The FDC1004 Capacitive Sensing Breakout Board

The FDC1004 Capacitive Sensing Breakout Board is a precision capacitive measurement module based on the Texas Instruments FDC1004 IC. It features 4 high-resolution capacitive input channels over I²C, designed for accurate touch, proximity, and material-sensing applications.

Unlike simple touch controllers, the FDC1004 measures absolute capacitance, making it ideal for both touch detection and quantitative sensing.

Hardware features: - 4 capacitive sensing channels - 12-bit effective resolution (up to 16-bit output) - I²C interface for easy integration - On-board 3.3 V voltage regulator (compatible with 5 V Arduino systems) - Status LED for power indication - Configurable I²C address via solder jumper - INT/DRDY pin for data-ready interrupts

Supports differential and single-ended measurements

Fully compatible with Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266, and other microcontroller platforms.

The FDC1004 is widely used in industrial, automotive, and consumer products—but working with the bare IC can be challenging due to layout sensitivity and precision requirements.

This breakout board was created to make high-accuracy capacitive sensing simple and accessible:

• No fine-pitch soldering
• No external regulator required
• Carefully designed layout for low-noise, stable measurements
• It’s built for makers, engineers, and creative technologists who need reliable capacitive data—not just on/off touch events.

What makes it special? Precision absolute capacitive sensing, not just touch detection Ideal for proximity, level sensing, and material detection Works with custom electrodes (PCB pads, copper tape, foil, liquid containers) Selectable I²C address allows multiple boards on one bus Excellent choice for experimental, scientific, and expressive interfaces

Example applications

- Capacitive MIDI controllers and expressive instruments

- Liquid level sensing (non-contact)

- Proximity-based interfaces

- Custom control surfaces and sliders

- Smart home and IoT sensors

- Interactive art and physical computing projects

• Experimental UI and data-driven installations

Documentation Official Texas Instruments FDC1004 datasheet and documentation: 👉 https://www.ti.com/product/FDC1004

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!