This is a force-sensitive resistor available from Adafruit for $7.00 USD.   Thru hole connections make this pressure sensor easy to adapt for eTextile use.     The sensor pad can be embedded into a textile or paper computing design.   You can also use conductive fabric and velostat to make your own pressure sensor. Just follow my video […]

  Conductive Threads from Silverell, Mitsifuji, and Bekaert Stainless Technologies.     Depending upon my project I will select a conductive thread based upon it’s resistance and application method. Silverell 234/34 has changed its manufacturing process resulting in the thread tarnishing causing in increase in resistance. I no longer recommend this thread. Mitsifuji is no longer producing conductive thread. Bekaert […]

    Comparison testing a variety of conductive threads available from ebay, etsy, and online retailers. Unfortunately, many of the the threads are not conductive and can not be used for eTextiles. I’ll start posting results next week.  

  From left to right Bamboo and Stainless, Silver taffeta, copper taffata, silver non-woven, velostat and bottom left silver lycra.   Alll from LessEMF in Albany, NY.

  This is stranded hook up wire that I purchased from eBay.   It comes pre-tinned.   A comparison of solid core to stranded wires.

I purchase these little 10mm vibrating pancake motors from eBay and use them in haptic eTextile and paper computing projects. I generally get 25 or 50 at a time and they cost about $.50 USD/ motor. Super Afforable! Be careful when stripping the leads as the wire is very fine and its easy to inadvertently cut thru the wire rendering […]

The 8 year old and I had the Borderless faux Arduino board working in no time – once I remembered to change the Arduino platform over to a Lenardo board setting. Its the little things that snag the system.   However there are no instructions. No printed directions came with the kit to bring the new user to a website, […]

    Inexpensive and super simple to use.  Switch your eTextile projects on or off with a tilt! This one is $2 from adafruit. Digikey has more accurate tilt ball switches. You can make your own by following this Instructable.  

  “A photoresistor or light dependent resistor (LDR) or photocell is a resistor whose resistance decreases with increasing incident light intensity; in other words, it exhibits photoconductivity.” wikipedia I keep a large supply of these inexpensive sensors on hand. You can find them available at DigiKey.