Microchip mTouch projected capacitive touch-screen sensing technology

The mTouch projected capacitive touch-screen sensing technology is the first in a series of releases supporting projected capacitive touch screens across Microchip’s portfolio of 8-, 16- and 32-bit PIC MCUs.

The mTouch projected capacitive development kit, as well as the PIC16F707 8-bit microcontroller, featuring two 16-channel capacitive sensing modules that can run in parallel for increased sampling speed, are also available.

The development kit includes a 3.5-in sensor mounted on a sensor board, a projected-capacitive board with the PIC16F707 MCU and fully functional firmware.

The kit enables users to connect sensors to up to 24 channels, without modifying the firmware. The open source code supports sensors with up to 32 channels and the kit includes a graphical user interface tool that enables easy adjustment of key parameters.

In addition to two CSMs, the low-power PIC16F707 8-bit MCU has a wide operating voltage range of 1.8 to 5.5, with a typical projected-capacitive sensor application operating current of approximately 1.5 mA at 5 V.