Capacitance is the ability of a body to contain an electrical charge. Your finger for example. Capacitive sensing takes advantage of this and detects anything that is conductive or has a dielectric different from air.
Cap Touch click uses this type of technology to function as a capacitive touch sensing button.
Accurate touch detection
Other than just your finger, Cap Touch click can sense touch even through plastic, wood, or other dielectric materials. You can use these materials if you want to make a protective casing for your device. We know that these types of buttons are sometimes used in harsh industrial environments, or exposed to the weather, so any form of protection is welcomed.
Cap Touch click carries AT42QT1010, a single-key QTouch® touch sensor IC from Microchip. A digital burst mode charge-transfer sensor that is capable of detecting near proximity or touch.
AT42QT1010 has many advanced features such as self-calibration, auto drift compensation, noise filtering and proprietary QTouch® technology, based on the patented charge-transfer method, making it a very accurate and reliable option for touch detection applications.
Physical button or touchscreen?
Star Wars or Star Trek? Printed books or ebooks? Physical buttons or touchscreens?
These questions are a matter of taste, but that doesn't mean we can't list all the advantages of a capacitive button. Like admitting that while we do admire Star Trek, it's the Millennium Falcon poster we would like to hang on our wall.
The first advantage is that mechanical buttons require effort, and capacitive ones only need a light touch - a much more elegant solution. Secondly, customization is super easy with a capacitive button. For example, a few seconds and your phone screen is completely changed in appearance. You can't do that with physical buttons. Thirdly, capacitive buttons are visually more attractive. And let's admit it, we are visual creatures, beauty is important.
For more information about Cap Touch click, visit the product page.
Yours sincerely,
MikroElektronika