Knowledge Base

The Archer 2 utilises capacitive touch screen technology, which differs from the resistive screens used on most other rugged handhelds.

This capacitive screen works from the conductivity of the item touching it, which usually comes from the human body.

Therefore, capacitive screens can only be used with the finger or a stylus which produces or conducts a small electric charge.

This app comes loaded with three preconfigured settings for the touch screen; Finger, Stylus and Water.

2. Touch Screen Settings 

The touch screen settings for the Archer 2 may be accessed by clicking on 'Settings', then 'System', then 'Touch'.

The first two are fairly self-explanatory, the Finger setting is best used when using your finger, and the Stylus setting is best used when using a stylus.

Please note that the Stylus setting will not allow you to use any stylus, it still must be a capacitive one. 

The Finger setting comes with 'Edge Compensation', this makes it easier to press locations near the edge of the screen, where using your finger may not allow you to press buttons with full accuracy.

This 'Edge Compensation' moves the position of the touch closer to the edge of the screen, allowing you to press buttons that would normally be more frustrating to reach easily. 

The Water setting is used when there is moisture on the screen, it is usually used in rain or snow, but can be useful in humid environments.

This setting reduces the sensitivity of the touch screen, meaning that water droplets will not be able to 'press' the screen with their slight conductivity.

It is recommended that the touch screen be used with the finger only, as this is the way it was designed to be used.

The touch screen on the Archer 2 can be used with gloves, if required, but a bare finger will produce the best results.

If a stylus is being used, as mentioned earlier, it must be a capacitive stylus.

To attain best results when using a stylus, you should use the stylus directly perpendicular to the screen, and tap firmly, a quick tap is not recommended as with the Archer 1's resistive screen.

Upon entering the 'Settings' menu, you may tap on 'System'.

In this menu, there are a number of options, two of them; 'Backlight' and 'Screen', allow you to change the display settings.

In 'Backlight', you can adjust the brightness of the key pad, indicator LEDs and screen.

These settings can be changed under the 'Battery Power' tab, where they will apply if the Field PC is not connected to a mains socket, or they can be changed under the 'External Power' tab, where they will apply if the Field PC is connected to a mains socket.

We recommend using the lowest brightness you can use while still being able to see the display clearly, as this will extend the battery life of the Field PC.

In the 'Screen' tab, you can change the orientation of the display, you can choose 'Portrait' (aligned vertically), 'Landscape (right-handed)' (rotated anti-clockwise 90 degrees from vertical) or 'Landscape (left-handed)' (rotated clockwise 90 degrees from vertical).

In this screen, you can also tap 'Align Screen', if your Field PC has the 'Touch' app, this will take you to the Touch menu, where you can change the touch screen profile.

If your Field PC does not have the 'Touch' app, it will guide you through re-aligning the screen, by following and tapping a cross at key points on the screen.

From the 'Screen' tab, you may also enable ClearType, which smoothes the edges of text which is close to the screen edge, making it easier to read.

You may also adjust the size of text displayed in the 'Screen' tab, though please note this is not guaranteed to work with all programs.