What is a resistive touch panel?

A resistive touch panel typically uses a conductive glass backplane with a plastic conductive-
coated inner surface. These conductive inner layers are separated by spacer dots evenly
distributed across the active area. Finger or stylus pressure causes internal electrical contact
at the point of touch, which supplies the touch screen controller with a vertical and horizontal
analog voltage for digitization. The three most common formats are:

Digital – Has a discrete number of touch locations determined by a series of rows and columns
of conductors within the touch panel.

4-wire – Is an analog device that, when combined with the touch screen controller, can identify
any point within the active area of the touch panel.

5-wire – Similar to the 4-wire, but has increased reliability for more extensive use-based
applications.