i just harvested a touch pad from an old laptop and have got it working great with arduino (PS2 protocol).
the touch pad has a tiny, 12 connector ribbon cable (basically like this but smaller).
so far i have managed to (barely) connect it using alligator clips, but of course they snap off at the slightest touch.
my question: can i buy the connector for these ribbon cables? i tried soldering a wire to another ribbon cable and it just melted away, and i cannot desolder the receptacles on the old motherboard. i would greatly appreciate any help, this touchpad really gets my mind going!
i'm especially thinging of something that converts the ribbon cable to a through-hole component, because i want to use it with my prototyping breadboard!
I'm sorry I can't answer the questions you asked, but the touch screen interface got me interested a while back as well..
But for only $10 (and another $1 for the connector) you can buy a Nintendo DS touch screen, and the connectors.. well a dollar! It's surface mount soldering but seems pretty easy, if you're not too experienced (like myself) then buy a few connectors, just in case!
The official connectors should be available from sources like Mouser and Digi-Key.
What I'd try to do instead of getting the official connector, if you don't want to spend the money (you must have a temperature-controlled iron for this):
Get a piece of stripboard, or a protoboard like this one.
Tape or glue the cable to the board, for steadiness and strain relief.
Use wire-wrap wire to connect conductors of the cable to traces on the board.
Put standard header pins on the board for a less-fragile connection.
By using really fine wire, you can do the solder joint very quickly, and avoid melting the ribbon cable. Pick up some self-closing tweezers with long parallel jaws (I got mine for a couple of bucks each at the flea market), and use them to hold down the wires as you solder them. Having the wire steady also makes it easier to do the soldering quickly.
they charge 18 euros (like 20 something dollars) shipping unless you order over 65 euros
the cables are called FFC (flat flex cable)! this makes searching a lot easier.
for the wire wrap to breadboard alternative, i have some questions:
what temperatue should i set my iron to? (I'm guessing low)
could i cover the entire assembly with all-purpose-glue afterwards to protect it? or is glue conductive or does it otherwise affect my circuit (capacitance maybe)?
i think i'll try the homemade version with another spare cable before i attempt it with the real one.
thanks!
