{"id":2502,"date":"2025-09-09T07:44:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T14:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crystalfontz.com\/blog\/?post_type=encyclopedia&#038;p=2502"},"modified":"2025-09-09T07:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T14:46:17","slug":"capacitive","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.crystalfontz.com\/blog\/glossary\/capacitive\/","title":{"rendered":"capacitive"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"213\"><strong data-start=\"45\" data-end=\"59\">Capacitive<\/strong> refers to a technology that uses the electrical properties of the human body (specifically, the ability to store an electrical charge) to detect touch.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"215\" data-end=\"232\">How it works:<\/h3>\n<ol data-start=\"233\" data-end=\"1016\">\n<li data-start=\"233\" data-end=\"398\">\n<p data-start=\"236\" data-end=\"398\"><strong data-start=\"236\" data-end=\"268\">Transparent conductive layer<\/strong><br data-start=\"268\" data-end=\"271\">A capacitive touchscreen has a glass surface coated with a transparent conductive material (commonly indium tin oxide, ITO).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"400\" data-end=\"508\">\n<p data-start=\"403\" data-end=\"508\"><strong data-start=\"403\" data-end=\"426\">Electrostatic field<\/strong><br data-start=\"426\" data-end=\"429\">The conductive layer holds a uniform electrostatic field across the surface.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"510\" data-end=\"814\">\n<p data-start=\"513\" data-end=\"656\"><strong data-start=\"513\" data-end=\"543\">Human touch as a conductor<\/strong><br data-start=\"543\" data-end=\"546\">When your finger (or another conductive object) touches the screen, it disturbs that electrostatic field.<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"660\" data-end=\"814\">\n<li data-start=\"660\" data-end=\"717\">\n<p data-start=\"662\" data-end=\"717\">Your skin naturally carries a tiny electrical charge.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"721\" data-end=\"814\">\n<p data-start=\"723\" data-end=\"814\">Touching the screen changes the local capacitance (the ability to store electrical charge).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"816\" data-end=\"1016\">\n<p data-start=\"819\" data-end=\"951\"><strong data-start=\"819\" data-end=\"841\">Sensing the change<\/strong><br data-start=\"841\" data-end=\"844\">Sensors at the corners or across a grid on the screen detect where the change in capacitance occurred.<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"955\" data-end=\"1016\">\n<li data-start=\"955\" data-end=\"1016\">\n<p data-start=\"957\" data-end=\"1016\">The system then calculates the exact location of the touch.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 data-start=\"1018\" data-end=\"1063\">Key points about capacitive touchscreens:<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"1064\" data-end=\"1471\">\n<li data-start=\"1064\" data-end=\"1170\">\n<p data-start=\"1066\" data-end=\"1170\"><strong data-start=\"1066\" data-end=\"1090\">Multi-touch capable:<\/strong> They can register more than one finger at a time (pinch-to-zoom, rotate, etc.).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1171\" data-end=\"1293\">\n<p data-start=\"1173\" data-end=\"1293\"><strong data-start=\"1173\" data-end=\"1196\">No pressure needed:<\/strong> Unlike <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crystalfontz.com\/blog\/glossary\/resistive\/\" target=\"_self\" title=\"Resistive refers to a technology that works by detecting physical pressure applied to the screen surface. How it works: Two flexible layersA resistive touchscreen is built with two thin, transparent layers: The top layer (flexible, usually plastic) The bottom layer (rigid, usually glass)Both layers are coated with a conductive material. Thin gap with spacersThe layers&hellip;\" class=\"encyclopedia\">resistive<\/a> touchscreens (which need physical pressure), capacitive ones only need contact.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1294\" data-end=\"1471\">\n<p data-start=\"1296\" data-end=\"1471\"><strong data-start=\"1296\" data-end=\"1326\">Requires conductive input:<\/strong> They work with bare fingers or special capacitive styluses, but not with ordinary gloves or plastic pens (unless designed with conductive tips).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1473\" data-end=\"1625\">In short, <strong data-start=\"1486\" data-end=\"1500\">capacitive<\/strong> touchscreens mean the system detects touches by sensing changes in electrical charge, rather than mechanical pressure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Capacitive refers to a technology that uses the electrical properties of the human body (specifically, the ability to store an electrical charge) to detect touch. How it works: Transparent conductive layerA capacitive touchscreen has a glass surface coated with a transparent conductive material (commonly indium tin oxide, ITO). Electrostatic fieldThe conductive layer holds a uniform [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"class_list":["post-2502","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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