General Questions
1. How many operating systems does PenMount support?
For the list of the operating systems that PenMount supports, please click here. You can download the appropriate drivers from the [ Download ] page. If the operating system you are using is not listed here, please fill out the [ PenMount Touch Controller Inquiry Form ] and [ PenMount Driver Special Request Form ] and email to [ penmount@seed.net.tw ], we will contact you as soon as possible.
2. Does PenMount 6000 USB have QNX 6.3 / 6.4 / 6.5 support?
Yes. PenMount 6000 USB is supported by QNX operating system 6.3 / 6.4 / 6.5, please check the readme page on [ PenMount USB Touch Screen Controller for QNX 6.4 readme.html ] to start the touch screen input support on QNX 6.3 / 6.4 / 6.5.
3. Does PenMount provide drivers that support Microsoft Windows 7?
Yes. The PenMount Windows Universal Driver supports most Microsoft Windows systems from Windows 2000, XP, 2003, 2008, Vista to 7.
4. How to make the PenMount touch function work correctly ?
When the PenMount touch function fails, please refer to the rest of the FAQs. If none of them solve your problem, please fill out the [ PenMount Touch Controller Inquiry Form ] and [ PenMount trouble shooting check list ] and email to [ penmount@seed.net.tw ], we will provide the solution as soon as possible.
5. How many kinds of control ICs that PenMount has? What are their difference?
There are 4 kinds of PenMount control ICs as below:
- PenMount 9000 : a RS-232 interface touch panel control IC.
- PenMount 6000 : a RS-232 and USB combo touch panel control IC.
- PenMount M1 : a RS-232 and USB combo multi-touch panel control IC.
- PenMount P1 : a RS-232 and USB combo Projected Capacitive touch panel control IC.
Remarks: Multi-touch isn’t supported by PenMount 5000/6000/9000 touch controllers yet, even if they are updated to the latest device drivers.
6. What are the difference between PenMount control boards ?
There are three types of PenMount control boards, the difference is described in the following table.
PM6200 has the same screw hole position as 3MTM EXII 7000, EXII 8000 and SC400, SC500, SC800 series. It also provides a 4 -wire ZIF connector.
Remarks: Multi-touch isn’t supported by PenMount 5000/6000/9000 touch controllers yet, even if they are updated to the latest device drivers.
7. Can PenMount work on COM ports that don’t support PNP detection?
Yes, under the WinCE and Linux O.S., PenMount RS-232 is Non-PNP mode; under 2000/ XP/ 2003/ 2008/ Vista/ 7 O.S., please download the driver after the edition of PenMount Windows universal driver V2.2.0.263 from the [ Download ] page, and please also refer to the set-up of Windows Question 6 Non-PNP mode.
8. What’s the purpose of the LED on PenMount control board for?
The LED lights on PenMount control board is used to determine the working state of the controller. Here are some circumstances that user might find it shining.
If the controller and touch panel is connected correctly, the LED will be lighted when touching the panel, and will fade on release.
If the LED is always lighted even when no one touch the panel, it may suggest that:
- Some objects oppress the panel by mistake.
- The pin assignments between the touch panel and controller is not correctly set.
- The driver hasn’t been installed if using PenMount 6000 RS-232.
If the LED is not lighted when touching the panel, the possible causes are :
- There is no power supply.
- The PenMount controller is not functioning.
- The connector is broken.
- User has touched the wrong side of the touch panel, or it’s not working properly.
9. What is the maximum working distance for cable between the computer and the PenMount control board?
- For RS-232 cable, the maximum distance is 12 M. You can extend the distance by using a RS-232 serial extender.If you need to setup the extender for PenMount, here are some information :
- Protocol 19200 bauds, N81
- control signals : RTS, RXD, TXD, GND, DTR, DSR
Please note, however, when using RS-232 connections with long distance, the PNP detection might not work properly. In this case you might need to consider using a extender that supports PNP function, or using a non PNP driver for your PenMount device. Please check out the FAQ #5 for more information.
- For USB cables, the maximum distance without a extender depends on the controller and transfer speed of the USB. PenMount 6000 USB controller supports full speed mode, and the maximum distance is 5M. PenMount 5000 USB controller supports low speed mode , and the distance is 3M. To extend the distance, you can consider using a USB hub or a extender.
10. How to use PenMount RS-232 Driver and Serial Mouse Driver at the same time under DOS ?
How to use PenMount RS-232 Driver and Serial Mouse Driver at the same time under DOS ?
11. How to make beep sound work properly when touching the panel?
PenMount driver’s beep sound function only works if there is PC speaker available with user’s system.
Besides, there are currently some Linux systems having Beep Sound disabled by default. You will need to enable it first to have beep sound.
12. What’s the function of the switch on PenMount control board?
The switches on PenMount 9000 and 6000 control boards is used to set the baud rate / PNP mode and touch panel type. The details are listed in the following table.
Please avoid using sharp tools when adjusting the switches. The force used should be in a parallel way.
PM9026BH: There is no switch on PM9026BH, the specification is fixed to 19200bps / PNP mode / 4 or 8 wire only.
PM6202: There is no switch on PM6202, the specification is fixed to 9600bps / Non-PNP mode / 4 or 5 wire only.
Please note that after changing the switch settings, user must reset the controller firmware (by resupplying the power) to make it use the new settings.
13. How to use both the USB and RS-232 interface at the same time on the PenMount 6500 / 6200C / 6202 control board ?
Although PenMount 6500 / 6200C / 6202 provide both the USB and RS-232 interfaces, the operating system will only recognize the USB device when they are both connected to the computer. As a result, user can only choose to use either RS-232 or USB at one time.
14. How to make the cursor position correctly ?
Some touch panels has lost it’s linearity, therefore need calibration. PenMount provides a calibration utility that corrects the cursor position up to 4% after calibration. It is recommend that using a stylus instead of finger when running the calibration utility.
In most cases the cursor should position correctly after applying the 9 point calibration. If the cursor position is still incorrect after applying the 25 point calibration, user might consider replacing the touch panel, since it has totally lost it’s linearity.
15. Has the PenMount control board pass the ESD testing?
Yes! All PenMount control boards have passed ESD testing:
- PM6300 & PM6200 & PM6500 & PM6202：Air Discharge 15KV, Contact Discharge 8KV.
- PM9036BH: Air Discharge 15KV, Contact Discharge 8KV.
If any ESD problem should occur to your system, ground the screw hole.
16. Has the PenMount controller pass the RoHS standard?
Yes. All of the PenMount controllers, including control board and IC have passed the RoHS directive.
17. What’s included in the standard PenMount controller package ?
The standard PenMount package includes the PenMount control board and driver CD. The connector and stylus are optional.
18. Why the USB mouse and the USB keyboard can’t act, after I set up the PenMount USB device under QNX according to the instructions?
Since the system will load the settings in input.${HOSTNAME} to drive the input device, this file must be correctly set or the USB mouse and keyboard won’t operate correctly. Please follow the steps described in README file and make sure that the following file is added in iinput.${HOSTNAME}.
19. Does PenMount provide WinPE driver?
PenMount Windows Universal driver can be installed on WinPE operating system. Due to the particularity of its special installation, please contact us by e-mail along with your information of [ PenMount Touch Controller Inquiry Form ] and [ PenMount Driver Special Request Form ] if you need it.
20. I’m using PenMount controller PM9512. Where can I get a copy of the driver?
PenMount9512 has been phased out, the drivers support only 3.1/ 95/ 98/ Me/ NT/ 2000, Dos, Linux XFree86 3.3.3-3.3.6/ 4.x.x, we will not develop new driver any more. If you need the driver for the systems above, please send your request via e-mail along with your information of [ PenMount Touch Controller Inquiry Form ] and [ PenMount Driver Special Request Form ].