I-CubeX Online Store - TouchMini : Contact pressure sensor

TouchMini v2.0	$22.09US

2 - 6 : $20.98US ( save 5% )
7 - 19 : $19.88US ( save 10% )
20 + : $17.67US ( save 20% )
excl. sales tax

A small, round touch sensor. Contact pressure provides continuous control. Responds to pressure from 30 to 1000 gram that's evenly applied across its active area, a 13 mm (0.51 inch) diameter disk. View, calibrate, record, process and map the sensor data using our software (see below). If you are just looking for a button check the TouchMiniOn.

And look, it's part of a family. Here are all the versions we have available (note that some of these sensors have a different response curve):

Application examples

Use as a touch sensor for a synthesizer.
Can be easily worn or applied to a variety of flat surfaces. Blow Laurie Anderson, Marillion and others away. Trigger those samples!
Embed in the sole of a shoe to detect walking.
May be used to design your own fretless bass. Use for capturing slaps while the Slide-500 functions as your pitch controller. A GForce3D 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-100 for octave control and a GForce3D to capture body movements.
Create a fancy control panel by combining Push sensors (Push, Push3D), Reach sensors (Reach, ReachClose), Slide sensors (eg. Slide-50, Slide-200, Slide-500, SlideRound, SlideWide), Touch sensors (see above) and Turn sensors to name a few.

Technical specifications

Product TouchMini sensor

Version 2.0 (April 2016)

Sensing parameter contact pressure or force

Sensing technology zero-travel force sensitive resistor

Active area 15 mm (0.59 inch) diameter disk

Range 30 to 1000 g, evenly applied across active area, ie. 0.24 PSI to 8.0 PSI

Repeatability 5% for one sensor, 20% across multiple sensors

Response time less than 1 ms

Output resistance more than 10 MOhm (at 0 N) to ? Ohm (at ? N) in parallel with 47 kOhm

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

Operating temperature -30 to 70 °C (-22 to 158 °F)

Dimensions 19 mm (0.75 inch) diameter x 0.4 mm (0.02 inch) thick disk

Mounting adhesive disk

Cable 1.0 m (39 inch), shielded, red wire = power, black wire = ground, white wire = sensor output, extendable at least 100 m (328 ft) with ExtendCableD-10

Connector male 1x4 plug with 3 pins in a row spaced 2.54 mm (0.100 inch)

Weight 15 g (0.5 oz), incl. cable

Software support

Our SensePlay software is a very easy way to quickly map sensor data to (sequences of) sounds, images and videos using a drag & drop user interface.

Our EditorX software allows you to configure the digitizer to process and map the sensor data of multiple sensors simultaneously.

Our Link software allows you to receive the sensor data from the digitizer and use your computer to view, calibrate, record, process and map the sensor data of multiple sensors simultaneously.

Our SensorX software allows you to receive the sensor data from the digitizer and use your computer to view, calibrate, record, process and map the data of a single sensor.

08 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

This page was updated on Friday 14 October 2022.

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