Embedded Touchpad for Desktop Users

Abstract

Few industries have changed so much in such a short time as the computer industry, and the pace of change shows no sign of slowing. The computer now has a role in almost every aspect of modern life, and it has radically affected the way people organize their lives. Desktop users have to push a mouse around their desktop while laptop users can just point a finger on touchpad. Touchpad is a type of computer input device which uses a touch sensitive surface to allow users to control the movement of a cursor, thus replacing a mouse, pointing stick or trackball. Instead of requiring a user to grasp a mouse and pivot at the wrist to click and track on the desktop, touchpads require less motion and allow users to situate their hands and arms in a variety of positions which results in less stress on wrists. Another major advantage of touchpads is that they take up less space than a traditional mouse so it is ideal where space is at premium. Therefore, many users and computer makers see touchpads as a viable, long-term alternative to other pointing devices. Therefore to benefit desktop users, the low cost embedded touchpad is proposed. It uses 4 wires resistive touchscreen to sense the position of a finger. The other hardware includes touchscreen controller circuit, AT89S52 microcontroller, MCP3208 ADC and MAX232 voltage converter. The software is written in Microsoft Visual Basic to operate curser on the screen.