Carroll Touch unveils InMod 2000 industrial computer, industrial monitor and flat panel display controller board.

ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 1996--Carroll Touch, a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of touch and human interface products for a range of applications, today announced several powerful new solutions for high performance and reliability in industrial environments.

The InMod 2000 is the latest addition to Carroll Touch's family of industrial computers. The Pentium-based system features a state-of-the-art motherboard design with all solid state components, and a swappable engine card to accommodate future upgrades.

The computer is available with up to 256MB DRAM and comes with a built-in IDE controller which accommodates up to 2GB internal or removable hard-drive capacity, on-board Ethernet, sound and up to 4MB video. The InMod 2000 is available with 12.1 or 13.8-inch active matrix color TFT display featuring up to 1024x768 resolution.

Options include a two-slot ISA/PCI backplane extension, and a choice of either scanning infrared or guided wave touch. The InMod 2000 is available in an open-frame configuration with a NEMA 4/12-rated front enclosure and/or a NEMA 1 rear enclosure.

Carroll Touch also announced the FPC 1000, an advanced text and graphics flat panel controller board built to withstand severe conditions while providing easy readability and improved resolution capability. The FPC 1000 emulates the popular DEC VT52, VT 100 and VT340 series text terminals with 80 characters by 25 lines, as well as the VT 340 ReGIS graphics standard and Carroll Touch graphics commands.

It includes five character sets and support for one soft character set, Flash ROM for local macro storage, ROM-based setup, multiple video modes and the ability to support scanning infrared or guided wave touch.

The FPC 1000 will accept ASCII-encoded data from a serial communications input. An RS-232 or RS422/RS485 host interface serial port is provided along with an auxiliary port for DEC or AT keyboards. A separate RS-232 or RS422/RS485 port is available for use with a printer, along with a dedicated port for use with a touchscreen.

TermPaint, an application for designing terminal screens, is included standard with every FPC 1000 to allow customers to create attractive, professional screens for keyboard or touch applications.

Carroll Touch's IM Series of flat panel industrial monitors was enriched with the addition of a 13.8-inch active matrix display with 640x480 video resolution in full color. The narrow profile, just 4.7 inches deep, makes it ideal for a variety of industrial applications which require a small footprint.

Carroll Touch industrial monitors operate with direct VGA input and offer superb performance even in severe environments, with a NEMA 4 and NEMA 12-rated front bezel, the ability to withstand 20Gs of shock and 2Gs of vibration.

The monitors also are available in an open-frame configuration or with a NEMA 1 rear enclosure. The monitor can be fitted with an optional scanning infrared touch frame or a guided wave touch sensor for applications suited to touch monitors.

Carroll Touch's scanning infrared technology has several inherent advantages over other touch technologies. Display color and clarity is very sharp as scanning infrared systems place no layers between the user and the display.

Due to its complete sealability and the inherent ruggedness of the opto-matrix design, infrared technology is ideal for heavy industrial, process control, medical systems and other applications where reliability and resistance to shock and vibration are essential.

With their patented programmable amplification and servo-loop circuitry, Carroll Touch infrared touch systems compensate for changing environmental conditions, including fluctuations in ambient light and exposure to particulates, dirt, dust and liquids.

Guided wave touch sensors, produced exclusively by Carroll Touch, feature z-axis capability, adding a third dimension of touch measurement to traditional, two-dimensional x-y-axis systems. In multimedia and interactive applications, such as those often employed in video gaming, this enables a single touch target to launch a command and to measure variable levels, such as color intensity and sound volumes.

Only one other overlay technology offers a z-axis, but it requires glass sensors three times thicker than those on guided wave systems and cannot be sealed against potentially harsh environments.

Guided wave touch sensors feature the thinnest profile of all overlay touch technologies, giving them unmatched optical clarity and excellent transmissivity. The sensors are completely sealable to NEMA 4 standards, which require that a system be operational after exposure to hose-directed water.

These features make it the ideal touch technology for gaming, medical instrumentation, industrial process control, and a variety of other uses for flat panels and CRTs, such as kiosks, retail systems, interactive video and games -- any application where touch systems can be used. Carroll Touch has demonstrated a 10.4-inch flat-panel guided wave touch sensor completely submerged under water.

Carroll Touch, a division of AMP Incorporated, was founded in 1973. Carroll Touch pioneered scanning infrared touch technology in the 1970s and today is also the market leader for guided acoustic wave technology applications. Both technologies are designed for computer monitors, terminals and flat panel displays.

Carroll Touch was the first in its industry to offer a comprehensive five-year warranty on its touch products and was the first major touch vendor to achieve ISO 9001 quality certification.

All of the products announced today are available immediately. For configurations and pricing, please call Carroll Touch in North America at [phone]. In Europe, Carroll Touch products are available by calling the European Sales Office in Germany at (49) 266-35177 and through Carroll Touch distributors in most countries. Information can also be obtained through Carroll Touch's web page at www.carrolltouch.com

CONTACT: Carroll Touch, Round Rock

Mark Austin, 512/388-5615