Hello,

First, I am very green when it it comes to circuit boards, switches and electronics in general. I have a small company that makes LED Aluminum bases to illuminate etched glass and plexiglass. I use a 5 volt LED strip with a micro USB connection and I would like to add touch on/off/dimmer functionality to my product. I have done some reading and it sounds like a Capacitive Touch Switch would work but I am unsure. Can I use this type of switch with aluminum? Are the better alternative? I would very much appreciate the help. I am about to send of design plans for our upgraded base display and would love to incorporate this function if possible.

Thank you,

Rick

 

Its not trivial nor mountain climbing to do a capsense design.

Some background would help you -

http://www.cypress.com/documentatio...1-psoc-4-and-psoc-6-mcu-capsense-design-guide

The electronic side fairly easy now with setup wizards, etc..

The dimming relatively easy, using PWM, pot, and onboard A/D. Or use
capsense slider for dimming input.

But not to mislead you this does require programming and UP development knowledge.
There are example projects already done for dimming and Cap-sense, would have to be
modified for your specific requirements.

Regards, Dana.

 

Thanks Dana, this sort of thing is way outside my area of expertise but it sounds like it is possible to build this for my product. Do you have any recommendations on hiring (contracting) with a designer to build it?

Regards,

Rick

 

Start here -

http://www.cypress.com/design-partner-program

Regards, Dana.