Tech First Kit–MICROCHIP–PIC10F–CAPACITIVE TOUCH-EVK

Touch sensing is fast becoming an alternative to traditional push button switch user interfaces, because it requires no mechanical movement, and it enables a completely sealed and modern-looking design. Expanding beyond the consumer market, touch sensing is beginning to take hold in medical, industrial and automotive applications for reasons such as improved aesthetics, reduced maintenance and lower cost.

Microchip’s capacitive mTouch Solution is a free and easy method to optimize your touch sensing application using a wide variety of hardware and software resource options.The schematic is very simple and uses a PIC10F204/6 MCU, a diode, a capacitor and a resistor (see the white sensing square on the PCB).

Being a microcontroller based solution; capacitive touch can also be used to drive an LED, a buzzer or to communicate with the main processor or the rest of the system. The necessary schematic software is provided in AN1202: Capacitive Sensing with PIC10F.

• Can be used as a on/off, open/close button or other single action user interface
• Act as a proximity sensor – detecting a hand coming close to the sensor
  • Enable lower standby power consumption
  • Trigger an action, like lighting up a display, without a touch