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
Connections
  • Beaded Multi-wire
  • Body to Breadboard Bracelet
  • Breakout Boards
  • Cardwoven USB Cable
  • Chaining Components
  • Common GND
  • Custom Plugs
  • DIY USB
  • E-Textile Cheat Sheet
  • Elastic Waistband with Motor Pouches
  • Electroplating Conductive Farbrics
  • Spaghettimonster
  • Lasercut Fabric Breakout
  • fabric button circuit
  • Felted DIP socket
  • Flux Test
  • Hard to Soft Snap Connection
  • Hard/Soft Connections
  • Improved Electrical Contact
  • Lulu as 4-Way Adapter
  • Making Connections
  • Pivoting 3-Way Connection
  • Snap Breakouts
  • Soldering Conductive Fabric
  • Soldering Conductive Thread
  • Super Stretchy & Robust Conductor
  • Weaving Multiconductor Bands
  • Wire to Conductive Fabric Connection
  • 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
    Connections

    Electroplating Conductive Farbrics

    Conductive fabrics and threads can be plated without having to first coat them in conductive paint because they are already conductive! It can be a great way to make a conductive fabric solderable to then make a robust solder connection to a soft fabric circuit.
    Here are some examples of different conductive fabrics and threads and how they plate.

    For more instructions on electroplating see the following two posts:
    Plated fabric traces >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=2977
    Electroplating >> http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554


    Plated Cobaltex conductive fabric:

    Plated stretch conductive fabric:


    Plated conductive thread 4ply silverized nylon:

    Electroplated steel and wool yarn blend:

    Plated steel and wool yarn blend knit:

    Soft&safe conductive fabric before and after plating:

    Plated Veilshield conductive fabric:

    Red leather coated in carbon paint and then plated:

    Plating Setup at DRL/UdK Berlin








    1 Comment so far

    1. Mari on April 2nd, 2015

      Hello! i’m marier from Chile. i’m doing mine thesis in fashion and textile design and i was wonder if you can help us because we’re doing an investigation about electroplated fabrics and we found your site. we are having some problems with the method, would you mind share with us the specifics in this experimentation, specially the one that you work in leather and conductive paint.
      thanks 🙂

    Leave a comment