RESISTANCE
- hand sewn 8” trace has a resistance of 10 ohms
- machine sewn top thread 8” trace has a resistance of 42 ohms
- machine sewn bottom thread 8” trace has a resistance of 16 ohms
THREAD QUALITY
- easy to thread a size 24 crewel needle
- does not fray or whisker
- easy to sew by hand as well as machine
- thread is wound on an industrial spool and has to be rewound on a bobbin for machine sewing
RECCOMENDATIONS
Kitronik thread is conductive, medium diameter, and has minimal fray. This thread is RECOMMENDED for both hand sewing and machine sewing eTextiles, soft circuit, craft-tech, or wearable computing.
RETAIL
Kitronik
Their website states:
Conductivity = approximately 40ohms per metre
Count = 875 dTex
Denier = 18
Twist = 240Z-380S
Hand sewn LED circuit on cotton broad cloth with felt backing.
Positive and negative traces are 8 inches long.
Threads a crewel needle size 24 easily.
Hand sews a basic running stitch with few tangles or difficulties.
1.8mm blue LED with 4 tight loops around the LED leads.
Use a fresh 3V CR2032 battery to power the circuit.
LED glows = empirical evidence that the thread is conductive
Kitronik is very similar to Lame Life Saver.
Kitronik is on the top and Lame LifeSaver is pictured on the bottom.
The biggest fault with with this thread is the diameter of the thread which limits the needle size. The top thread is Kitronik and the bottom thread is Mitsifuji.
Machine Stitching with a Schmetz Embroidery Needle 90/14
Machine stitching sample
top trace is Kitronik thread as top thread
bottom trace is Kitronik thread as bobbin thread
both methods sew smoothly without snags or fraying.
and the reverse side of the machine sewing sample.
