I-CubeX Online Store - TouchMicro-3 v1.0 : Contact pressure sensor

TouchMicro-3 v1.0	$19.89US

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A tiny, round touch sensor, great for making a multipoint touch surface. Contact pressure provides continuous control. Responds to pressure from approx. 40 KPa (0.4 Kg/cm², 6 PSI) to 5.5 MPa (57 Kg/cm², 804 PSI) or a force of approx. 0.3 N (30 g, 0.07 lb) to 39 N (4.0 Kg, 8.8 lb) that's evenly applied across its active area, a 3.0 mm (0.12 inch) diameter disk. View, calibrate, record and map the sensor data using our TouchSensors software (see below).

And look it's part of a family of touch sensors. Here are it's relatives (note that some of these sensors have a different response curve):

TouchMicro-5

TouchMicro-10 (smoothest response !)

Application examples

Can be easily worn or applied to a variety of surfaces. Blow Laurie Anderson, Marillion and others away. Trigger those samples!
Use as touch sensor for a sound synthesizer.
May be used to design your own fretless base. Use for capturing slaps while the SlideLong functions as your pitch controller. A GForce2D&Tilt2D will help you accentuate your tones when you move the stem upright.
Can be used in your custom wind instrument design. Use for buttons, while using a Slide for octave control and a GForce2D&Tilt2D to capture body movements.
Create a fancy control panel by combining Push sensors (Push, Push2D), Reach sensors (Reach, ReachClose, ReachOn), Slide sensors (Slide-50, Slide, Slide-170, SlideLong, Slide-500, SlideRound, SlideWide), Touch sensors (see above and TouchMiniOn) and Turn sensors (Turn, Turn&Spin) to name a few.

Technical specifications

Product TouchMicro-3 sensor

Version 1.0 (2007)

Sensing parameter contact pressure or force

Sensing technology Inaba force sensitive resistor

Active area 3 mm (0.12 inch) diameter disk

Range approx. 40 KPa (0.4 Kg/cm², 6 PSI) to 5.5 MPa (57 Kg/cm², 804 PSI) or
approx. 0.3 N (30 g, 0.07 lb) to 39 N (4.0 Kg, 8.8 lb), evenly applied across active area

Output resistance more than 500 KOhm (at 0 N) to 500 Ohm (at 39 N) in parallel with 47 KOhm

Calibration (force applied evenly across active area)

N g Oz Voltage (use 5 V power supply) 7-bit MIDI value (use 'no processing' editor preset)

0 0 0 0.00 0

0.29 30 1.1 2.95 75

0.88 90 3.2 3.58 91

1.1 110 3.3 4.05 103

1.9 190 6.7 4.33 110

3.9 400 14 4.52 115

Calibration (force applied per unit of active area)

KPa PSI Voltage (use 5 V power supply) 7-bit MIDI value (use 'no processing' editor preset)

0 0 0.00 0

41 5.9 2.95 75

124 18 3.58 91

156 23 4.05 103

269 39 4.33 110

551 80 4.52 115

Power supply 1.0 to 10 V DC, 0.1 mA at 5 V

Operating conditions 10 to 40 °C (50 to 104 °F), 85% RH (non-condensing)

Sensor dimensions 51 mm (2.0 inch) x 7.5 mm (0.30 inch) x 1.5 mm (0.059 inch)

Weight 15 g (0.5 oz), incl. cable

Cable 1.0 m (39 inch), shielded, red wire = power, black wire = ground, white wire = sensor output, maximum extension 30 m (98 ft)

Connector male plug with 3 pins in a row spaced 2.54 mm (0.100 inch)

Software support

8 Dec 2010: TouchSensors v1.11 for MacOS and Windows from source code in Max

Application notes

Please note that calibration of the sensor requires careful attention to detail since they behave differently near the extremes of the usable range. The sensor behaves as a force sensor within the specified range but may not behave like a force sensor beyond this range. It is merely documented as a saturation effect above the range, meaning that sensitivity changes with force, and as a threshold effect below the range, which behaviour may be hard to repeat or even random.

To obtain reliable results, the force has to be applied evenly across the active surface area of the sensor. Using a finger to calibrate or to measure how much force you exert is very unreliable unless you at least use a flat rigid object between the finger and the sensor.

If the sensor shows a non-zero value when no force is applied, flatten the sensor between two flat objects for a few days. Any bending of the sensor may result in a non-zero at-rest value. Store sensor in flat position for best results.

Using adhesive to attach the sensor may result in a non-zero value when no force is applied