
Free-floating ground planes such as metal foils should
maximize exposed surface area in a flat plane if possible. A
square of metal foil will have little effect if it is rolled up or
crumpled into a ball. Virtual ground planes are more effective
and can be made smaller if they are physically bonded to
other surfaces, for example a wall or floor.
1.3.4 F
IELD
 S
HAPING
The electrode can be prevented from sensing in undesired
directions with the assistance of metal shielding connected to
circuit ground (Figure 1-6). For example, on flat surfaces, the
field can spread laterally and create a larger touch area than
desired. To stop field spreading, it is only necessary to
surround the touch electrode on all sides with a ring of metal
connected to circuit ground; the ring can be on the same or
opposite side from the electrode. The ring will kill field
spreading from that point outwards.
If one side of the panel to which the electrode is fixed has
moving traffic near it, these objects can cause inadvertent
detections. This is called ‘walk-by’ and is caused by the fact
that the fields radiate from either surface of the electrode
equally well. Again, shielding in the form of a metal sheet or
foil connected to circuit ground will prevent walk-by; putting a
small air gap between the grounded shield and the electrode
will keep the value of Cx lower and is
encouraged. In the case of the QT110, the
sensitivity is low enough that 'walk-by' should not
be a concern if the product has more than a few
millimeters of internal air gap; if the product is
very thin and contact with the product's back is a
concern, then some form of rear shielding may be
required.
1.3.5  S
ENSITIVITY
The QT110 can be set for one of 3 gain levels
using option pin 5 (Table 1-1). If left open, the
gain setting is high. The sensitivity change is
made by altering the numerical threshold level
required for a detection. It is also a function of
other 
things: 
electrode 
orientation, the composition and aspect of the
size, 
shape, 
and
object to be sensed, the thickness and composition of any
overlaying panel material, and the degree of ground coupling
of both sensor and object are all influences.
1.3.5.1  Increasing Sensitivity
In some cases it may be desirable to increase sensitivity
further, for example when using the sensor with very thick
panels having a low dielectric constant.
Sensitivity can often be increased by using a bigger
electrode, reducing panel thickness, or altering panel
composition. Increasing electrode size can have diminishing
returns, as high values of Cx will reduce sensor gain (Figures
4-1 ~ 4-3). Also, increasing the electrode's surface area will
not substantially increase touch sensitivity if its diameter is
already much larger in surface area than the object being
detected. The panel or other intervening material can be
made thinner, but again there are diminishing rewards for
doing so. Panel material can also be changed to one having
a higher dielectric constant, which will help propagate the
field through to the front. Locally adding some conductive
material to the panel (conductive materials essentially have
an infinite dielectric constant) will also help dramatically; for
example, adding carbon or metal fibers to a plastic panel will
greatly increase frontal field strength, even if the fiber density
is too low to make the plastic bulk-conductive.
1.3.5.2  Decreasing Sensitivity
In some cases the QT110 may be too sensitive, even on low
gain. In this case gain can be lowered further by any of a
number of strategies: making the electrode smaller,
connecting a very small capacitor in series with the sense
lead, or making the electrode into a sparse mesh using a
high space-to-conductor ratio (Figure 1-4). A deliberately
added Cx capacitor can also be used to reduce sensitivity
according to the gain curves (see Section 4).
Intermediate levels of gain (e.g. between 'medium' and 'low'
can be obtained by a combination of jumper settings with one
or more of the above strategies.
- 4 -
Figure 1-6  
Shielding Against Fringe Fields
Sense
wire
Sense
wire
Unshielded
Electrode
Shielded
Electrode
Figure 2-1 Drift Compensation
Threshold
Signal
Hysteresis
Reference
Output
Pin 7
Low
Pin 6
Medium
None
High
Tie Pin 5 to:
Gain
Table 1-1  Gain Setting Strap Options