SOFT SWITCH | e-Textiles: Introduction
You will work individually making a soft circuit that at least contains one DIY switch, one LED and a power source(battery).
Check out below the list of tools, materials and components you need for this exercise.
First, build your circuit on a breadboard using wires and test that it works.
When you have a fully working circuit, create a soft circuit on fabric. You can design it as you want, so let your imagination run wild! 🙂
Tips:
Soft Circuits: Tips
- Always test your materials first.
For example: some textiles are only conductive on one side. - Sketch your circuit first (drawing, breadboard, 123D circuit)
- Check the connections with the multimeter, finish the knots with nail polish and insulate connections to prevent a shortcut
- Conductive fabric is better conductor than conductive thread
- If your components have polarity (only work in one direction) bend the wires in a way you can remember this direction.
Question: If you need to turn on two LEDs, what circuit would you use and why? Test the circuits, see what is happening and try to think of the difference of these two circuits.
SUGGESTED READINGS:
- Davis, Fred (1992) ‘Do Clothes Speak? What makes them Fashion?’ in: Fashion, Culture and Identity. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, pp. 1–18
- Kate Hartman, Make : wearable electronics
- Chapter 1, Circuits
- Chapter 2, Conductive Materials
Blog Post
Soft Circuit
Make sure to document on the blog your working soft circuit. In one paragraph, mention what things worked well and what didn’t, how did you fix them?
Readings Reflections:
- Ying Gao – Interactive Fashion Doubles as Cultural Critique
Reflect on your personal perception and Ying Gao’s perception of fashion. Do you agree or disagree? Why? What do you expect to explore in this course? Below, some questions you could consider to think of before writing your reflection:
-
- What is fashion for you? and why are you interested in fashion?
- What kinds of things do your clothing say about you, your values, your culture, and your identity?
- What is the future of fashion?
Tools, materials & components
EQUIPMENT |
QTY |
PIC |
| Battery holder | 1 |  |
| Battery CR2032 | 1 |  |
| sewing needles | 1 |  |
| nail polish |  |
|
| conductive thread |  |
|
| sewing thread |  |
|
| LEDs |  |
|
| jumper wires |  |
|
| Breadboard | 1 |  |
| Aligator Clips |  |
|
| conductive fabric |  |
|
| felt fabric |  |
|
| Scissors | 1 |  |
| Pliers | 1 |  |