Cypress CapSense(TM) Interface Selected to Control Touch-Sensitive Buttons for Sleek Interface of High-End Pioneer Home Audio System

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:CY) today announced that its PSoC® CapSense™ solution has been selected to control the touch-sensitive interface in Pioneer Electronics’ new home audio system. Pioneer’s X-Z7 and X-Z9 Super Audio CD Receiver and Speaker Systems uses a single PSoC CapSense device to implement six buttons, manage analog output to the host and control LEDs – a capability known as CapSensePLUS. The high-fidelity Pioneer Z series includes a "home media gallery” function that allows users to easily connect portable media players and PCs to the system. The Z Series also plays archived recordings with CD quality through an exclusive DSP adaptation function. The systems also feature a sleek, elegant design enabled by the CapSense solution. "We are pleased that an industry leader such as Pioneer has implemented our CapSensePLUS solution,” said Steve Gerber, business unit director for Cypress’s CapSense products. "The Z Series showcases the versatility of PSoC, with a single chip controlling capacitive sensing interfaces plus other functions.” About CapSense A single CapSense device can replace dozens of mechanical switches and controls with a simple, touch-sensitive interface. CapSense-based "button" and "slider" controls are more reliable than their mechanical counterparts because they are not prone to the environmental wear-and-tear that affects exposed buttons and switches. Cypress has garnered hundreds of CapSense design wins worldwide in applications that include mobile handsets, portable media players, white goods, computers, printers and automotive, among others. Capacitive sensing is fast becoming the solution of choice for front-panel display and media control applications. Increased durability, decreased bill of materials (BOM) and a clean, minimalist appearance make this elegant interface attractive to a wide range of designs. With Cypress's CapSense interface, a finger on the interface forms an electrical connection with embedded sensors, which work with the PSoC device to translate data about the finger's presence into various system control functions. The sensor itself is only a copper pad on the PCB, not an actual component. Cypress's CapSense solution offers system designers numerous advantages over capacitive sensing products built around modules and sub-assemblies, including increased flexibility, reduced board space and lower cost. Because of the unique PSoC architecture, designers can easily integrate multiple functions (e.g., LED drivers and LCD displays), in addition to capacitive sensing. The PSoC CapSense solution also delivers benefits such as easy communications using either I2C, SPI or USB interfaces, the ability to implement both touchpad (x-y matrix) and linear slider applications with the same device, and the ability to make quick design changes using the flash-based PSoC architecture. In addition, users can complete CapSense designs quickly and easily using pre-configured and verified "user modules" within Cypress's PSoC Designer™ 4.4 Integrated Design Environment (IDE), and experience real-time sensor tuning and monitoring with PSoC Express™ visual embedded system design tool. Learn more about CapSense online at www.cypress.com/capsense. PSoC -- Because Change Happens PSoC devices employ a highly configurable system-on-chip architecture for embedded control design, offering a flash-based equivalent of a field-programmable ASIC without lead-time or NRE penalties. PSoC devices integrate configurable analog and digital circuits, controlled by an on-chip microcontroller, providing both enhanced design revision capability and component count savings. They include up to 32 Kbytes of Flash memory, 2 Kbytes of SRAM, an 8x8 multiplier with 32-bit accumulator, power and sleep monitoring circuits, and hardware I2C communications. The flexible PSoC resources allow designers to future-proof their products by enabling firmware-based changes during design, validation, production, and in the field. The unique PSoC flexibility shortens design cycle time and allows for late-breaking feature enhancements. All PSoC devices are also dynamically reconfigurable, enabling designers to morph internal resources on-the-fly, utilizing fewer components to perform a given task. Easy to use development tools enable designers to select configurable library elements for analog functions such as amplifiers, ADCs, DACs, filters and comparators and digital functions such as timers, counters, PWMs, SPI and UARTs. The PSoC family's analog features include rail-to-rail inputs, programmable gain amplifiers and up to 14-bit ADCs with exceptionally low noise, input leakage and voltage offset. A single PSoC device can integrate as many as 100 peripheral functions saving customers design time, board space and power consumption while improving system quality. Customers can save as much as $10 in system costs. More information about PSoC products is available at www.cypress.com/psoc and free online training is at www.cypress.com/psoctraining. About Pioneer Pioneer Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is a leading global manufacturer of consumer- and business-use electronics products such as audio, video and car electronics. Its shares are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. www.pioneerelectronics.com. About Cypress Cypress delivers high-performance, mixed-signal, programmable solutions that provide customers with rapid time-to-market and exceptional system value. Cypress offerings include the PSoC® Programmable System-on-Chip™, USB controllers, general-purpose programmable clocks and memories. Cypress also offers wired and wireless connectivity solutions ranging from its WirelessUSB™ radio system-on-chip, to West Bridge™ and EZ-USB® FX2LP controllers that enhance connectivity and performance in multimedia handsets. Cypress serves numerous markets including consumer, computation, data communications, automotive, industrial, and solar power. Cypress trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CY. Visit Cypress online at www.cypress.com. Cypress, the Cypress logo and PSoC are registered trademarks and CapSense, PSoC Designer and PSoC Express are trademarks of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. All other trademarks are property of their owners.