Semtech debuts touchscreen controller platform with lowest power, smallest footprint and ±15kV ESD protection

CAMARILLO, USA: Semtech Corp., a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, announced the SX8650, an ultra-low power four-wire resistive touchscreen controller with enhanced ±15kV electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection.

The SX8650 is the first in a new platform of touchscreen controllers and is optimized for power (23uA), size (1.46mm x 1.96mm), and ESD protection. These features make it the most application-specific resistive touchscreen controller on the market for such applications as mobile phones, digital still cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, personal navigation devices, and handheld gaming devices.

The SX8650 supports the 400 kHz fast-mode I²C serial bus data protocol and has an operating voltage from 1.65V to 3.7V. It features a highly accurate 12-bit analog-to-digital converter for coordinates and touch pressure measurement, and is able to achieve an equivalent throughput output rate of 50 kSPS.

With current consumption as little as 23uA at 8 kSPS and the ability to enter low power states automatically between conversions, this controller is the ideal choice for portable and battery powered four-wire resistive touchscreen devices.

The SX8650 is a complete touchscreen solution incorporating a dedicated hardware/RESET pin, a built-in preprocessing algorithm for data averaging that greatly reduces bus loading and further minimizes the overall system power budget, as well as on-chip programmable settling time capability to optimize the throughput rates for a vast variety of touch panel designs.

“The SX8650 addresses the field returns issue prevalent in touchscreen applications due to destructive ESD events. Each analog input was specifically designed to enable robust ESD protection up to ±15kV in both human body model (HBM) and IEC 61000-4-2 standards, thus eliminating the need for external transient voltage suppression devices while minimizing cost and board space,” said Sam Massih, Product Line Manager, Consumer Analog Products for Semtech.

“Coupled with the extremely low operating current and tiny footprint, this makes Semtech’s SX8650 the premier solution for today’s portable touch-sensing devices.”

The SX8650 is available in both a 3mm x 3mm 12-DFN and 1.46mm x 1.96mm 12-WLCSP space-saving packages and is guaranteed to operate over the extended (-40°C to +85°C) temperature range.