STMicroelectronics has introduced its QST108, the first IC in a family of capacitive touch sense products that will enable innovative user interfaces for many markets.

Touch-sensitive controls are rapidly becoming the solution of choice to replace electromechanical switches because they enable designers to create functional and economical user interfaces for a wide range of designs where durability, ease of use and price are major considerations.

The QST family of products allows the design of sealed, back-lit sensing surfaces that enable manufacturers to dramatically reduce touch-panel costs.
First in ST's QST capacitive touch-sensor series, the QST108 uses a pure digital, firmware-based solution, providing a single-chip control interface that responds to a user's touch. The sensor device enables users to create capacitive touch-panels of up to eight keys for their product user interfaces, using conventional or flexible printed circuit boards. The sense electrodes can be part of the PCB layout or can be printed using conductive ink, with flexibility in electrode sizes and shapes. The QST108 detects finger touch using an electrode behind a non-conductive front panel made from materials such as glass or plastic. External component count is low, with only one sampling capacitor and one resistor required per channel.

QST devices require no production line or user calibration. They incorporate drift compensation, auto-calibration, noise filtering and adjacent key suppression to ensure maximum usability and control integrity. Device configuration allows flexibility in panel thickness, from extremely thin plastics to 10 mm or more of glass.

Initially available in a 32-pin LQFP package, the QST108 drives up to eight LEDs. It features pulse width modulation (PWM) capability to drive a beeper output or to control LED brightness. De-bounced touch detection results are accessible through individual outputs or through the I²C interface.
The QST108KT6 is sampling now for major OEM customers and will become available to all in the fourth quarter. Available in a 32-pin LQFP package, the QST108KT6 is priced at approximately $1.80 in quantities of 10,000 pieces.

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