Cypress aims to cut cost of touch control
1 min read
Cypress claims its new series of capacitive sensing controllers are at a price point where touchscreens can become a viable alternative to mechanical buttons.
Unveiled for the first time at Embedded World last week, the CY8CMBR3x controllers are part of the company's MBR (Mechanical Button Replacement) series.
They offer water tolerance and proximity sensing without the need for coding or firmware development, and deploy Cypress's SmartSense Auto-tuning algorithm to remove the need for manual system tuning.
The development kit costs $25 and provides additional debug and test options, including the ability to vary trace lengths, add parasitic capacitance and change overlay thickness.
Cypress' marketing director John Weil said: "Our new CY8CMBR3x controllers redefine capacitive sensing. We are taking technology that used to be prohibitive into new markets by hitting the right price points."
The CY8CMBR3x controllers can implement up to 16 capacitive buttons or up to eight capacitive buttons while driving eight LEDs. Designers can use the devices to add up to two proximity sensors with a 30cm sensing distance for wake-on-approach applications.
Additionally, the CY8CMBR3x controllers feature Flanking Sensor Suppression (FSS) that eliminates false touches when buttons are closely spaced.
