[Guide/Hack] Calibrate touch screen with more than just 4 calibration points

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young blade

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2008
449
18
Rotterdam
Dear XDA friends :laugh:today I make available an guide to align/calibrate the touch screen with more than just 4 points.

The benefit of aligning the screen with more than just more than 4 points is that the touch screen will be more acurate
when there is an touch input.

After much frustration of my 22" touch panel not registering my touch inputs the way it should I've spend weeks to search the internet
for an solution to this problem.

And the problem lies in the fact that microsofts calibration tool offers too few calibration points (4 or a few more for pen input).

This guide also applies to pen inputs but when using a pen you should keep in mind that the first point you touch while calibrating has to be with the pen.

Before starting off you should make an windows restore point. okay lets get it started.

1) Go to the control panel and open tablet pc settings.

2) Hit reset.

3) Open command prompt CMD as administrator.

4) Choose one of the following options: 4a,4b or 4c:

4a) As mine touchscreen is 22" 1680x1050 I calculated the folowing line to get 150 calibration touch points:

tabcal lincal novalidate XGridPts=5,117,229,341,453,565,667,789,901,1013,1125,1237,1349,1461,1537,1675 YGridPts=5,109,213,317,421,525,629,733,837,941,1045

Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.


4b) If your screen resolution is 1280x800 and you want 36 calibration see the following line:


tabcal lincal novalidate XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275 YGridPts=5,163,321,479,637,795

Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.

4c) If you have a different screen resolution than the ones above than calculate the best entries for your screen:

lets say you want 36 calibration points for your 1280x720 screen reslotution.
than do the folowing for the XGridPts: 1280-10= 1270
Now we make sure that we start of at XGridPts=5 and the last XGridPts=1275
that leaves us with 1270 Pts lets divide it by 5 > 1270/5= 254
So the steps will be 254Pts

As our first XGridPts=5 we keep adding 254Pts until we get around 1275Pts
So 5Pts+254Pts=259Pts and that will be our second Pts

The result will be: XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275

Next will be our YGrid:
720-10=710
Now we make sure that we start of at YGridPts=5 and the last YGridPts=715
that leaves us with 710 Pts lets divide it by 5 > 710/5= 142
So the steps will be 142Pts

As our first YGridPts=5 we keep adding 142Pts until we get around 715Pts
So 5Pts+142Pts=147Pts and that will be our second Pts

The result will be: YGridPts=5,147,289,431,573,715

So now we have succesfuly calculated the x and y grid:

XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275 YGridPts=5,147,289,431,573,715

Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.

5) If al goes wel you should now be presented with an calibration window with more than 4 points hit all the points and your touchscreen should be
beter to use in older applications.

if you get any syntax error make sure there are no spaces in the numbers while copy and pasting.

6) If you get an pop up message when using 4a 4b or 4c saying that there already are calibrations settings entered and that you should go
to the tablet pc settings and hit reset you should do the following:


*Go to Control Panel>Device manager
*In Device Manager, locate the device you want to remove/reset, and then double-click the device name.
*Click the Driver tab, and then click uninstall and disconnect the device from computer and restart.
Now when you reconnect the device after the restart it should reinstall the default driver settings.

Of course you should use these settings at your own risk but it shouldnt be a problem if you made an restore point.

As an result my touchscreen works 100% in every part of the screen.

If you have used this guide please let me know your results and dont forget my thanks meter :).

Sources used:

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/ep121-slate/43622-pen-calibration-trick.html
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-hardware/tablet-calibration/f11fcc78-2926-4463-8445-ec6e7de2603d
 
Last edited:

young blade

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2008
449
18
Rotterdam
Well I'm not so sure about that.. Beacause the moment your touch input is way of from the point that you touched you will be frustrated with a useless screen. thats when this thread will be a handy guide.

And also I do believe people are appriciating this thread because my thanks meter is climbing slowly :).
 

qazzi76

Senior Member
Dec 7, 2004
409
79
Frustrating... WACOM...

So I've tried this on my series 7 slate but am having no joy...

I've tried this with default windows drivers as well as the wacom drivers and each case the results are still inconsistent.

Also settings defined in portrait adversely affect settings defined in landsacpe and vice versa...

It's quite frustrating as I need this thing for note taking...

I am actively looking into this and will share any findings with the you all.

Dear XDA friends :laugh:today I make available an guide to align/calibrate the touch screen with more than just 4 points.

The benefit of aligning the screen with more than just more than 4 points is that the touch screen will be more acurate
when there is an touch input.

After much frustration of my 22" touch panel not registering my touch inputs the way it should I've spend weeks to search the internet
for an solution to this problem.

And the problem lies in the fact that microsofts calibration tool offers too few calibration points (4 or a few more for pen input).

This guide also applies to pen inputs but when using a pen you should keep in mind that the first point you touch while calibrating has to be with the pen.

Before starting off you should make an windows restore point. okay lets get it started.

1) Go to the control panel and open tablet pc settings.

2) Hit reset.

3) Open command prompt CMD as administrator.

4) Choose one of the following options: 4a,4b or 4c:

4a) As mine touchscreen is 22" 1680x1050 I calculated the folowing line to get 150 calibration touch points:

tabcal lincal novalidate XGridPts=5,117,229,341,453,565,667,789,901,1013,1125,1237,1349,1461,1537,1675 YGridPts=5,109,213,317,421,525,629,733,837,941,1045

Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.


4b) If your screen resolution is 1280x800 and you want 36 calibration see the following line:


tabcal lincal novalidate XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275 YGridPts=5,163,321,479,637,795

Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.

4c) If you have a different screen resolution than the ones above than calculate the best entries for your screen:

lets say you want 36 calibration points for your 1280x720 screen reslotution.
than do the folowing for the XGridPts: 1280-10= 1270
Now we make sure that we start of at XGridPts=5 and the last XGridPts=1275
that leaves us with 1270 Pts lets divide it by 5 > 1270/5= 254
So the steps will be 254Pts

As our first XGridPts=5 we keep adding 254Pts until we get around 1275Pts
So 5Pts+254Pts=259Pts and that will be our second Pts

The result will be: XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275

Next will be our YGrid:
720-10=710
Now we make sure that we start of at YGridPts=5 and the last YGridPts=715
that leaves us with 710 Pts lets divide it by 5 > 710/5= 142
So the steps will be 142Pts

As our first YGridPts=5 we keep adding 142Pts until we get around 715Pts
So 5Pts+142Pts=147Pts and that will be our second Pts

The result will be: YGridPts=5,147,289,431,573,715

So now we have succesfuly calculated the x and y grid:

XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275 YGridPts=5,147,289,431,573,715

Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.

5) If al goes wel you should now be presented with an calibration window with more than 4 points hit all the points and your touchscreen should be
beter to use in older applications.

if you get any syntax error make sure there are no spaces in the numbers while copy and pasting.

6) If you get an pop up message when using 4a 4b or 4c saying that there already are calibrations settings entered and that you should go
to the tablet pc settings and hit reset you should do the following:


*Go to Control Panel>Device manager
*In Device Manager, locate the device you want to remove/reset, and then double-click the device name.
*Click the Driver tab, and then click uninstall and disconnect the device from computer and restart.
Now when you reconnect the device after the restart it should reinstall the default driver settings.

Of course you should use these settings at your own risk but it shouldnt be a problem if you made an restore point.

As an result my touchscreen works 100% in every part of the screen.

If you have used this guide please let me know your results and dont forget my thanks meter :).

Sources used:

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/ep121-slate/43622-pen-calibration-trick.html
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-hardware/tablet-calibration/f11fcc78-2926-4463-8445-ec6e7de2603d
 

young blade

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2008
449
18
Rotterdam
Maybe you should try to calculate more than 36 touch points..
Also check and see what happen if you delete all drivers and use the windows default drivers.

Please let us know your findings.
 

young blade

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2008
449
18
Rotterdam
This is far too complicated...... how do you set it up for 1920x1680 ??

1920 gives you: starting point 5 and ending point 1915.
Than you do 1915 - 10 = 1910

divide 1910 by 5 -> 1910/5= 382

so your starting Xgrid point is 5.
second = 5+382=387
next 387+382=769
next 769+382=1151
next = 1151+382=1533
next = 1533+382=1915

Yeah all went well so or Xgrid will be:

XGridPts=5,387,769,1151,1533,1915

Now you do the same for the Ygrid.

start off by doing 1680-10=1670

than divide 1670 by 5= 1670/5=334

Good luck..!!:good:
 

GilesTheAlmighty

Senior Member
Sep 11, 2006
102
0
Hey! This is absolutely great!

I came here looking for a method to increase calibration for my HP 2740p Tablet PC! I have successfully used your calibration data and so far it seems a lot more consistent! It used to 'drift' a lot in the middle of the screen, with the edges being alright.. Will this need to be calibrated if I rotate the screen? I'll have to reverse the X and Y values first though, but is it necessary?

Thanks for this awesome tutorial,

Regards Giles
 

young blade

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2008
449
18
Rotterdam
Hey! This is absolutely great!

I came here looking for a method to increase calibration for my HP 2740p Tablet PC! I have successfully used your calibration data and so far it seems a lot more consistent! It used to 'drift' a lot in the middle of the screen, with the edges being alright.. Will this need to be calibrated if I rotate the screen? I'll have to reverse the X and Y values first though, but is it necessary?

Thanks for this awesome tutorial,

Regards Giles

I'm pleased that it helped you out.. i would say just experiment with it.. and dont forget my thanks meter..:D
 

manuelcalavera

Senior Member
Jun 20, 2007
398
24
There's no necessity for calculating the grid points, any grid point you give to the device, it brings it up for you in the calibration process.

Anyway, this is a great tweak, but it does not work on my ThinkPad Tablet 2. Not even with admin permission. It brings up the calculation routine with added grid points ( I tried with even 120 points ), but in the end, nothing happens, no change in accuracy at all.
 

thekiller99

Senior Member
Feb 9, 2009
224
6
What i would suggest to make this even user friendly is do the lines for the common screen resolutions like 1366x768 , 1920x1080 etc. We all know the majority of people are lazy so if you can make it copy and paste etc it'll be even more popular.
 

spiperman

New member
Nov 9, 2009
3
2
Longwood, FL
Very Useful

I found this immensely helpful. Thanks very much. I used the utility to solve the calibration on a Dell Latitude 10 - which has a wonky native screen resolution of 1366 x768. I created a batchfile and set it with admin priv and it's great. In the process of evaluating 8.1 preview the touch screen calibration got way off. It was always a little exciting because where you touched it and what happened next were not really related.

Thanks again.

Dear XDA friends :laugh:today I make available an guide to align/calibrate the touch screen with more than just 4 points. ...
 
  • Like
Reactions: quezpr123 and D.O.C

D.O.C

Inactive Recognized Developer / Retired Senior Mod
Jun 24, 2006
3,134
4,011
44
HTC One X
Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus
I found this immensely helpful. Thanks very much. I used the utility to solve the calibration on a Dell Latitude 10 - which has a wonky native screen resolution of 1366 x768. I created a batchfile and set it with admin priv and it's great. In the process of evaluating 8.1 preview the touch screen calibration got way off. It was always a little exciting because where you touched it and what happened next were not really related.

Thanks again.

Do you still have that batch file around? I could use it :D
 

quezpr123

Senior Member
Oct 16, 2008
151
162
.......
I found this immensely helpful. Thanks very much. I used the utility to solve the calibration on a Dell Latitude 10 - which has a wonky native screen resolution of 1366 x768. I created a batchfile and set it with admin priv and it's great. In the process of evaluating 8.1 preview the touch screen calibration got way off. It was always a little exciting because where you touched it and what happened next were not really related.

Thanks again.

I actually have the same resolution. Would you happen to still have that batch file?
 

Trig0r

Senior Member
Jun 19, 2007
741
94
Was this not done a while back, people saying its complicated, really, the other thread had people doing it over 273 (iirc) touch points and that thread was huge and the thanks were coming in left and right..
 

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    Dear XDA friends :laugh:today I make available an guide to align/calibrate the touch screen with more than just 4 points.

    The benefit of aligning the screen with more than just more than 4 points is that the touch screen will be more acurate
    when there is an touch input.

    After much frustration of my 22" touch panel not registering my touch inputs the way it should I've spend weeks to search the internet
    for an solution to this problem.

    And the problem lies in the fact that microsofts calibration tool offers too few calibration points (4 or a few more for pen input).

    This guide also applies to pen inputs but when using a pen you should keep in mind that the first point you touch while calibrating has to be with the pen.

    Before starting off you should make an windows restore point. okay lets get it started.

    1) Go to the control panel and open tablet pc settings.

    2) Hit reset.

    3) Open command prompt CMD as administrator.

    4) Choose one of the following options: 4a,4b or 4c:

    4a) As mine touchscreen is 22" 1680x1050 I calculated the folowing line to get 150 calibration touch points:

    tabcal lincal novalidate XGridPts=5,117,229,341,453,565,667,789,901,1013,1125,1237,1349,1461,1537,1675 YGridPts=5,109,213,317,421,525,629,733,837,941,1045

    Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.


    4b) If your screen resolution is 1280x800 and you want 36 calibration see the following line:


    tabcal lincal novalidate XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275 YGridPts=5,163,321,479,637,795

    Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.

    4c) If you have a different screen resolution than the ones above than calculate the best entries for your screen:

    lets say you want 36 calibration points for your 1280x720 screen reslotution.
    than do the folowing for the XGridPts: 1280-10= 1270
    Now we make sure that we start of at XGridPts=5 and the last XGridPts=1275
    that leaves us with 1270 Pts lets divide it by 5 > 1270/5= 254
    So the steps will be 254Pts

    As our first XGridPts=5 we keep adding 254Pts until we get around 1275Pts
    So 5Pts+254Pts=259Pts and that will be our second Pts

    The result will be: XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275

    Next will be our YGrid:
    720-10=710
    Now we make sure that we start of at YGridPts=5 and the last YGridPts=715
    that leaves us with 710 Pts lets divide it by 5 > 710/5= 142
    So the steps will be 142Pts

    As our first YGridPts=5 we keep adding 142Pts until we get around 715Pts
    So 5Pts+142Pts=147Pts and that will be our second Pts

    The result will be: YGridPts=5,147,289,431,573,715

    So now we have succesfuly calculated the x and y grid:

    XGridPts=5,259,513,767,1021,1275 YGridPts=5,147,289,431,573,715

    Copy and paste this line above into the command prompt and hit enter than proceed to step 5.

    5) If al goes wel you should now be presented with an calibration window with more than 4 points hit all the points and your touchscreen should be
    beter to use in older applications.

    if you get any syntax error make sure there are no spaces in the numbers while copy and pasting.

    6) If you get an pop up message when using 4a 4b or 4c saying that there already are calibrations settings entered and that you should go
    to the tablet pc settings and hit reset you should do the following:


    *Go to Control Panel>Device manager
    *In Device Manager, locate the device you want to remove/reset, and then double-click the device name.
    *Click the Driver tab, and then click uninstall and disconnect the device from computer and restart.
    Now when you reconnect the device after the restart it should reinstall the default driver settings.

    Of course you should use these settings at your own risk but it shouldnt be a problem if you made an restore point.

    As an result my touchscreen works 100% in every part of the screen.

    If you have used this guide please let me know your results and dont forget my thanks meter :).

    Sources used:

    http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/ep121-slate/43622-pen-calibration-trick.html
    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-hardware/tablet-calibration/f11fcc78-2926-4463-8445-ec6e7de2603d
    2
    Very Useful

    I found this immensely helpful. Thanks very much. I used the utility to solve the calibration on a Dell Latitude 10 - which has a wonky native screen resolution of 1366 x768. I created a batchfile and set it with admin priv and it's great. In the process of evaluating 8.1 preview the touch screen calibration got way off. It was always a little exciting because where you touched it and what happened next were not really related.

    Thanks again.

    Dear XDA friends :laugh:today I make available an guide to align/calibrate the touch screen with more than just 4 points. ...
    1
    This is far too complicated...... how do you set it up for 1920x1680 ??