14 DAY TRIAL // Touch-sensitive devices have been the new trend to go lately when it comes to mobile technology. STMicroelectronics now brings several new ultra-low-power touch-sensor chips which can be successfully integrated in any mobile devices, such as cellulars, PDAs, notebook PCs and media players.
This family of chips includes a fully-designed architecture that needs no on-chip MCU, memory or firmware. They come in 8-channel and 12-channel devices and manage to line from the device to the application's touch pads with no need for external resistor-capacitator networks.
The sensors come in quite small sizes, as the 8-input device uses a 2.6 x 1.8 mm package, which proves to be highly compact and easy to use. This turns out to be more than 80 percent smaller when compared to other existing solutions. Moreover, the price is also worthy of attention, as it manages to bring this more evolved technology at competitive costs.
The ultra-low-power touch-sensor chips will be available as a result of the licensing agreement that STMicroelectronics has made with Korean company ATLab. Producers plan on combining S-Touch family chips with ATLab IP (intellectual Property) in order to develop solutions for a full user-interface controller with a full-size keypad with LED-backlighting control and resistive touch-screen features.
The 12-channel touch-sensor chips will be available for trial sometime in the first half of this year, which means that by the end of the month they will come for testing. Production is planned to start only in September. At that time, the 8-channel chips will only be sampling. This version is set to start production at the beginning of 2008, in January. Prices are ranged at USD1.6 and USD 1.4, in quantities of 100,000 pieces.