Repeatedly moving back and forth between the THINC control's touchscreen and hardware keyboard can be a hassle.Yet most software keyboards get in the way, become hidden by other windows, or are inaccessible when the taskbar is hidden behind the HMI. For this reason, DataZen has developed an onscreen keyboard suited to the needs of THINC machine operators.
A keyboard for the THINC control should be unobtrusive, yet easily accessible when needed. When not needed, our keyboard minimizes to two translucent icons that sit at the top of the screen, always above the HMI and readily accessible.
A click of the numpad icon will display our numeric keypad. This keypad, unlike most, was designed with machine operators in mind. As seen in the image, the keypad is translucent, allowing you to see whatever is beneath. It may also be dragged anywhere on the screen, so it need never be in the way of your work. Along with the standard ten-key numeric entry, this keypad includes delete, backspace, enter, as well as the dot and dash symbols likely to be found in part numbers.
A click of the keyboard icon will display our alphanumeric keyboard. Like the numeric keypad, this keyboard was designed for machine operators at the NC control panel. This is a full keyboard, including all letters, numbers, and symbols you expect to find. Special arrow keys allow you to select text, either forward or backward, with a single press of a key. The control, alt, and shift keys are 'sticky', remaining pressed until you click them again; a necessity for a touchscreen keyboard. As with the numeric keypad, this keyboard is both translucent and draggable.
Eliminate repetitive movement between the touchscreen and the hardware keyboard. No more fumbling around to open the start menu and display the taskbar. No awkward function-key combinations for special characters. Both keyboards are available on-screen with the touch of a finger. Especially when used in conjunction with the remote monitor kit also sold by DataZen, this keyboard provides an easier and more pleasant data input experience for machinists at the control panel.