Microchip Technology (Nasdaq: MCHP) has introduced two capacitive-touch controllers, the MTCH3380P and MTCH3240P, which the company says are the first in its turnkey portfolio to incorporate parallel sensing for buttons, sliders and wheels.

The devices use 12 on-chip analog-to-digital converters operating simultaneously to acquire data from multiple sensors at once. The MTCH3380P supports up to 38 sensors in self-capacitance mode and 64 in mutual-capacitance mode, while the MTCH3240P supports up to 24 and 32 sensors, respectively.

Both controllers support IEC/UL 60730 Class B functional safety certification and can operate at temperatures up to 105°C. Microchip states the devices are designed for home appliances, outdoor equipment and industrial applications, including ovens, cooktops, EV chargers, parking meters and kiosks.

"Manufacturers are increasingly looking for ways to reduce system cost while still delivering intuitive and visually appealing user interfaces," said Giovanni Fontana, senior director of Microchip's human machine interface division. "Our MTCH3380P and MTCH3240P controllers address the touch-sensing challenges associated with display-free interfaces by delivering fast touch acquisition and high signal-to-noise ratio."

The controllers are compatible with Microchip's mTouch Studio development environment and include host drivers for Linux and Zephyr operating systems.

The MTCH3380P is priced starting at $1.06 and the MTCH3240P at $0.80 each, in 10,000-unit quantities. Both are available now through Microchip directly or through authorized distributors.