7
User Interface Information
There are some user interface and general patching conventions that need to be understood to achieve
the best results from the Touch Controller.
Touch Plates
The Touch Controller has 10 Touch Plates. The Touch Plate checks for on/off status and reads the
finger position along the Y-Axis. The position is translated into a 0 to 5 volt CV signal. The unique
design of the Touch Plate attempts to minimize the impact of finger surface area when determining the
location but capacitive touch responds strongly to increased surface area. Pressing firmly, using more
of the finger, or using multiple fingers when touching the Touch Plates will have an effect on the output
voltage.
The 10 Touch Plates of the Touch Controller utilize capacitive touch technology to create an interactive
touch surface. Capacitive touch is far from perfect in the best of conditions. We have tuned our circuitry
and software to mitigate the side effects of capacitive touch but anomalies exist. The process of
measuring small amounts of change in capacitance to register a touch and determine y-axis location
and is sensitive to many outside variables. Different power sources can create a different capacitive
touch sensitivity response. The variation can be caused by both the +12v power supplied by the
eurorack case, the power mains, and most importantly, the quality of the earth ground the case is
plugged into. Also, because capacitive touch integrates the human body into the circuit, response can
very from person to person. Poor grounding, some fluorescent lighting fixtures, and some power strips
can cause problems with the response of the Touch Controller.
