basics on capsense (hardware)

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'm brand new with the PSoC and even unsure how to use this community or where I could ask simple questions for beginners like the following one...:-(

I thought a capsense could be used like a simple switch with the PSoC4 MCU. Why do I only find capsense products with integrated controlers? Didn't the PSoC4 controle everything about the (hardware) capsens?

(And where can I buy the simple (capsense-) sensor to connect it to my CYCKit-042-BLE pioneer borad ?)

Thank you very much!

[BrandonP_16]

Hi Jens,

Actually, CapSense can not be used like simple switch such as using GPIO contorol.

CapSense must be implemented with CapSense block in PSoC and its algorithm. So Cypress kit for CapSense is made not only sensor but also PSoC.

I suggest you to choose following,

1. Using CY8CKIT-145 kit. It is cheapest kit for CapSense and can be support Self-cap and Mutual-cap method.

or

2. If you want to use your kit (CY8CKIT-042-BLE) continuously, buy the CY8CKIT-145 and cut the sensor and connect your kit. (CY8CKIT-042-BLE kit supports only Self-cap method.)

or

3. Make temporary CapSense sensor with copper tape and connect your kit.

Thanks,

Brandon

[Bob_Marlowe]

Welcome in the forum!

PSoCs are a bit different from "normal" MPUs: PSoCs contain a lot of configurable hardware which you may use pre-configured as "components" from a catalog. An ARM CPU is the core processor. Additional component configurations can be made at design-time (and even at run-time) to fit your desires.

So a capsense component can be dropped onto your top-design window, configured to use as many buttons as you like (and the PSoC allows for) and in a last step assign the physical pins you want to use for the buttons. This amount of flexibility is really remarkable. In the software you start the component and poll it for buttons pressed. Quite easy.

Bob

[Anonymous]

Hi Bob and Brandon,

thank you for your quick response!

I am already familar to an example projekt to use the onboard capsens slider (of the PSoC4 BLE 4.1 compliant pioneer kit). That worked fine and I understood the top-design window to configure it. But in a future step of my development, I have to put the PSoC-Module with my own project in an extra chassis (with all the hardware I still have to design yet :-). And than I will have to conncet the PSoC4 Module to seperate capsens sliders in this housing, so that the customer can use it.

And now I wonder which kind of hardware I have to buy and place in this housing, so that it work just as the slider on the pioneer board.

For more explanation: I am still far away from this point of development! But I want to be sure that everything is in principle posible with the PSoC4. My first project should be a PSoC4 module, a powersupply, a contactless sensor to start and stop my program (therefor I asked about the capsense) and a simple LED to be turned on and of. Then, in a futher step, I want to communikat via BLE with a PC...

Thanks again,

Jens

[Bob_Marlowe]

There are a couple of videos by Alan Hawse introducing Creator, BLE and the rest of it (42). Worth watching!

Bob

PS: Are you from Germany? I live near Bremen.

[Anonymous]

Hi Bob,

all the videos I have seen up to now uses the onboard capsens. But I will try to connect a copper pad as Priya mentioned before.

And: yes, Germany is correct - near Frankfurt. (I hope my english is not so bad  😉

Jens

[Vasanth]

Hi Jens,

The following document will be helpful. See PCB layout guidelines.

http://www.cypress.com/file/46081/download

Best Regards,
VSRS

[PriyadeepK_01 · Accepted solution]

Hi Jens,

Welcome to the community.

CapSense is basically a touch sensing technology by Cypress using which you can sense touch/proximity on an external sensor. The sensor here can be any conductive material, like a copper pad/pattern on an FR4 or flex PCB, an ITO on glass, a silver ink, or it could even be a spring or any other conductive object, though PCB patterns are most often used.

If you are new to CapSense and don't want to juggle with writing a firmware or an integrated controller, I would recommend you get started with a CY3280-MBR3 kit. This uses an I2C configurable CY8CMBR3xxx device that can be configured using an Ez-click software.

-Priya