A while ago I got interested in e-textiles (also known as soft circuits). This is a unique area of DIY electronics which fuses craft and technology by sewing with thread that conducts electricity - in other words, it's exactly my kind of thing. An awesome example of what's happening in this space is Afroditi Psarra's Lilytronica:
Getting started with electronics can be pretty daunting, as I discovered a while ago when I first tried to get into Arduino. But when it comes to e-textiles I have an advantage: I already know how to sew, and have done some fairly intricate cross-stitch projects. This means I don't feel like a 100% newbie, which I find helps me maintain my motivation.
Like conventional electronics, e-textile projects can be as simple as connecting a battery pack to an LED, or as complicated as you want, incorporating flexible Arduino boards and a range of sensors and outputs. I decided to begin with Sparkfun's tutorials, because they're exceptionally clear and start from the VERY basics, for example:
After reading about the basic principles involved, I followed this excellent video tutorial to create my first circuit:
It's the simplest of the simple: an LED attached to a switch and battery. My circuit actually ended up being even more straightforward, because I bought a battery holder with a built-in switch:
Ultimately it was like any other hand-sewing project involving beads or buttons, but with the added factor of polarity: threads that touch the positive sides of the "beads" can't intersect with the threads that touch the negative sides. I feel like this would be an excellent way to introduce children to electronics, especially in a non-traditional environment like a library. It's very safe and newbie-friendly, and there's no need for soldering irons and other potentially problematic equipment.
Here's a progress shot. You can see the positive and negative sections of the circuit, beginning from the positive and negative terminals of the battery holder. The LED is on the other side of the fabric.
Here's the the completed circuit with battery in and light switched on!
And here's a close-up of the finished piece from the front (I couldn't help but pretty it up a bit):
It's nothing flash (pun intended), but it's the FIRST TIME EVER that I've assembled something electronic and had it work first time - including the breadboard kits from Dick Smith that I put together as a kid. I'm really proud of it, and excited about progressing to more complex projects. The next stop is Sparkfun's Lilypad tutorial, which teaches how to programme a small, flexible Arduino. The future is as bright as a white LED!
Like conventional electronics, e-textile projects can be as simple as connecting a battery pack to an LED, or as complicated as you want, incorporating flexible Arduino boards and a range of sensors and outputs. I decided to begin with Sparkfun's tutorials, because they're exceptionally clear and start from the VERY basics, for example:
After reading about the basic principles involved, I followed this excellent video tutorial to create my first circuit:
It's the simplest of the simple: an LED attached to a switch and battery. My circuit actually ended up being even more straightforward, because I bought a battery holder with a built-in switch:
Ultimately it was like any other hand-sewing project involving beads or buttons, but with the added factor of polarity: threads that touch the positive sides of the "beads" can't intersect with the threads that touch the negative sides. I feel like this would be an excellent way to introduce children to electronics, especially in a non-traditional environment like a library. It's very safe and newbie-friendly, and there's no need for soldering irons and other potentially problematic equipment.
Here's a progress shot. You can see the positive and negative sections of the circuit, beginning from the positive and negative terminals of the battery holder. The LED is on the other side of the fabric.
Here's the the completed circuit with battery in and light switched on!
 |
| Please excuse the flare - lit LEDs are a bit hard to photograph. I like to think J.J. Abrams would be proud though :p |
And here's a close-up of the finished piece from the front (I couldn't help but pretty it up a bit):
It's nothing flash (pun intended), but it's the FIRST TIME EVER that I've assembled something electronic and had it work first time - including the breadboard kits from Dick Smith that I put together as a kid. I'm really proud of it, and excited about progressing to more complex projects. The next stop is Sparkfun's Lilypad tutorial, which teaches how to programme a small, flexible Arduino. The future is as bright as a white LED!
