3M Touch Systems Unveils EX II Electronics Platform for Touch Screens

Business Wire, Jan 14, 2002

Business Editors & Technology Writers

METHUEN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2002

3M Touch Systems, Inc. announced today its new MicroTouch EX II electronics platform, a revolutionary new mixed-mode, proprietary ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), which supports a variety of touch screen technologies.

Innovative in design and feature rich in nature, this electronics platform represents a significant investment in the future of touch technology, unattainable until now. Its architectural design enables a new generation of touch controllers, supporting both capacitive and resistive touch technology. In addition, this chip provides the foundation for a series of touch controller products (such as serial RS-232, USB (universal serial bus), and TouchPen) to be delivered by 3M Touch Systems in the coming year.

"The EX II platform represents an exciting strategic direction for the organization," said Terry Jones, business director, 3M Touch Systems. "This design responds to the demands for new levels of creativity for all touch applications. With its small footprint, extended temperatures, and on-chip RAM, EX II enables the research and development team at 3M Touch Systems to expand the technology offerings into entirely new dimensions of touch interactivity."

EX II is a single chip solution that's compact in design but powerful in capability. The mixed mode (analog/digital) 64-pin ASIC supports multiple touch technologies, including capacitive, 4-wire resistive and 5-wire resistive, as well as multiple serial communications capabilities, including RS-232 Serial and USB.

The embedded USB functionality is integrated in the ASIC, minimizing development time and effort and requiring fewer additional parts. USB support provides plug and play capability, Wake-On-Touch, and low power mode. This allows the system to use less power when not being used, while a simple touch brings the system awake.

EX II's new architecture has designed in on-chip ROM and on-chip RAM. Embedded ROM code allows development engineers to address the ASIC independent from the touch application, facilitating firmware development. On-chip RAM provides the flexibility of downloading firmware at the point of manufacture or to systems already deployed in the field. The chip allows access to the latest 3M Touch Systems features and protects from obsolescence. EX II has the capability of 16k by 16k touch resolution, improving precision for larger screen sizes. An expanded operating temperature range (-40(Degree) to 70(Degree) C) enables touch solutions to exist in a broader range of environments. Superior immunity to electro-static discharge (ESD) and robust electro-magnetic interference resistance enhances the reliability of the overall touch application, and simplifies meeting ever-stringent regulatory requirements.

Also available today are the first EX II-based controllers (cased or uncased) for the ClearTek product line. The EX II 1000 SC series integrates the EX II chip and is fully backward compatible to the former serial controller, making it easy for existing customers to adopt EX II technology and enjoy many of the new features. With the download firmware capability, the EX II 1000 SC can be field upgraded with the latest firmware feature set from 3M Touch Systems.

"Designed with today's fast performance requirements in mind, EX II redefines the level of speed, accuracy, and custom capability required for today's applications. 3M Touch Systems' decision to expand its electronics product offering demonstrates the company's philosophy that with the right products and the right expertise, we can be tremendously responsive in the markets that we serve," said Dan Savage, business manager, sensor products.

About 3M Touch Systems, Inc.

This announcement represents a renewed focus on the design and development of new touch products from 3M Touch Systems, Inc, a subsidiary of 3M, created through the acquisition of Dynapro and MicroTouch Systems, two longtime touch suppliers in the touch screen industry. 3M Touch Systems operates globally and reports through 3M Optical Systems Division headquartered in St. Paul, Minn.

3M is a $17 billion diversified technology company with leading positions in health care, safety, electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office, and other markets. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, the company has operations in more than 60 countries and serves customers in nearly 200 countries. 3M businesses share technologies, manufacturing operations, brands, marketing channels and other important resources. 3M is one of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average and also is a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. For more information about 3M go to www.3M.com or www.3M.com/profile/pressbox/index.jhtml

3M and MicroTouch are trademarks of 3M company.

To download a high resolution JPEG image related to this release, visit http://www.3m.com/3MTouchsystems/Corporate/News/EXII.exe