A capacitance measuring circuit having a sensor electrode and a reference electrode that are spaced apart so that a material can be positioned between the two electrodes. A first polarity and a second polarity voltage source are used to charge the sensor electrode and a switch controller controls the charging and discharging of a capacitor by the sensor electrode. The charge on the capacitor after being charged and at least partially discharged by the sensor electrode represents the capacitance between the sensor electrode and the reference electrode. The charge on the capacitor is used to measure the position of the material relative to the sensor and reference electrode. The measuring circuit also has a system parasitic controller to measure and adjust for system parasitic capacitance in the measuring circuit.