Capacitive Sensing

Capacitive Sensing Overview
Silicon Labs' MCUs enable a rich set of capacitive sensing interfaces for your products human interface needs. The newest Silicon Labs patent-pending sensing technology offers

The C8051F700 family enables

  • Capacitive buttons
  • Sliders
  • Wheels
  • Proximity sensing
  • Liquid level sensing
  • Projected capacitance touch screens

The C8051F800 family enables

  • Capacitive buttons
  • Sliders
  • Wheels
  • Capacitive Proximity sensing
  • Liquid level sensing

Silicon Labs also offers the innovative C8051F900 low-voltage/low-power MCU family with support for the widely adopted relaxation oscillator capacitive sensing technique.   

 
Available Products 

 MCU Family    

Switches

MIPS* 

Flash/
EPROM* 

RAM* 

Dig I/O* 

CDC**

Dev Kit 

C8051F7xx 

32

25

16 kB

512

54

CT

C8051F700DK

C8051F8xx 

16 25 16kB 512 17 CT

C8051F800DK

C8051F9xx 

23

25

64 kB

4352

24

RO

C8051F930DK

C8051F30x 

4

25

8 kB

256

8

RO

C8051F300DK

C8051F31x 

8

25

16 kB

1280

29

RO

C8051F310DK

C8051F320/1 

8

25

16 kB

2304

25

RO

C8051F320DK

C8051F330/1/2/3/4/5 

8

25

16 kB

768

21

RO

C8051F330DK

C8051F336/7/8/9 

8

25

16 kB

768

21

RO

C8051F336DK

C8051F34x

10

48

64 kB

5376

40

RO

C8051F340DK

C8051F35x

8

50

8 kB

768

17

RO

C8051F350DK

C8051F36x 

8

100

32 kB

1280

39

RO

C8051F360DK

C8051F41x 

12

50

16 kB

2304

24

RO

C8051F410DK

C8051F52x/53x 

8

25

8 kB

256

16

RO

C8051F530ADK

C8051T60x

4

25

8 kB EPROM

256

8

RO

C8051T600DK

C8051T61x

8

25

16 kB EPROM

1280

29

RO

C8051T610DK

* Denotes maximum value in family
** CT denotes Charge-Timing CDC; RO denotes Relaxation Oscillator CDC

 
Other Resources

Application Notes

  • Capacitive Touch Sense Application Note (AN338)
  • Capacitive Touch Sense Example Firmware (AN338SW)
  • Understanding Capacitive Sensing Signal to Noise Ratios (AN367)
  • QuickSense Firmware API (AN366)
  • Baselining in the Capacitive Sensing Firmware API (AN418)
  • Designer's Guide for the Si1102 and Si1120 (AN442)
  • Printed Circuit Design Notes for Capacitive Sensing with the CS0 Module (AN447) 

Training Material

C8051F70x Capacitive Touch Sense Overview- Learn how to implement the Capacitive Sensing technology using the C8051F70x/1x family.

Keyboard Evaluation Kit
The Keyboard Evaluation Kit introduces Silicon Labs new SAR CDC Capacitive Sense technology demonstrated with buttons, wheel and slider. The evaluation platform uses the new C8051F70x/71x high-pin count MCU device family.

KEYBOARD-EK

Capacitive Touch Sense Starter Kit and Daughter Card
The Capacitive Touch Sense Daughter Card includes four RO-based capacitive touch sense pads to enable customers to develop applications implementing capacitive touch sense switches. The Capacitive Touch Sense Starter Kit includes a Capacitive Touch Sense Daughter Card, ToolStick Base Adapter and USB cable. The Capacitive Touch Sense Daughter Card is also available individually for customers that already have a ToolStick Starter Kit.

Capacitive Touch Sense ToolStick Daughter Card User's Guide

Capacitive Touch Sense Starter Kit
Capacitive Touch Sense Daughter Card

The daughter card is pre-loaded with a game that requires you to mimic LED light sequences by entering the sequence via the capacitive touch sense pads.
Light Sequence Game

C8051F336 Development Kit
The development board in the C8051F336DK includes a Capacitive Touch Sense switch and example code. The development board provides an easy way to evaluate the solution.
C8051F336DK