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Touch on Raw Panel

With SKAARHOJ's xpanel-touch package for our controllers, users can create software UIs accessible through browsers, which appear on the local network as Raw Panel devices. 
Both third-party applications adhering to the Raw Panel Protocol and SKAARHOJ's in-house Broadcast Control, Automation, and Monitoring application, Reactorâ„¢, can interface with these UIs. They can process inputs and provide feedback. These UIs are operable from any touch device equipped with a web browser or from a desktop computer, utilizing straightforward HTTP and SVG technology.

  • Broad Access: Use from touch devices to PCs.
  • Integrative: Add touch without extra development.
  • Quick Setups: Fast configuration with Quick Classes.
  • Versatile: Access UIs across local networks easily.
  • Cost-Efficient: Evaluate with trial before purchase.

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How It Works

The application creates a webserver that serves a dynamic SVG file that shows itself in full screen on the screen device it's presented on. This could be a real touch device or any other computer with screen. So it's really a virtual panel, not only for touch screens.

To communicate with the panel, the user would connect with TCP to the Raw Panel server.

Examples of touch application

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Touch Devices will appear on the network. You can discover them using Raw Panel Explorer:

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At the bottom you find the XP_TOUCH-STREAMDECK which is mimicking a Stream Deck device on screen. It's found on port 9953 as a Raw Panel device. The topology will look like this when Raw Panel Explorer connects to it:

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In this case the touch application itself is on port 7950. Here it is shown with some dummy content loaded into it:

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In Reactor, the touch panel can be added like any other Raw Panel device:

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In the Configuration Tab, components are available for configuration with behaviors:

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Watch it

(TODO)

Configuration

  • Click the package name "xpanel-touch" after installing it and you will see the configuration page:

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  • The first many config options are the same as found on the other Xpanel-applications (Stream Deck, X-keys, HIDs etc).
  • The Webserver port is where you find the webserver for the touch UI.
  • To select the UI style, you use the Layout dropdown. It has these options:

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  • You can also select a ratio which will help you to optimize how it looks on your destination device:

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  • Using PuTTy, Telnet or nc you can now make a TCP connection manually to test it. On a Mac, try "nc 192.168.11.5 9953" from the Terminal, then it should connect, type in "list"+Enter and you should see something like this:

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  • With PuTTy on Windows you should make sure to set "Implicit CR in every LF"

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Licensing

A license for up to ten distinct Touch applications (with unlimited clients connected) on a Blue Pill device currently costs 299 EUR / 365 USD (January 2024). Please contact support@skaarhoj.com or sales@skaarhoj.com to place your order and get a license assigned. Remember to include your Blue Pill serial number in the request.

The xpanel-touch application will always provide approximately 10 minutes of free and unlimited Raw Panel usage. This starts 30 seconds after the application (re-)start. Please note that after 10 minutes, an unlicensed application device will stop sending triggers. However, you can reset this period by re-starting the xpanel-touch package in the Blue Pill Web UI.

The xpanel-touch logs will report when the quarantine periods start and end:

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Please write to innovationlab@skaarhoj.com for any comments or questions. We would love to hear (positive and constructive) remarks from you.

- kasper




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