Four-channel capacitance to digital converter facilitates contactless sensing
27-02-2015 |
Farnell element14
|
Test & Measurement
Aimed facilitating the implementation of contactless capacitive sensing
solutions, Texas Instruments’ low-cost FDC1004 high-resolution low-power
four-channel capacitance-to-digital converter is now available from Farnell
element14.
Capacitive sensing with grounded capacitor sensors can be applied to a
variety of applications ranging from proximity detection and gesture sensing
to material analysis and remote liquid level sensing. The sensor in a
capacitive sensing system is any metal or conductor, allowing for low cost
and highly flexible system design.
Each channel on the FDC1004 has a full scale range of ±15pF and can handle a
sensor offset capacitance of up to 100pF, which can be either programmed
internally or can be an external capacitor for tracking environmental
changes over time and temperature. It has a large offset capacitance
capability, which enables the use of remote sensors.
The FDC1004 also includes drivers for sensor shields, which can reduce EMI
interference and help focus the sensing direction of a capacitive sensor. It
is available in a 10-pin WSON package, offering a small footprint, and
features an I2C interface for interfacing to an MCU.