Adding a capacitive touch sensor to your project isn’t too taxing, as modules for this type of single-point interface are readily available. Add a few more of this type of device, however, and your project may soon become unwieldy. The ESP32 Touch Matrix interface by Electro Point presents an elegant solution for such a multi-touch interface, with a 5×5 arrangement of capacitive-sensing pads on a single board.
The device’s ESP32 control module can interface with other hardware via I2C, and the board breaks out SCL and SDA (along with VCC and GND) on header pins for easy attachment. One might also take advantage of its WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities for a multitude of wireless possibilities. The board works at 5V, and includes a 3.3V regulator to properly power the ESP32. An onboard RGB indicator is also provided to indicate the status of the unit.
The matrix comes programmed with a basic example sketch for testing, and a programming header is available for customization. Several other code examples are available on the project’s GitHub page to help you get started.
