Microchip Technology Announces mTouch(TM) Solution and Design Center


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Microchip Technology Announces mTouch(TM) Solution and Design Center for Touch Sensing Applications Based on PIC® Microcontrollers

Royalty-Free License With GUI-Based Tools and Full Source Code
Provides Maximum Flexibility to the User

CHANDLER, Ariz., Sept. 19, 2007 [NASDAQ: MCHP] - Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced the mTouch(TM) solution to provide engineers with a free and easy method for adding a touch sensing user interface to applications utilizing PIC® microcontrollers. The free kit is available for download now from the Microchip Touch Sensing Design Center at www.microchip.com/mtouch and provides full access to the source code, so designers can customize the algorithms and easily integrate them into their main application.
Touch sensing is fast becoming an alternative to traditional push-button user interfaces, because it requires no mechanical movement, and enables a completely sealed and modern-looking design. Expanding beyond the consumer market, touch sensing is beginning to take hold in medical, industrial and automotive applications for reasons such as aesthetics, maintenance, cost and cleanliness. Microchip enables engineers to add this leading-edge user interface to their designs, without the cost of fee-based licensing and royalty agreements. The Company's full source-code solution further enables design engineers to integrate touch sensing functionality with their existing application code in a single microcontroller, thus reducing the total system cost associated with current solutions.
"Microchip is enabling touch sensing for our customers by providing them with a royalty-free platform to start development of their own applications," said Steve Drehobl, vice president of Microchip's Security, Microcontroller and Technology Development Division. "Our customers can optimize their own solution without having to pay for costly licensing and royalty agreements. By giving our customers full access to the software, we provide them with the flexibility and capability to add their own value."

Kit Details
Available now, via a free download from Microchip's Web site at www.microchip.com/mtouch, the Touch Sensing Software Development Kit comes complete with:
· Kit user's manual with Quick-Start Guide for building a touch sensing application
· Application Notes covering hardware and software design practices, with example implementations for touch sensing solutions, including:
1. Introduction, AN1101
2. Layout & Physical Guidelines, AN1102
3. Software, AN1103
4. Multi-Button Systems, AN1104
· Graphical User Interface software tools for analysis of designs, utilizing Microchip's PICkit(TM) Serial Analyzer Development Tool
· Source Code for a variety of sensing routines
· MPLAB® Integrated Development Environment, and the user's manual
· 30 day license for HI-TECH's PICC-Lite C compiler, and the user's manual
· Frequently asked questions
For additional information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Microchip's Web site at www.microchip.com/mtouch.
Microchip Customer Support
Microchip is committed to supporting its customers by helping design engineers develop products faster and more efficiently. Customers can access four main service areas at www.microchip.com. The Support area provides a fast way to get questions answered; the Sample area offers free evaluation samples of any Microchip device; microchipDIRECT provides 24-hour pricing, ordering, inventory and credit for convenient purchasing of all Microchip devices and development tools; finally, the Training area educates customers through webinars, sign-ups for local seminar and workshop courses, and information about the annual MASTERs events held throughout the world.
About Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip website at www.microchip.com.
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Note: The Microchip name and logo, PIC, and MPLAB are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. mTouch, and PICkit are trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

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