Touch Sensor Slashes Power In Half

Achieving a 50% power reduction over its predecessor, the QT1080, the QT1081 8-key touch-sensor IC eliminates the need for resistors on each channel and boosts sensitivity by as much as four times. Additional refinements made to the drift and recalibration algorithms allow the device to better adjust to rapidly changing environments. It features discrete outputs and a user-defined low power mode in which current drain is in the micro-amp range. Spread-spectrum modulation is employed to reduce false key detections, and the company's Adjacent Key Suppression (AKS) technology is used to lock out unintentional key touches. The QT1081 is priced below $0.80 each in OEM volumes. For more details, call George East at QUANTUM RESEARCH GROUP LTD., Southampton, UK. +44 (0) 2380 565600.