Random youtube video, Can picaxe do this?

[oracacle]

Its a table. But they claim its rouch sensitive through wood and resin.
The section @10:50 shows them connecting touch sensors to a loop of wire. This is assume the loop acts as a induction loop of some type causing a capcitive change?
My thought was if you had a 08m2 for each hexigon to control the LED in response to the touch command you would get the same respoonse. Yes i am aware that is alot of 08m2s'.
However I more interested in people thought on how they are using touch sensors to detect object thought the wood/resin. Would a loop of wire attached to a touch pin work instead of having the external sensor?
I have never used the touch capacity of the picaxe so i don't know if it would be able to detect things like remote controls, computer and mugs in such a setting.

EDIT: This appear toi be the module they use
Module Sensor Touch Capacitive Touch TTP223 - Module Switch Arduino | eBay
Tutorial for TTP223 Touch Sensor Module ( Capacitive) : 5 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables

 

[rq3]

Yes, Picaxe can do this. Each touch area would be a fairly large (several square centimeters, the bigger the better) area of metal under an epoxy coat or sheet of glass. The touch sensitivity can be adjusted anywhere from a firm press with a wet finger, to waving your hand 6 inches above the surface.

I have found that the code also needs some kind of "autocalibration" routine, so that the picaxe is constantly asking itself if it is being touched, and if not, storing its current value as the untouched base-line.

This is one surface mount 20M2 handling the display, stepper drive, barometric reading, and touch switches.

 

[AllyCat]

Hi,

Yes maybe possible with a PICaxe, but better with 20M2s which each have at least 8 available touch inputs, and a similar number of outputs to drive LEDs. I get the impression that much of that construction complexity is concerned with the LEDs not the Touch sensing. IMHO the "loop" structure of the sensors is a red herring (or related to the LEDs), they need to be basic capacitor plates, better in the form of a PCB "plane" or spiral loops of wire, etc.

However, as often, a microcontroller like PICaxe is a "Jack of All Trades" (and master of none) so the sensing could be done far better with a dedicated custom chip. Even then, I don't believe in 6 inches range, the original video looks basically like "touch" sensing, perhaps up to 1 cm for a large area such as a flat hand. Also, if you do want to use a PICaxe, then read the Microchip "base" PICaxe Data Sheets and the (numerous) related Application Notes first, and don't rely on PICaxe Basic's elementary TOUCH command.

Cheers, Alan.

 

[oracacle]

I dont really have enough space for something like this so don't plan on making it any time soon, but if other want to take the idea forward that would be great.
I was just more curious if it was possible without the extra sensor
The main reason I thought about the 08M2 is for modularity. A single, small, cheap IC that you could just connect power and groud an off you go.

Interestingly it apears that the TTP223 has a digital out which if you combine it with a large controller like the 40X2, or something with port expanders you could control a huge number of the "cells" on the table.