Many of us has a cell phone mounting on the bike.
It is a great schlepp to ride on your bike and you need to stop and take off one glove to be able to operate the cell screen.
When you use the cell phone to navigate, any Whatsapp or sms that is delivered blocks out the navigating map. Then you need to re-activate the nav map. Opening Whatsap messages or changing from one screen to another etc etc
The cell phone screen works by detecting capacitance discharge on the spot where you touch the screen (very interesting the technique and software they use)
The tip of your finger works because the skin is electrically conductive.
A normal leather glove does not work because it is not electrically conductive. To make the glove work, you need to electrically connect your finger through the glove to the screen.
Four possible ways you can try:
1. Buy cell-compatible gloves
These gloves do work.
I tested some of them - most expensive and least expensive versions worked okey when I tried them. The middle priced one worked very well (for me)
2. Cut a hole in the tip of the glove of the operating finger
This solution is cheap, works more or less, but is not recommended.
It has many disadvantages --- it is not easy to accurately type using the hole. Besides, you destroy a glove and the hole tends to grow bigger and bigger. In rain and cold your finger is wet and cold.
3. Thread a conductive tip using metal thread
Google suggests that you thread some conductive thread into the tip of the glove ... do not go that route, it is not practical!
I did try it --- NOT worth the effort!
Three reasons:
a) The threading deforms the glove tip into something that looks like a raisin, and feels that way too!
b) The area/patch in contact with the screen is too small and/or fuzzy --- this is undetectable and/or confuses the screen software
c) The thread may scratch the screen
The cell phone screen needs to detect a coherent patch that is touched, not a tiny pin size area or a fuzzy patch.
Here is a solution that is easy to do and it works extremely well ---
Fit a thumbnail !
It is smooth and comfortable, works well and is quite easy to fit. Mine still work perfectly after two years.
How:
i. Select which fingers need to be modified and determine exactly where on the finger tip you need the contact
ii. Find two unpainted (brass or chromed) thumb nails (two per finger to be done)
iii. Push the thumb nail #1 into the tip of the glove on the spot you selected.
iv. Turn that particular finger inside out (I used a long nose plier to grab the shaft of the thumb nail inside the finger and pulled it out)
v. Modify and prepare thumb nail #2:
Break the shaft of this thumb nail free from the disc, then drill a 1mm hole through the disk
vi. Slip the modified disk over the shaft of the thumb nail on the glove Note: hollow side up
vii. Trim the shaft of thumb nail #1
viii. Knock the stubbed shaft with a punch in order to
a) lock it onto the disk and
b) to blunt off the sharp stub.
ix. Turn the finger back to outside to outside.
x. Test your handiwork on a cell phone
xi. Repeat modification on as many fingers as you wish
QED
It is a great schlepp to ride on your bike and you need to stop and take off one glove to be able to operate the cell screen.
When you use the cell phone to navigate, any Whatsapp or sms that is delivered blocks out the navigating map. Then you need to re-activate the nav map. Opening Whatsap messages or changing from one screen to another etc etc
The cell phone screen works by detecting capacitance discharge on the spot where you touch the screen (very interesting the technique and software they use)
The tip of your finger works because the skin is electrically conductive.
A normal leather glove does not work because it is not electrically conductive. To make the glove work, you need to electrically connect your finger through the glove to the screen.
Four possible ways you can try:
1. Buy cell-compatible gloves
These gloves do work.
I tested some of them - most expensive and least expensive versions worked okey when I tried them. The middle priced one worked very well (for me)
2. Cut a hole in the tip of the glove of the operating finger
This solution is cheap, works more or less, but is not recommended.
It has many disadvantages --- it is not easy to accurately type using the hole. Besides, you destroy a glove and the hole tends to grow bigger and bigger. In rain and cold your finger is wet and cold.
3. Thread a conductive tip using metal thread
Google suggests that you thread some conductive thread into the tip of the glove ... do not go that route, it is not practical!
I did try it --- NOT worth the effort!
Three reasons:
a) The threading deforms the glove tip into something that looks like a raisin, and feels that way too!
b) The area/patch in contact with the screen is too small and/or fuzzy --- this is undetectable and/or confuses the screen software
c) The thread may scratch the screen
The cell phone screen needs to detect a coherent patch that is touched, not a tiny pin size area or a fuzzy patch.
Here is a solution that is easy to do and it works extremely well ---
Fit a thumbnail !
It is smooth and comfortable, works well and is quite easy to fit. Mine still work perfectly after two years.
How:
i. Select which fingers need to be modified and determine exactly where on the finger tip you need the contact
ii. Find two unpainted (brass or chromed) thumb nails (two per finger to be done)
iii. Push the thumb nail #1 into the tip of the glove on the spot you selected.
iv. Turn that particular finger inside out (I used a long nose plier to grab the shaft of the thumb nail inside the finger and pulled it out)
v. Modify and prepare thumb nail #2:
Break the shaft of this thumb nail free from the disc, then drill a 1mm hole through the disk
vi. Slip the modified disk over the shaft of the thumb nail on the glove Note: hollow side up
vii. Trim the shaft of thumb nail #1
viii. Knock the stubbed shaft with a punch in order to
a) lock it onto the disk and
b) to blunt off the sharp stub.
ix. Turn the finger back to outside to outside.
x. Test your handiwork on a cell phone
xi. Repeat modification on as many fingers as you wish
QED
