Team Pinoccio: Alex Glow

Published July 2, 2014 © CC BY-SA

Pinoccio Touch Sensor

Build capacitive touch into your next wireless project!

Full instructions provided1,246

Story

Solder it up!

Follow these first few steps to assemble your Capacitive Touch Backpack with a soldering iron and heat gun. If you're new to surface-mount soldering, we'll teach you!

Bill o' Materials

Here's what you'll need:

Pinoccio Scout (Field Scout, $59)
Capacitive Touch Backpack (available in groups of three for $8.50)
Pinoccio headers (One set of two headers, $5)
8 x 1 mΩ surface-mount resistors
8 x 0 Ω surface-mount resistors

And for tools:

Soldering iron and thin solder
Flux
Heat gun
Tweezers

Tips and Extras

When you're first taking your resistors out, take out exactly the number you'll need for the current board. This builds in an error-check, since it can be tough to tell if something's missing just by looking at the circuit board.
Keep them on something with a contrasting, solid-color background so they're easy to spot. These things are tiny!
After you've soldered on the headers, you can trim off the top sockets to save space, since you may only need the pins on the bottom. Use strong tweezers (or even your wire cutters) to grab the black plastic on one end and lift it away from the PCB. Then, pull the other end off. You may have to do a little at a time. Then, use the wire cutters to trim off the shiny silver "claws" that were inside the plastic headers.
Why a 0 ohm resistor, you ask? These are sometimes used in cases where multiple versions of a board are available. This makes them easy to assemble without switching tools. In our case, the backpack was designed by a community member *before he even got his Pinoccio.* (How's that for impressive?) He didn't know what values would be needed for the resistors until he got his Scouts.

Trimming the headers

Upload this to your board from the Arduino IDE...

Download

/** Code by Eric Jennings **/

#include <SPI.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Scout.h>
#include <GS.h>
#include <bitlash.h>
#include <lwm.h>
#include <js0n.h>
 
/** Capacitive Sense Library **/
/** http://playground.arduino.cc/Main/CapacitiveSensor?from=Main.CapSense **/
#include <CapacitiveSensor.h>
 
/** Creation of touch objects **/
CapacitiveSensor   cap_P = CapacitiveSensor(0, 0);
CapacitiveSensor   cap_I = CapacitiveSensor(0, 0);
CapacitiveSensor   cap_N = CapacitiveSensor(0, 0);
CapacitiveSensor   cap_O = CapacitiveSensor(0, 0);
 
long total_P, total_I, total_N, total_O;
bool pPushed, iPushed, nPushed, oPushed;
 
void setup() {
  Scout.setup();
 
  /** Configure send and receive pins **/
  /** CapacitiveSensor(sendPin, receivePin) **/
  cap_P = CapacitiveSensor(8, A3);
  cap_P.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(100);  // Turn off autocalibrate
  cap_P.set_CS_Timeout_Millis(100);         // Set Timeout to 100 ms
  
  cap_I = CapacitiveSensor(8, A6);
  cap_I.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(100);  // Turn off autocalibrate
  cap_I.set_CS_Timeout_Millis(100);         // Set Timeout to 100 ms
  
  cap_N = CapacitiveSensor(8, A4);
  cap_N.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(100);  // Turn off autocalibrate
  cap_N.set_CS_Timeout_Millis(100);         // Set Timeout to 100 ms
  
  cap_O = CapacitiveSensor(8, A5);
  cap_O.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(100);  // Turn off autocalibrate
  cap_O.set_CS_Timeout_Millis(100);         // Set Timeout to 100 ms
}
 
void loop() {
   Scout.loop();
   char buf[32];
   
   /** Read capacitive electrodes **/
   /** capacitiveSensor(numberOfSamples) **/
   total_P =  cap_P.capacitiveSensor(5);
   delay(2);
   total_I =  cap_I.capacitiveSensor(5);
   delay(2);
   total_N =  cap_N.capacitiveSensor(5);
   delay(2);
   total_O =  cap_O.capacitiveSensor(5);
   delay(2);
   
   /** Read if buttons are pressed **/
   if (total_P > 10) {
     if (pPushed == false) {
       pPushed = true;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.cp.high");
       if (findscript(buf)) {
         doCommand(buf);
       }
     }
   } else if (total_P <= 10) {
     if (pPushed == true) {
       pPushed = false;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.cp.low");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   }   
   if (total_I > 10) {
     if (iPushed == false) {
       iPushed = true;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.ci.high");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   } else if (total_I <= 10) {
     if (iPushed == true) {
       iPushed = false;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.ci.low");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   }   
   if (total_N > 10) {
     if (nPushed == false) {
       nPushed = true;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.cn.high");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   } else if (total_N <= 10) {
     if (nPushed == true) {
       nPushed = false;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.cn.low");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   } 
   if (total_O > 10) {
     if (oPushed == false) {
       oPushed = true;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.co.high");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   } else if (total_O <= 10) {
     if (oPushed == true) {
       oPushed = false;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.co.low");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   }
   
   delay(10);
}

Enter these functions in the HQ Console...

Download

function on.cp.high { led.red }; 
function on.cp.low { led.off };
function on.ci.high { led.green }; 
function on.ci.low { led.off };
function on.cn.high { led.blue }; 
function on.cn.low { led.off };
function on.co.high { led.yellow }; 
function on.co.low { led.off };

...and you're good to go!

Plug in your new capacitive touch backpack, and build something new.

/** Code by Eric Jennings **/

#include <SPI.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Scout.h>
#include <GS.h>
#include <bitlash.h>
#include <lwm.h>
#include <js0n.h>
 
/** Capacitive Sense Library **/
/** http://playground.arduino.cc/Main/CapacitiveSensor?from=Main.CapSense **/
#include <CapacitiveSensor.h>
 
/** Creation of touch objects **/
CapacitiveSensor   cap_P = CapacitiveSensor(0, 0);
CapacitiveSensor   cap_I = CapacitiveSensor(0, 0);
CapacitiveSensor   cap_N = CapacitiveSensor(0, 0);
CapacitiveSensor   cap_O = CapacitiveSensor(0, 0);
 
long total_P, total_I, total_N, total_O;
bool pPushed, iPushed, nPushed, oPushed;
 
void setup() {
  Scout.setup();
 
  /** Configure send and receive pins **/
  /** CapacitiveSensor(sendPin, receivePin) **/
  cap_P = CapacitiveSensor(8, A3);
  cap_P.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(100);  // Turn off autocalibrate
  cap_P.set_CS_Timeout_Millis(100);         // Set Timeout to 100 ms
  
  cap_I = CapacitiveSensor(8, A6);
  cap_I.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(100);  // Turn off autocalibrate
  cap_I.set_CS_Timeout_Millis(100);         // Set Timeout to 100 ms
  
  cap_N = CapacitiveSensor(8, A4);
  cap_N.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(100);  // Turn off autocalibrate
  cap_N.set_CS_Timeout_Millis(100);         // Set Timeout to 100 ms
  
  cap_O = CapacitiveSensor(8, A5);
  cap_O.set_CS_AutocaL_Millis(100);  // Turn off autocalibrate
  cap_O.set_CS_Timeout_Millis(100);         // Set Timeout to 100 ms
}
 
void loop() {
   Scout.loop();
   char buf[32];
   
   /** Read capacitive electrodes **/
   /** capacitiveSensor(numberOfSamples) **/
   total_P =  cap_P.capacitiveSensor(5);
   delay(2);
   total_I =  cap_I.capacitiveSensor(5);
   delay(2);
   total_N =  cap_N.capacitiveSensor(5);
   delay(2);
   total_O =  cap_O.capacitiveSensor(5);
   delay(2);
   
   /** Read if buttons are pressed **/
   if (total_P > 10) {
     if (pPushed == false) {
       pPushed = true;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.cp.high");
       if (findscript(buf)) {
         doCommand(buf);
       }
     }
   } else if (total_P <= 10) {
     if (pPushed == true) {
       pPushed = false;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.cp.low");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   }   
   if (total_I > 10) {
     if (iPushed == false) {
       iPushed = true;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.ci.high");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   } else if (total_I <= 10) {
     if (iPushed == true) {
       iPushed = false;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.ci.low");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   }   
   if (total_N > 10) {
     if (nPushed == false) {
       nPushed = true;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.cn.high");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   } else if (total_N <= 10) {
     if (nPushed == true) {
       nPushed = false;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.cn.low");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   } 
   if (total_O > 10) {
     if (oPushed == false) {
       oPushed = true;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.co.high");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   } else if (total_O <= 10) {
     if (oPushed == true) {
       oPushed = false;
       snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "on.co.low");
       doCommand(buf);
     }
   }
   
   delay(10);
}

Credits

Alex Glow

4 projects • 1504 followers

The Hackster team's resident Hardware Nerd. I like robots, music, EEG, wearables, and languages. FIRST Robotics kid.

Pinoccio Touch Sensor

Story

Solder it up!

Bill o' Materials

Tips and Extras

Trimming the headers

Upload this to your board from the Arduino IDE...

Upload this to your board from the Arduino IDE...

Enter these functions in the HQ Console...

Enter these functions in the HQ Console...

...and you're good to go!

Code

upload_this_to_your_board_from_the_arduino_ide___.

enter_these_functions_in_the_hq_console___.

Credits

Alex Glow

Comments

Embed the widget on your own site

Pinoccio Touch Sensor

Pinoccio Touch Sensor

Story

Solder it up!

Bill o' Materials

Tips and Extras

Trimming the headers

Upload this to your board from the Arduino IDE...

Upload this to your board from the Arduino IDE...

Enter these functions in the HQ Console...

Enter these functions in the HQ Console...

...and you're good to go!

Code

upload_this_to_your_board_from_the_arduino_ide___.

enter_these_functions_in_the_hq_console___.

Credits

Alex Glow

Comments

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