Microchip Technology MXT336UD-MAUHA1 capacitive touchscreen controller family

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To reduce the risk of fires in the kitchen and flooding in the laundry, European IEC 60730 and US UL 60730 Class B specifications require safety mechanisms in home appliances such as ovens, cooktops, washing machines and clothes dryers. Helping designers meet these functional safety requirements in touchscreen-enabled appliances, Microchip Technology announced its maXTouch MXT336UD-MAUHA1 capacitive touchscreen controller family — said to be the market’s only touchscreen controllers to offer pre-certified, Class B firmware. The family includes three controllers — the MXT112UD-MAUHA1, the MXT228UD-MAUHA1 and the MXT336UD-MAUHA1 — each fulfilling different screen size needs, ranging from 2 to 8″.

The Class B-certified touch controllers offer safety-related features that enable system shut-off through an intuitive soft button on a touchscreen, removing the requirement for an external safety certified stop or cancel button and associated microcontroller (MCU). They also allow an appliance to detect a touchscreen or appliance failure and shut down automatically through a variety of self-testing capabilities. For example, if the glass breaks on a cooktop, the touchscreen will turn dark and shut off the machine, eliminating accidental damage in the home. As the number of touch-enabled home appliances continues to increase, the family shifts the required safety functionality to a simplified single touchscreen interface, helping OEMs reduce costs and improve time to market.

In addition, the family leverages a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) design and proprietary differential mutual acquisition scheme. This allows the machine to detect and track multiple fingers on surfaces exposed to moisture, water, grease and more — even if the user is wearing gloves.

For more information: https://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/ATMXT336UD.