The CapSense Express solution enables designers to implement up to 10 buttons and/or sliders in as little as five minutes - with no coding. The PSoC Express
visual embedded system design tool and CapSense Express configuration tool allow designers to monitor and tune the performance of the buttons and sliders in real time using a graphical user interface. Competing solutions require designers to program and test each adjustment, adding design time and cost.
Cypress is the worldwide leader in capacitive sensing with the industry's broadest portfolio. Its PSoC
-based CapSense devices have implemented over 2.5 billion buttons, sliders and other touch sensing interfaces in systems worldwide.
The CapSense portfolio offers unmatched flexibility and integration, addressing a broad range of designs from complex, feature-rich applications to simple button replacement. More information about the new solution is available at www.cypress.com/capsense.
Mechanical buttons and sliders are prone to wear and tear from prolonged usage, exposure to elements. The CapSense Express solution offers an easy, cost-competitive solution to button replacement enabling innovative new products with a fast time-to-market.
CapSense Express Features
The CY8C201X0 and CY8C201X2 CapSense Express devices offers up to ten capacitive and/or general purpose I/Os (GPIOs), allowing design flexibility to implement combinations of buttons, sliders, and general purpose functions like LED control and interrupt outputs. For battery-powered applications, the devices offer low power consumption of just 1 mA active current and 2.6 µA in sleep mode. The new devices offer a wide operating voltage of 2.4V to 5.25V and an industrial temperature range of -40º C to +85º C. In addition, 2 Kb of Flash memory and an I2C communication interface are provided so designers can choose whether to store tuning values in Flash or load them over I2C at power-up.
About CapSense
A single CapSense device can replace dozens of mechanical switches and controls with an elegant touch-sensitive interface, and the solution supports touch screens and proximity sensing for superior product differentiation. CapSense-based "button" and "slider" controls are more reliable than their mechanical counterparts because they are resistant to environmental wear-and-tear from temperature change and moisture. Cypress has garnered well over 100 CapSense design wins worldwide in applications that include mobile handsets, portable media players, white goods, computers, printers and automotive, among others.
Cypress’s CapSense solution offers system designers numerous advantages over capacitive sensing products built around modules and sub-assemblies, including increased flexibility, reduced board space and lower cost. Because of the unique PSoC architecture, designers can easily integrate multiple functions (e.g., LED drivers and LCD displays), in addition to capacitive sensing. The PSoC CapSense solution also delivers benefits such as easy communications using either I2C, SPI or USB interfaces, the ability to implement both touchpad (x-y matrix) and linear slider applications with the same device, and the ability to make quick design changes using the flash-based PSoC architecture. In addition, users can complete CapSense designs with pre-configured and verified "user modules" within Cypress's PSoC Designer 4.4 Integrated Design Environment (IDE), and experience real-time sensor tuning and monitoring with PSoC Express visual embedded system design tool.
Product information table:
| Mftrs. Part No. | Product Description |
| CY3218-CAPEXP1CY3218-CAPEXP1 | CAPSENSE EXPRESS KIT-BUTTONS <= 10IO |
| CY3218-CAPEXP2CY3218-CAPEXP2 | CAPSENSE EXPRESS KIT-SLIDERS <= 10IO |
| CY3218-CAPEXP3CY3218-CAPEXP3 | CAPSENSE EXPRESS KIT-BUTTONS <= 4 IO |