How to Use a Touch Screen Monitor With a Serial Port

Before the USB, serial ports were the standard for connecting external electronics.

Hooking up a touch-screen monitor to a computer is no more difficult than connecting a traditional LCD or CRT monitor. However, many touch-screen monitors use USB connectors, rather than the serial-port connectors seen on older monitors. Though this may seem to be a problem, the use of a serial-port adapter makes bridging the gap between the connectors a snap.

Things You'll Need

• Serial-port adapter
• Flathead screwdriver

Instructions

1. Turn off your computer. Locate the serial-port connector. Desktop computers will have the serial port on the back, whereas most laptops will have it along one of the sides.

2. Insert the serial-port connector attached to the monitor into the serial port on the computer. Use a flathead screwdriver to tighten the pins into place.

   If your touch-screen monitor uses a USB connector instead of a serial-port connector, you will need to use a serial-port adapter. This adapter features a USB connector on one end and a serial-port connector on the other. Simply connect the monitor's USB connector to the adapter, then connect the adapter to the computer's serial port.

3. Plug in the monitor's power cable. Reboot the computer and switch on the monitor.

4. Touch your fingers to the monitor screen in order to input commands. For example, you can tap on a folder to open it, press onscreen buttons or zoom in by moving your thumb and forefinger away from each other. Every model of touch-screen monitor has its own shortcuts and techniques, so read your user manual to find tips and tricks specific to your monitor.

Tips & Warnings

• If using a touch screen takes a bit of getting used to, not to worry -- most monitors still allow for the use of a traditional computer mouse.

References

• Windows: My Favorite Ways to Use Windows Touch
• Beagle Software: USB to Serial Adapter