Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Beaverton, OR USA
Posts: 87

It attempting to prevent my stylus from scratching the screen, I tried something that didn't work with the first try, but may with a little more testing/creativity. There is a product called PlastiDip that lets you coat just about anything with a thin rubberized coating like you see on the handles of some tools. I got to thinking that this would be a great fix for the stylus tip, as it would make it a little softer.

I tried it last night, and it would work just great, except it seems to increase the friction between the stylus and the screen. It feels a little more "grabby," although it does provide a little more give than the plain tip. I may play with making the screen a little more slick to see if that will counteract the grabby effect of the coating.

Any other ideas would be great!

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Mark N.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: brooklyn
Posts: 268

how about get a different stylus - i mean, that sure sounds like a helluvalotta trouble to go to. a lot of people have found good styli i personally like the platinum 3 from palmgear, but its pen sized. of course if you're coating your stylus with rubber, it probably doesn't fit in the silo, so size doesn't matter. and if you are gonna mess with screen slickness, why not get writewrights instead - which work great and then you don't have to worry about stylus slickness.

i think you're making a mtn. out of a molehill.


[This message has been edited by matty (edited 01-24-2000).]

[This message has been edited by matty (edited 01-24-2000).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Beaverton, OR USA
Posts: 87

As to the WriteRights, I would prefer to avoid any type of screen covering. Too much trouble in my opinion, and I don't care for the reduced clarity, although it is only slight. And I'm looking for a solution that doesn't require replacement after a month or two of use.

I had purchased the PlastiDip for other purposes, so dipping the stylus was just a thought I had out of the blue after I already had it. It really doesn't add much thickness at all -- on the order of mils, so fitting into the silo is no problem.

I still catch a post now and then about the new Handspring stylus scratching the screen (I have three, and they do scratch), and saw one recently about the PDA Panache scratching, too.

So that's why it seems I'm making a mtn out of a molehill (I didn't catch that until I read it the second time. Duh :P) -- nothing else that I've seen works to my satisfaction. Granted, I'm picky, but I'm kinda used to myself by now.

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Mark N.

[This message has been edited by mtn (edited 01-24-2000).]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Boston, MA, USA
Posts: 90

I've said before (but in which posts I can never remember...!) polish the stylus...!!
Get some fiber optic polishing paper and take off the ribs on the tip that do the damage. With different grades of paper and keeping them wet, you can get down to a glass-smooth finish - after all, that's what it's intended for :-)
I've done this to the stock stylus and the deluxe 5 pack ones (which were no better when I got them in Nov) and I use a WriteRight. I think it helps the clarity as it cuts out glare. My girlfriend won't have them on her Palm III but I find it too hard to get out of the glare with her screen. Your choice.
But the polished tip and the regular screen work fine. There is no 'grabiness' as the tip is so smooth. And unlike the poster in another thread who claimed to have scratched his screen *through* a WriteRight, mine is as good as new when it comes time to replace the protector.
If you want to do it look for fiber optic polishing paper or maybe gem polishing stuff but make sure it _REALLY_ fine. The paper I finished my stylus with had 1 micron paritcles on it (and I could have gone down to 0.15 from there!)

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 5

Fubar, where exactly does one get fiber optic polishing paper? I've never heard of the stuff.