Actuators

We’ve been working on the Lulu (a design solution to connecting e-textiles, LEDs and optic-fibers) for some time now, and spent a lot of time looking at how we can mount LEDs at a right angle on PCBs and couple the LED with the end of the optic-fiber, but what we have not spent much […]

Lulu is a hardware solution that interfaces between an LED light source, an optic fiber strand or bundle, and sewable soft circuit connections. The Lulu provides a toolset for using side glow optical fibers in your eTextile and wearable projects. Use of light in textile and fashion design is becoming more and more common as […]

Sick of LEDs shining directly in your eyes? We are too! This design has the LEDs mounted inside the curves of this serpentine strip so that the LED faces down towards the the fabric and what you see is the light reflected off the surface of the fabric.

For the KOBA Prescilla commission we used this solution for making our own “Lulu” e-textile to LED to optic-fiber solution.

This connector makes the connection between a piece of 1,5mm diameter sideglow fiber optic and an SMD Neopixel (controllable RGB LED). The four connections from the LED are broken out to rings on a tube which holds the LED on one end and holds the fiber optic from the other end. Thanks to Ben for […]

“ohne mich” (engl. “without me”) Interactive Fiber-Optic Poetry in Motion For the opening collection of our KOBA Maßschneiderei – an E-Textile Tailor Shop we are opening in Berlin very soon – we are prototyping the items in this collection. One of these is fiber-optic poetry, two words embroidered in fiber-optics cables, but overlaid so that […]

Please also see SMA smocking post >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=5276 Smocking is an old textile technique that gathers fabric in certain pattern to create 3D decorative pattern on textiles. There are many tutorials and patterns online, but I had a nice reference book called The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff. From many smocking patterns, I […]

It is tricky to make a good connection as it does not really stick to solder. Yes, if you are patient, you can drop a lot of solder on copper tape (or other type of copper surface) and dip the edge of the SMA to connect. But, it is tricky. Another way is to crimp […]

You need to “train” or memorize the shape, in order for SMA (Shape Memory Alloy) to change its shape to what you like. There are many tutorials you can find, from heating up with blowtorch to using candles. In this example, I am using Flexinol 0.001 LT from robotshop (http://www.robotshop.com/en/dynalloy-flexinol-010-lt-actuator-wire.html). Perhaps it differs on which […]

This is a trial for embedding heating thread on fabric for thermochromic prints. The copper thread is bind on the back side of the woven fabric to be used as heating elements while the front side of the fabric remains flat satin construction for silk screen printing. back side with copper thread inserts front side […]

Inspired by Marcelo Coehlo’s paper speaker and Vincent Leclerc’s Accouphene textile speaker, we have been trying out different techniques on building fabric speakers. Woven speaker >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=5509 Knit speaker >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=4465 Embroidered speaker >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=2936 Some experiments made by Claire Williams with the couching embroidery technique and a coil basket weaving technique: >> https://xxxclairewilliamsxxx.wordpress.com/electronic-textiles/#Textile Here […]

This is a copy of the 1-Bit Textile swatch that Irene Posch and Ebru Kurbak submitted to the 2015 E-Textile Swatch Exchange. This example was made for the Adapting Swatches workshop held at Kunsthochschule Weissensee’s E-Lab in Berlin on December 11-12th 2015 as a part of Soft Technology 1 course. The example explains the construction […]

This swatch demonstrates how the combination of an electromagnetic coil and a permanent magnet can be used to create a “flapping” movement…….. Materials and Tools Materials: cotton fabric, silk fabric, cotton thread, neodymium magnet (1cm diameter, 2mm high, axially magnetized), enameled copper wire (0.01mm diameter), copper tape, solder Tools: sewing needle, pinking shears, scissors, soldering […]

Inspired by the Igne Oyasi Motor that I made during the 2014 E-Textile Summercamp and the 1-Bit Textile swatch that Irene Posch and Ebru Kurbak’s submitted to the 2015 E-Textile Swatch Exchange, this post documents the creation of a textile flip-dot fabric to be used as a display.

When you apply electricity to a coil, it becomes magnet and gets attracted to a magnet, and when you remove the electricity, it does not get attracted… Theoretically. My idea was to make a velcro like connector, of which close/open state can be controlled by electricity. I made 3 material experiments, stainless steel thread, copper […]

Some samples from Eeonyx material are made for heating purposes. I made a quick test on using them with thermochromic ink. The materials I test are NW170-PI-20 and Twill PI 20. The electrical connection is made with KarlGrim thread with machine sewing on the side.

Yoghurt pots make great resonant bodies (especially Stichfestes Yoghurt:-). So weaving the speaker membrane from the rim of the pot seems like an obvious opportunity. This post documents how to puncture holes around the rim using a hot needle, thread a circular warp and then weave in and out around in a spiral alternating between […]

This example of shape memory alloy (SMA) used to actuate fabric into a smocking pattern was made during the SMA meets Smocking Workshop held by Aniela Hoitink and Isabel Cabral at the 2014 E-Textile Summercamp.

This simple motor uses a diode for it’s axis, enameled wire wrapped into a small coil for the electromagnet and Turkish needle lace (Igne Oyasi) for both structure and support. The diode provides an electrically separated axis, around which the coil can both spin and receive it’s power. The electrical properties of the diode mean […]

A very basic motor (single electromagnet coil) strung on a string. Pulling the string taught creates the axis for the motor. Contacts from either end of the electromagnet coil terminate in exposed metal rings that surround the interrupted conductive thread that is both axis for rotation and electrical contact. Connected to a 9V battery and […]

This is a super simple fabric LED strip with 25 LEDs, LiPo battery power and an on/off switch.

Inspired by the work of Karla and Piem at V2, this speaker is knit from Elektrisola – a thin enameled copper wire. Video: Links: Inspired by Betaknit >> http://v2.nl/lab/projects/betaknit-research

Using Bekinox steel yarn and a neodymium magnet.

Inspired by Marcelo Coehlo’s paper speaker and Vincent Leclerc’s Accouphene textile speaker, these paper and fabric speakers are made by running 5-9V sound amplified signal through a very conductive coil in close proximity to a magnet. Unlike most speakers that have the wire coil wrapped cylindrically and placed around the magnet, here the coil is […]

Using nitinol wire (shape memory alloy) to make petal-shaped pieces of paper and fabric bend, fold, twitch and move.

If you want to include LED lights in your projects, one of the classic options used to be to wind the legs of a through-hole LED around the tip of a pair of needle-nose pliers, making rings that could then be sewn. Another option introduced by Leah Buechley, was to solder tiny metal crimp beads […]

Nitinol = nickel titanium Shape Memory Alloy = SMA also known as: smart metal, memory metal, memory alloy, muscle wire, smart alloy This alloy generally comes in the form of thin wires that can be baked in a certain shape at a certain temperature that it will then “remember”, and return to when current is […]

LED throwie is a great project from Graffiti Research Lab. So, as a contribute to their project, I made a “Granny Throwie”, LED throwie made with crochet.

Used in Wearable Waste of Energy, Tilt Sensing Bracelet (feedback bracelet)…

Used in: Wearable Waste of Energy, Piano T-Shirt, Wearable Toy Piano

Used in solar t-shirt workshop.