, 09:54 AM	#2
geekmaster Carpe diem, c'est la vie. Posts: 6,433 Karma: 10773668 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Multiverse 6627A Device: K1 to PW3	The touch uses an IR touchscreen. The touchscreen reports how much light is blocked from each of multiple LED/photocell pairs, and can interpolate small positions between them depending on how much light is blocked by two or more adjacent cell pairs. I found that it works okay with the fat end of round chinese chopsticks if held perpendicular to the screen. Using a stylus smaller than a chopstick may not case a shadow on a photocell at some positions on the screen, and in that case would be invisible to the touchscreen sensors. The eraser end of a pencil also works.

02-03-2012, 10:09 AM	#3
iPocketBook Member Posts: 14 Karma: 162 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: pb 302, KT	it is quite precise though, as can be seen in the built in drawing app. Do you really think it is a problem of the resolution of the infrared-sensors? I suspect it is an explicit threshold that discards objects smaller than a certain diameter. Holding a huge pen perpendicular to the screen while drawing is a bit cumbersome...

02-05-2012, 03:21 AM	#5
geekmaster Carpe diem, c'est la vie. Posts: 6,433 Karma: 10773668 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Multiverse 6627A Device: K1 to PW3	Your finger is wide enough to cover multiple IR sensors. The driver measures the amount of light blocked at each location, and can interpolate based on what proportion of the outer two sensors are covered. It can read the center position accurately, but a stylus that is too thin may not cast a shadow in some postions, as I mentioned above. If you look at "teardown" photos of the Touch, you will see that there are really not many LEDs and photodiodes, but still it achieves excellent resolution for a "stylus" as wide as a finger.

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