[sdiy] maybe a new ribbon controller but not yet

[Toby Paddock]

Preliminary sheet from Quantum Research for their QT401 
'touch slider' chip. They say they're hoping for a Q2 2004 
release.  

http://www.seanet.com/~tpaddock/public/qt401_prelim.pdf 
400k one page pdf

Later,
Toby Paddock

text from the pdf...

www.qprox.com
The QT401 is a 'slider' chip
that senses along a line or arc
to provide a linear touch
sensing output, to a resolution
of one part in 128. This chip is
ideal for control panels in
appliances, or in just about
any consumer product where
you would expect to see a
knob or linear control, for
example for brightness,
volume, temperature, power
and other functions.

This new technology uses a
simple resistive element as
the capacitive sensor; it will
easily penetrate 3 mm of
plastic or glass. The output is
a SPI serial interface. The
sensor uses Quantum's
proprietary spread-spectrum
methods to effectively
suppress EMI noise problems;
the result is a sensor that is
extremely reliable, and sealed.

The data output can be
interpreted as either a linear
control, or as a series of
buttons or a mixture of the
two, depending on the needs
of the designer. To create
buttons from a slider, you only
need to interpret number subranges
as being buttons. As
many as 8 buttons are
possible in this way.

This technology can be seen
on Quantum's 'Concept
Cooktop', 'Concept Blender',
and 'Concept Dimmer' as just
a few examples. The QT401
can even be used with clear
sensing elements, to create
backlit touch zones for a very
dramatic effect, or to show
position after the touch is
released.

The E401 communicates with a PC to show
the output of the touch slider in real time.
This invaluable tool helps you optimize the
operation of the part in your application.
Costs are under $2 in OEM quantities for the
chip, while the element will cost about $0.20
or less.

QSlideT technology is based on a variation
of QTouchT technology. QSlideT and
QTouchT are patented and patent pending
worldwide.

The E401 board lets you develop your control
panels with the QT401 QSlideT chip. This
board features a SPI interface; a USB adaptor
comes with the E401 to allow the board to
display its output on a PC. This board shows
how easy it is to drop a low-cost touch slider
into your product.