Graphic Controller IC supports capacitive touch operation.
Press Release Summary:
Expanding Embedded Video Engine offering, Model FT801 supports display, audio, and touch functionality, with capacitive touch element provided through I²C interface that is connected to capacitive touch controller. Targeted at displays with up to 512 x 512 pixels, IC employs object-oriented approach, with line-by-line rendering of graphics at 1/16th pixel resolution. Device facilitates deployment of HMIs that several people can use at once, or where variety of hand gestures can be detected.
Original Press Release:
Capacitive Touch Operation Now Available from FTDI Chip for Its EVE Graphic Controller Platform
Enabling advanced multi-touch functionality & gesture recognition via I²C interconnect
FTDI Chip has expanded its award-winning Embedded Video Engine (EVE) offering, with the introduction of the FT801, which supports intelligent display implementations with capacitive touchscreens.
The new FT801 possesses the same key elements found on the initial EVE product, the FT800. It supports display, audio and touch functionality, with capacitive touch element provided through an I²C interface which is connected to a standard capacitive touch controller. The FT801 brings together the functionality and system benefits of EVE with the increased brightness, interactivity and vividness that both users and developers have come to recognize in capacitive touchscreen technology.
Targeted at touchscreen/display assemblies with formats up to 512 x 512 pixels, the ICs that make up the EVE platform all employ an object-oriented approach, with line-by-line rendering of graphics at 1/16th pixel resolution. This equates to simplified systems where no frame buffers are needed and where lower end 8-bit or 16-bit microcontrollers can be specified. The end result of this is dramatic reductions in overall bill-of-materials costs and board space utilised - with systems being easy to design and quick to move to full production.
The FT801 can be interfaced without difficulty to a capacitive touch controller via an I²C interface, with its multi-touch capabilities enabling 5 independent touch points to be simultaneously determined. This facilitates the deployment of human machine interfaces (HMIs) which several people can utilise at once, or conversely where a variety of complex hand gestures can be detected. The IC’s sophisticated hardware engine has the ability to recognize touch tags and track touch movement - delivering notification of up to 255 touch tags.
As the FT801 comes in exactly the same package size and form factors as the FT800 (7mm x 7mm x 0.9mm, 48-lead VQFN), it expedites the re-use of existing OEM designs, with migration to capacitive touch achieved quickly and simply. A 12MHz crystal oscillator with PLL can deliver a 48MHz or 36MHz system clock. Pricing for the FT801 is $2.75 per unit for 100K volumes.
“With the FT801 we have a truly compelling solution that can address capacitive touch sensing technology - which now represents the basis of more than half the overall touchscreen market,” states Dave Sroka, Global Product Marketing Director at FTDI Chip. “Boasting a set of features, a footprint and development support tools that are all consistent with the FT800, designers can easily utilise EVE technology for this class of displays. Furthermore, as the technology scales well they can be rest-assured that even more products will be forthcoming in the future.”
For more information on the FT801 go to: http://www.ftdichip.com/EVE
About FTDI Chip
FTDI Chip specialises in the design and delivery of advanced silicon and software solutions. The company focuses on providing engineers with feature-rich, easy to use, robust products that will speed to market and reduce development costs. Widely recognised for its broad portfolio of Universal Serial Bus (USB) products, FTDI Chip can offer a simple route to USB migration by combining easy-to-implement ICs with proven, ready-to-use, royalty-free firmware and driver software. It has everything from simple bridge devices for converting USB from RS232, RS422, RS485, I2C, SPI, etc, to highly integrated system solutions with built in microcontrollers and sophisticated development platforms.
FTDI Chip has now further expanded its “made easy” philosophy, with the addition of simple to use display controllers that combine display, audio and touch functionality in a single compact package with accompanying development software, for creating Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) suitable for a wide variety of low-power microcontrollers.
FTDI Chip is a fab-less semiconductor company, headquartered in Glasgow, UK, with research and development facilities located in Glasgow, Singapore and Taipei, Taiwan, plus regional sales and technical support sites in Glasgow; Portland, Oregon, USA; Shanghai, China; and Taipei.
More information is available at http://www.ftdichip.com
Regional sales offices and distributor lists are available at http://www.ftdichip.com/FTSalesNetwork.htm
For further information and reader enquiries:
Dave Sroka - FTDI Chip
Unit 1, 2 Seaward Place
Centurion Business Park
Glasgow, G41 1HH, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 141 429 2777Â Â
Fax: +44 (0) 141 429 2758
E-mail: marketing@ftdichip.com
