Example Projects
Workshops
Announcements
Actuators
Connections
Power
Sensors
Traces

Circuits and Code Wireless

Meet the Materials
Conductive Materials
Non-Conductive Materials
Tools
Techniques
Thinking Out Loud
Tools
  • ATtiny Breadboard Programming Piggyback Extension
  • ATtiny Programming Shield
  • BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)
  • Bluetooth Mate
  • Breadboard Pincushion
  • Circular Knitting Looms
  • Circular Knitting Machines
  • Circular Sock Knitting Machines
  • Circular Weaving Looms
  • CNC Textile Machines
  • Data Logging
  • desoldering wick
  • digital USB microscope
  • DIY Mini Breadboard
  • Embroidered LilyBLE Module
  • ESP octopus sewable breakout
  • ETextile Tester Bracelet
  • Fabric Markers
  • Fabric Scissors
  • File
  • Hole Maker
  • Hot Air Gun
  • Craft Iron
  • ISP Alligator Clip Extension
  • Laser Cutter
  • LilyPad SnapRing
  • MINI CLIP CLAMPS
  • MQTT Brokers and Clients
  • MQTT client
  • multimeter hat
  • Needle Threader
  • ohmBroach
  • ohmGlove
  • ohmHook
  • ohmTranslator
  • Pincushion Breadboard Bracelet
  • Pompom Maker
  • Popper Machines
  • Prototyping with Snaps
  • CNC Milling Machine
  • Resistance Visualization Tool
  • Seam-Ripping Continuity Meter
  • Sewing Machines
  • Snap Press Options
  • SNIPS
  • Knitting dolly
  • Spudger
  • Tester Overview
  • Tester Tool: bracelets
  • Tester Tool: circle
  • Tester Tool: simple strip
  • Tester Tool: u-shape
  • Thin nose pliers
  • Vibrating Crochet Hook
  • Vinylcutter
  • Wire Wrap Tool
  • Wireless Communication 101
  • Xbee
  • Xbee Direct (Xbee-Xbee)
  • Xbee Direct (Multiple Xbee - Xbee- comp)
  • Xbee Direct (Sensor-Xbee-Comp)
  • Xbee dongle
  • Xbee FirmwareUpdate
  • Xbee lilypad shield PCB
  • Xbee Serial Communication
  • Support the creation of content on this website through PATREON!
  • About
  • E-Textile Events
  • E-Textile Spaces
  • Newsletter
  • Print & Publications
  • E-Textile Shopping

  • SEARCH
    Content by Mika Satomi and Hannah Perner-Wilson
    E-Textile Tailor Shop by KOBAKANT
    The following institutions have funded our research and supported our work:

    Since 2020, Hannah is guest professor of the Spiel&&Objekt Master's program at the University of Performing Arts Ernst Busch in Berlin

    From 2013-2015 Mika was a guest professor at the eLab at Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weissensee

    From July - December 2013 Hannah was a researcher at the UdK's Design Research Lab

    From 2010-2012 Mika was a guest researcher in the Smart Textiles Design Lab at The Swedish School of Textiles

    From 2009 - 2011 Hannah was a graduate student in the MIT Media Lab's High-Low Tech research group led by Leah Buechley


    In 2009 Hannah and Mika were both research fellows at the Distance Lab


    Between 2003 - 2009 Hannah and Mika were both students at Interface Cultures
    We support the Open Source Hardware movement. All our own designs published on this website are released under the Free Cultural Works definition

    Tools

    MQTT client


    This post is a follow up to mqtt broker post. The devices that are connecting to MQTT broker (ESP, computer.. etc) is called “Client”, and on client side you will be running some kind of software that act as a MQTT client that publish/subscribe data to broker. For example, on ESPs, we used “espMQTTclient” library […]

    MQTT Brokers and Clients


    These are out notes from working with various MQTT Broker options, which we have used mostly to publish sensor data wirelessly from a Client running on an ESP32 Dev Module (programmed with Arduio) and then subscribe to this data from various other Clients: – another ESP32 dev module – a Processing sketch on a computer […]

    ESP octopus sewable breakout


    A first quick version of a sewable breakout board for the ESP32 DEVKIT V1 38pin board. This board was designed in a bit of rush, so it is far from well thought-through and designed. photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157719749335407

    multimeter hat


    this multimeter hat allows me to visualize the conductivity of a material i’m holding in my hands. the only problem is that i can’t see the visualization myself since it happens ontop of my head. thus i rely on the faces of the people looking at me, interpreting their reactions. the tip of this hat […]

    ETextile Tester Bracelet


    Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157712300020868 HANDOUT English Handout Text eTEXTILE TESTER BRACELET Explore the world of electronic textiles! The eTextile Tester Bracelet is a tool for testing the conductive properties of materials. The bracelet itself is an electronic textile: a felt band with a soft circuit sewn into it. Wearing and using this simple tool becomes means […]

    Tester Tool: circle


    etextile testers

    All from one circle….

    Tester Tool: bracelets


    etextile testers

    A simple LED circuits with an interrupted connection that can be worn as a bracelet.

    Tester Overview


    Over the years, we’ve designed and built a variety of small compact circuits that translate electrical resistance into something we can perceive like: light, sound, vibration. This post intents to pull together all these different items in one place. To see if there are insights I’d forgotten about as well as a pool of inspiration […]

    Tester Tool: simple strip


    Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157705181925511

    Tester Tool: u-shape


    E-Textile sensor tester

    Build a simple circuit with an LED, a coin-cell battery pouch and interrupt the full circuit connection by inserting two crocodile clips. When the clips connect, the circuit is complete and the LED light will shine. When you mount a textile sensor between the clips, the LED brightness will depend on the resistance of the […]

    DIY Mini Breadboard


    DIY mini breadboard

    You can make your own mini-breadboards by cutting up a larger one. Flickr set >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/sets/72157672660416318 Peel back the stick and remove the metal from the rows you will cut: Cut: Replace the sticky: Five mini breadboard from one long one:

    Prototyping with Snaps


    Based on the idea of this Common GND breadboard (electronic components) to snap (textile) connector, I wanted to think-through the work-flow of using such a breakout board that would allow me to prototype both circuit and wearable, with iterations and testing in between, without always re-designing how the two are connected.

    ohmTranslator


    ohmTranslator

    This credit-card size flex circuit translates the resistance between two probes into the resistor colour code. Conveniently the resistor colour code chart can be mounted just bellow the LEDs so that you don’t actually have to remember it for this tool to be useful. This version is a first prototype and with through-hole components not […]

    ohmBroach


    This wearable tool translates resistance into colour and sound.

    ATtiny Breadboard Programming Piggyback Extension


    ohmGlove


    This first ohmGlove prototype is an attempt to make a wearable version of the ohmHook. It allows the wearer to pinch a material between their fingers to listen to it’s electrical resistance as well as how it behaves under pressure. A pull-up resistor of the same material is sandwiched between little finger and palm. The […]

    ohmHook


    The ohmHook is crochet hook mounted on a circuitboard which measures the electrical resistance between the crochet hook and a crocodile clip connected to the opposite end of the tool handle. The resistance is displayed as the 10 bit reading of the microcontroller’s analog-to-digital converter.

    Pincushion Breadboard Bracelet


    Pincushion Breadboard Bracelet combines the wearable “at-hand” functionality of a wrist-worn pincushion, with the electronics prototyping flexibility of a breadboard. This wearable tool might not seem all that useful to you at first, but I would like to demonstrate that a Pincushion Breadboard Bracelet can be an extremely useful tool for for the right purposes. […]

    Resistance Visualization Tool


    Tool you can make for visualizing the resistance of materials and sensors.

    Snap Press Options


    Snap fasteners (also called “poppers” in British English) consist of 4 parts (LA,B,CW,LA) and these can be cripted together in pairs to make up one female and one male snap. SNAP FLY-PRESS MACHINE We got our machine from: Durable Fasteners Ltd 430 Kingsland Road London E8 4AA UK Tel +44 (0)20 7254 6713 www.durablefasteners.co.uk costs: […]

    MINI CLIP CLAMPS


    Clip clamps

    SNIPS


    Snippers

    Hot Air Gun


    Hot air pistol for shrinking shrink tube

    LilyPad SnapRing


    Wouldn’t it be nice if you could simply press-fit your LilyPad Arduino to your fabric circuit traces! That you could sew your circuit with the sewing machine using conductive thread and not have to do all the hard-soft connections by hand! Here some experiments in making a 3D printed LilyPad SnapRing that connects in this […]

    ATtiny Programming Shield


    This little circuit sits nicely ontop of an Arduino board and lets you quickly plug in an ATtiny chip for programming using the Arduino “language” and IDE to write the code, and the Arduino board as an ISP programmer to upload the code to the tiny chip.

    ISP Alligator Clip Extension


    Programming integrated circuits with an ISP alligator clip extension.

    Seam-Ripping Continuity Meter


    This seam-ripper has a continuity meter built in. An LED lights up to indicate when an unwanted electrical connection is made between the tip of the seam-ripper and the part of the circuit that you wish to disconnect from. An alligator clip can be connected to different parts of the circuit, so that you can […]

    Breadboard Pincushion


    This pincushion design has strips of conductive fabric adhered to its surface, so that metal pins or component contacts that protrude through the same piece of conductive fabric are electrically connected. This cushion can be used for prototyping electrical circuits as well as for string pins, needles and components.

    Vibrating Crochet Hook


    This vibrating crochet hook can be used to measure the resistance of a crochet stretch sensor while it is being made. Continuity and resistance can be measured while the sensor is being crocheted. The vibration motor is powered by a 3V coin cell battery. The less resistance, the stronger the crochet needle will vibrate.

    CNC Textile Machines


    Computer controlled textile machinery.

    desoldering wick


    “Desoldering wick”! This is a very useful tool to desolder circuit when you make a mistake, or hacking toy circuits. I use them often but I never knew the name.. Here is the wikipedia explanation “A solder wick, also known as a desoldering wick or desoldering braid, is a roll of fine, braided 18 to […]

    Pompom Maker


    While pompom makers are convenient tools for making pompoms in all different sizes, you can also make your own tool from cardboard.

    digital USB microscope


    Electroplated knit steel yarn

    A great tool for understanding how conductive fibers, threads, yarns and fabrics are made up, because you can see for yourself and explore the material visually. Images: >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157623733920334 Here two devices that I have used: Kkmoon 1000 x OTG Function USB Digital Microscope Magnifier Endoscope 8 LED Light Magnifier Magnifying Glass with Stand https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B077G8DGY9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 […]

    Knitting dolly


    Knitting dolly (Strickpüppchen in German) is a tool to make thin knitted tubes. The picture is the one I bought at the local craft shop with about 5 Euro. In Germany and Austria, there are also a child toy version of this one, made of woods with fancy paintings on them. There are also small […]

    Circular Knitting Looms


    also see: circular knitting machine, sock knitting machine also: knitting nancy, knitting wheels, knitting frames, rake knitters, French Knitters, knitting doll, flower tool, corkers and spools, German: Nahliesle These are so easy to make by hand!!!

    Circular Weaving Looms


    also see: circular knitting loom, circular knitting machine, sock knitting machine

    Circular Sock Knitting Machines


    Also see: circular knitting machine These things look amazing. I have not got one of my own yet, but I would love to.

    Needle Threader


    I never though I’d use one of these, but for threading conductive yarn into small needles for stitching to components with small holes they really are perfect!

    Thin nose pliers


    Thin nose pliers are useful for making loops at the end of components like LED, capacitor, resistor.. so on. Also, it is often used to pull out needle when sewing in neoprene.

    Sewing Machines


    Sewing machines, sergers, embroidery…

    Circular Knitting Machines


    also: knitting nancy, knitting machine, German: Strickmühle also see: circular sock knitting machine These machines are amazingly easy to use. I bought myself a barbie Knitting machine via Amazon UK because it was cheaper than the more professional looking ones. It works fine for the circular knit but is very messy at the edges when […]

    Vinylcutter


    also: Craft ROBO, Klic-N-Kut, vinyl sign cutter, plotter

    Spudger


    Great for opening electronics that weren’t designed to be opened.

    CNC Milling Machine


    Roland MDX-40. With engraving drilling head, you can produce your own PCB. It can not make copper lines thinner than 1.6mm, but enough for DIP circuits. Great thing is that you can skip the messy etching process.

    Hole Maker


    >> Obi >> Local hardware store

    Craft Iron


    also: iron, quilting iron, mini iron Comes in handy when ironing small pieces. Fusing fabrics together.

    Laser Cutter


    For cutting conductive fabrics, neoprene, Velostat…

    Fabric Scissors


    Fabric scissors

    Comfortable, angled grip. Do not use to cut anything but fabrics, this will keep the blades sharp.

    File


    File

    Great for filing perfboards to have smooth edges, that will not fray or cut through conductive thread.

    Fabric Markers


    also: air-erasing markers, textile markers Marking pen, often bright purple in colour, that will vanish without washing. Do not iron over marks because heat will set the marks and they cannot be removed. Test on fabric before using. For darker fabrics chalk and white pencil works well. >> http://yarntree.com/cross-stitch/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5753 (USA) >> http://www.clotilde.com/detail.html?prod_id=504 (USA)

    Popper Machines


    see also: Materials >> Metal Poppers

    Wire Wrap Tool


    see also: “Fashioning Technology” by Syuzi Pakhchyan, page 195