New video glass bash button deck format makes a significant leap forward

Zytronic has launched its innovative video button deck solutions with transparent glass bash buttons, which are set to revolutionise the casino gaming industry. The company's proprietary ZXY500 PCAP controller and custom firmware drive these solutions, providing multiple buttons that can be located either inside or outside the display visual area. This reduces the necessity for further mechanical complexity and controllers and offers potential cost savings and reduced maintenance costs.

The floating glass bash buttons provide many advantages over traditional video mechanical bash button deck designs, which need an aperture to be drilled into the surface of the glass sensor for mounting. Instead, they are laminated directly onto the touch-sensing active area of the button deck and driven through the touch sensor below, making them fully interactive with no moving parts. Therefore, they are fully water-resistant and maintenance-free. The enhanced user experience is apparent as audible feedback is delivered upon touch, combined with the tactile sensation of the raised buttons. Also, since the buttons are made from glass, they offer better scratch resistance and durability than plastic bash buttons.

On a casino button deck demo unit, the company has mounted two glass bash buttons directly in the display area without needing printed borders to hide electronics or mechanics. Dynamic imagery is generated via the display underneath and around the transparent button simply by changing the graphics on the display itself. This provides a more active user visual experience beyond anything accomplished via traditional RGB LEDs normally associated with mechanical bash buttons.

The company has also built a demo video glass bash button deck design where the glass buttons are located in a transparent glass area outside the display area. Including Omron's STP (see thru panel) technology with predefined graphics, such as '$$$' signs and 'PLAY' wording, extends the innovation to create a holographic-type effect both underneath the bash button and the surrounding area.

"This enhanced visual feedback is achieved by the STP's dynamic imagery, visible through the transparent glass bash buttons and unprinted transparent area of the glass video button deck," explains Dr Andrew Morrison, CTO, Zytronic, "providing a visually stunning and interactive button deck gaming environment that has not been achieved before."