New Atmel capacitive touch controller has 10” proximity sensing range

The QTouch AT42QT2120 from Atmel Corporation has a proximity sensing range of over 10 inches (25cm), which Atmel claims is the touch controller market’s longest proximity sensing range. A longer sensing range enables a system to wake up as an object or finger approaches the system. The system then turns on the backlight or boots up when touch operation commences. The Atmel QT2120 is targeted for applications in automotive, computing, consumer, industrial, medical, and white and brown goods requiring proximity capability.

The Atmel QT2120 capacitive touch controller utilizes the QTouchADC sensing algorithm to eliminate the need for external components, lowering the overall system cost for the designer. This architecture also delivers a faster scan time and lower current consumption for applications that perform proximity scanning in standby mode. All these features enable a superior touch interface in various applications and longer proximity sensing performance.

The Atmel ATtiny20 and ATtiny40 AVR microcontrollers can also deliver a proximity range of over 10 inches with QTouch Library.

For more information visit http://www.atmel.com/bsw.

Pricing and availability
The Atmel QT2120 is available in production quantities. Pricing starts at $1.12 for 1,000-piece quantities. To jump-start your design, the Atmel EVK2120A evaluation kit (EV) will be available in December at the Atmel Store for $59.89.