Starter kit enables easy touch sensor MCU design

The capacitive touch sensor IP built into RX113 Group of MCUs delivers both high sensitivity and high noise tolerance, allowing touch recognition even when the operator is wearing gloves, for instance with industrial applications such as numerical control machine tool control panels. It also provides excellent water resistance, making it suitable for use in a wide variety of product categories, including electric kitchen appliances that may be exposed to water spills, such as induction heating cooking devices or dishwashers, or products designed for wet environments, such as remote controls for bath water heaters or water-resistant TV sets.

The touch sensing development kit enables system designers to take advantage of the full performance benefits offered by Renesas’ capacitive touch sensor IP. In addition, the kit provides automatic tuning functionality that solves a key problem for capacitive touch interface development: the tradeoff between touch sensitivity and noise tolerance. The starter kit is bundled with four touch sensing evaluation boards, making it simple to create suitable environments for testing panel materials, proximity or position sensing, and more.

The EVB featured in the kit for basic touch sensing operations - keys, key matrix, sliders, and touch wheels - is suitable for sensing applications employing materials such as acrylic, glass, wood, or plastic, covered with fabric. 

The EVB for proximity sensing (non-contact sensing applications) is useful for applications where hygiene is an issue, or where the operator wears thick latex gloves or mittens, and the EVB for trackpads uses position and direction sensing to mimic the functionality of a PC mouse.

Touch sensor tuning data rom comes out as project source files that are compatible with Renesas’ CS+ and e2 studio IDEs.

Supports the self-capacitance method, which is particularly well suited to applications requiring high sensitivity or proximity detection; the mutual-capacitance method, which provides excellent water resistance and matrix key support using multiple keys; and patterns that mix self-capacitance and mutual-capacitance - an industry first. This makes it possible to build systems that are like conventional touch key panels with proximity sensors added.