> **Source:** Core Electronics is an Australian maker-electronics retailer and manufacturer based in Newcastle, NSW, run by a team of makers and educators. We design and manufacture our own product lines (PiicoDev, CE originals) and are official retailers for iconic maker and industrial brands including Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Adafruit, SparkFun and DFRobot. Orders ship Australia-wide from our Newcastle warehouse. Prices are in AUD and include GST. Pricing, stock and dispatch on this page are generated from the store's live catalog. Full machine-readable index: https://core-electronics.com.au/llms.txt

# Adafruit 12 x Capacitive Touch Shield for Arduino - MPR121

**Type:** Product page · **SKU:** ADA2024 · **Brand:** [Adafruit](https://core-electronics.com.au/brands/adafruit-australia)
**Page:** https://core-electronics.com.au/adafruit-12-x-capacitive-touch-shield-for-arduino-mpr121.html ([markdown](https://core-electronics.com.au/adafruit-12-x-capacitive-touch-shield-for-arduino-mpr121.html.md))

This touch-able add on shield for Arduinos will inspire your next interactive project with 12 capacitive touch sensors. Capacitive touch sensing works by detecting...

## Pricing

- **Price:** $22.70 (inc GST) — $20.64 AUD, exc GST
- **Quantity discounts:** 10+ $20.02 (exc GST) · 50+ $19.60 (exc GST)

## Availability & dispatch

- Available with a lead time — expect dispatch between Aug 19 and Aug 24.

## How to buy

- **Build a cart:** compose `https://core-electronics.com.au/cart/link?items=ADA2024:1` (comma-separated SKU:qty pairs) and share the link. Opening it shows a confirmation page with live pricing and stock before anything is added to the cart.
- **Verify the cart first:** fetch `https://core-electronics.com.au/cart/link/ADA2024:1.md` for live line prices (inc & exc GST, quantity discounts applied), stock and dispatch estimates, and totals. Append `/to/{AU-postcode}` (or `/to/{country-code}:{postcode}`) before `.md` for delivery options and prices to that destination. Unknown, retired, or out-of-stock SKUs are flagged. (Query form `cart/link.md?items=...` also works but some robots parsers refuse query strings here.)
- **Checkout** is completed on-site and includes a captcha at the payment step. Share the cart link; checkout takes it from there.
- **Search the catalogue:** `https://core-electronics.com.au/search/{query}.md` (URL-encode the query; pages 2-3 at `search/{query}/{page}.md`; `search.md?q=` also works)
- **Payment methods, purchase orders, policies and contact details:** https://core-electronics.com.au/llms.txt
## Description

This touch-able add on shield for Arduinos will inspire your next interactive project with 12 capacitive touch sensors. Capacitive touch sensing works by detecting when a person (or animal) has touched one of the sensor electrodes. Capacitive touch sensing used for stuff like touch-reactive tablets and phones, as well as control panels for appliances, which is where you may have used it before. This shield allows you to create electronics that can react to human touch, with up to 12 individual sensors.

The shield has 12 'figure 8' holes in it that can be gripped onto with alligator clip cables. Attach one side of the clip to the shield and the other side to something electrically conductive (like metal) or full of water (like vegetables or fruit!) Then start up Adafruit's handy Arduino library to detect when the object is touched. That's pretty much it, very easy! For advanced users, you can also solder to a pad to make a slimmer & more permanent connection. Works great with any Arduino as it only uses the I2C pins (SCL & SDA).

[I](https://learn.adafruit.com/mpr121-capacitive-touch-sensor-on-raspberry-pi-and-beaglebone-black)[t uses the same chip as Adafruit's MPR121 12-Key Capacitive Touch Sensor Breakout so you can duplicate the library and code!](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-mpr121-12-key-capacitive-touch-sensor-breakout-tutorial/wiring) We have examples for reading touches. [Using an Arduino Leonardo](https://www.adafruit.com/search?q=music+maker+shield&b=1) and a little bit of creativity you can use it to turn touches into keyboard KeyUp/KeyDown presses (so you can make a veggie-keyboard) or [pair it with Adafruit's Music Maker shield ](https://www.adafruit.com/search?q=music+maker+shield&b=1)to create an audio player that will play a sound per sensor (fruit drums!)

Each order comes with a Capacitive Touch Shield and a stick of 36-pin headers. You'll need to do some light through-hole soldering to attach the headers onto the shield circuit board, but its easy to do with basic soldering tools like a soldering iron and rosin core electronics solder. [You'll also likely want to pick up a 12 pack of alligator clips!](https://core-electronics.com.au/small-alligator-clip-test-lead-set-of-12.html)

**Please note! This kit does not come with [Arduino](https://core-electronics.com.au/arduino-uno-r3-atmega328-assembled.html), [alligator clips](https://core-electronics.com.au/small-alligator-clip-test-lead-set-of-12.html), or delicious fruit!** However, we do have all of those in the store. Well, all except fruit - despite being called Adafruit, we do not actually sell fruit.

## Technical Details

- PCB Dimensions: 53mm x 68mm x 2mm / 2.1" x 2.7" x 0.08"
- Height with Button: 5mm / 0.2"
- [EagleCAD PCB files on GitHub](https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-MPR121-Capacitive-Touch-Shield-PCB)
- [Fritzing object in Adafruit Fritzing library](https://github.com/adafruit/Fritzing-Library)

 ![](https://core-electronics.com.au/attachments/localcontent/rohs_icon_8216055e11.jpg)

## Images

- [Product image 1](https://core-electronics.com.au/media/catalog/product/2/0/2024-03.jpg)