AT42QT1011 Touch Sensor PCB Prototype
A small AT42QT1011-based capacitive touch sensor PCB designed in KiCad and fabricated on an LPKF S63. A hands-on exercise in schematic capture, PCB layout, and in-house prototyping.
1. Overview
This is a basic capacitive touch sensor PCB built around Microchip AT42QT1011.
The main motivation was practical: the intended sensor IC was not available locally in Turkey, so I sourced an AT42QT1011 and produced the PCB myself.
2. What I did
- Designed the schematic + layout in KiCad
- Implemented a minimal reference-style front-end (AT42QT1011 + tuning/RC parts + decoupling)
- Fabricated the board using an LPKF S63
- Used this project to practice PCB design workflow and learn LPKF S63 prototyping
3. Circuit (brief)
The AT42QT1011 drives a charge-transfer capacitive measurement between SNS and SNSK. The external pad connects via R1 (10 kΩ) and forms the sense electrode; C2 (10 nF) between SNS/SNSK tunes the charge-transfer timing. C1 (0.1 µF) decouples VDD. The IC outputs a digital OUT when touch is detected. The header exposes PAD, OUT, VCC, and GND for easy integration.
4. Images and media
Schematic
Minimal reference design: AT42QT1011 with R1, C1, C2, and 4-pin header (PAD, OUT, VCC, GND).
PCB layout
Single-layer routing and component placement for the compact board.
PCB renders
3D renders from KiCad before fabrication.
Soldering
Hand-soldering SMD components on the bare PCB.
Final assembly
Capacitive touch sensor integrated into the robot end-effector.