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Conductive Materials
  • Anti-static Foam
  • Cheap Electronic Toys
  • Conductive Fabric Substitute
  • Conductive Fabrics
  • Conductive Gel
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  • Conductive Pen
  • Conductive Play-Doh
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  • Conductive Threads
  • Conductive Velcro
  • Conductive Wool
  • Merino Wool conductive yarn from Bart and Francis
  • Conductive Yarns
  • Conductive/Piezoresistive Leather!
  • Elastic Conductive Thread
  • Fine Steel Wool
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  • Meet the Materials
  • Metal Beads
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  • Multi-Conductor Fabrics
  • Perfboard
  • Resistive and Piezoresistive Fabrics
  • Resistive Paper
  • Resistive Rubbers
  • Shopping List: Basic E-Textile Materials
  • Sparkfun finally selling Eeontex!
  • stretch conductive fabric comparison
  • Thin Flexible Wire
  • Velostat
  • Zebra Zebra Fabric (X-Zebra, Y-Eeonyx)
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    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
    Conductive Materials

    Shopping List: Basic E-Textile Materials

    New manufacturers and distributors are always popping up and disappearing again. In this post we try to list some of our most used e-textile materials and where we purchase. Since we are based in Berlin/Germany we try to order as much as possible from local manufacturers and distributors/redistributors. We even started a list of super local electronics shop that stock some of these items, see here: http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?page_id=3205

    General online shopping info:

    In the USA I think the main producers/distributors these days are still:
    LessEMF: http://lessemf.com/
    Sparkfun: https://www.sparkfun.com
    Adafruit: http://www.adafruit.com/
    Digitkey: http://digikey.com/

    Seeedstudio invent and manufacture in China and ship worldwide:
    >> https://www.seeedstudio.com/

    In Europe you can search for Sparkfun distributors here:
    >> https://www.sparkfun.com/distributors

    Germany & Austria
    http://segor.de (local shop in Berlin!)
    >> http://conrad.at and http://conrad.de (local shops all over Europe!)
    >> https://www.exp-tech.de
    >> http://www.watterott.com
    >> https://physicalcomputing.at
    >> http://amazon.de

    Pincushion with components

    Basic E-Textile Materials

    The following are a selection of materials for getting started in e-textiles. Depending on what you are ordering and where you are ordering to, check to see if you can get everything at one supplier to save on shipping. Bellow I have listed some specific links, but you will likely also find them at the other places.

    Conductive Threads

    Karl-Grimm copper thread with synthetic core (also comes silver plated)
    thicker: 4355 7×1 fach verseilt
    thinner: 3981 7×1 fach verseilt
    >> http://karl-grimm.de/

    Stainless steel thread – this thread is not nice to work with! We do NOT recommend buying it:
    https://www.exp-tech.de/en/accessories/other/7419/conductive-thread-60g-stainless-steel

    Conductive Fabrics

    Non-stretch conductive fabrics:
    >> https://www.exp-tech.de/en/accessories/other/7034/woven-conductive-fabric-silver-20cm-square
    >> https://www.exp-tech.de/en/accessories/other/7034/woven-conductive-fabric-silver-20cm-square
    or directly from manufacturer: http://statex.de/

    Stretch conductive fabric:
    >> https://www.exp-tech.de/en/accessories/other/7799/knit-conductive-fabric-silver-20cm-square
    or directly from manufacturer: http://statex.de/

    Sensing fabric:
    >> https://www.exp-tech.de/en/accessories/other/8264/eeontex-pressure-sensing-fabric
    Manufacturer: http://eeonyx.com/

    Microcontrollers

    Sewable Arduino Flora:
    >> https://www.exp-tech.de/en/platforms/arduino/4665/adafruit-flora-wearable-electronic-platform-arduino-compatible

    Sewable Arduino LilyPad:
    >> https://www.exp-tech.de/en/platforms/arduino/5223/lilypad-arduino-usb-atmega32u4-board

    ATtiny microcontroller (ATTINY85-20PU)
    https://at.rs-online.com/web/p/mikrocontroller/1331672/

    ATtiny programmer
    >> https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11801

    Or: use Arduino as IPS programmer!
    >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=3742
    ATtiny Breadboard Programming Piggyback Extension: http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=6556
    ATtiny: Programming: http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=3996

    LEDS

    Bare LEDs:
    for package sizes see: http://dangerousprototypes.com/wp-content/media/2012/01/smt22.jpg
    recommended for beginner hand-soldering: 1206 or larger
    https://www.conrad.at/de/Search.html?searchType=CAMPAIGN&search=smd%20led&category=%1Ft12%1Fc14738%1Fc17640%1F0212266
    https://www.exp-tech.de/en/accessories/led-lights/7665/smd-led-white-1206-strip-of-25
    https://www.conrad.at/de/smd-led-plcc2-weiss-900-mcd-120-20-ma-35-v-everlight-opto-67-21uwcs400-x9tr8-156321.html
    https://www.conrad.at/de/smd-led-1206-weiss-72-mcd-130-20-ma-315-v-everlight-opto-15-21w1d-apqhy2t-156313.html

    Sewable SMD LEDs
    https://www.exp-tech.de/en/accessories/led-lights/7947/adafruit-led-sequins-multicolor-pack-of-5

    LilyPad sewable inputs and outputs
    https://www.exp-tech.de/en/platforms/arduino/4709/protosnap-lilypad-development-board

    Fiber Optics:
    https://www.conrad.de/de/Search.html?search=lichtwellenleiter&searchType=CAMPAIGN&category=%1Ft10%1Fc90694%1F2510440
    https://www.leds-and-more.de/catalog/15mm-lwl-lichtwellenleiter-lichtleiter-seitlich-leuchtend-p-1937.html?osCsid=2me5dl4q5amcvgb6tnbqfd87i5#

    Sewable Breakout Protoboards (can also be made from regular protoboard!)
    https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9102
    http://tinkersphere.com/sewable-electronic-parts/1514-sewable-protoboard-for-lilypad.html

    USB flat credit-card size powerbank
    https://www.amazon.de
    https://www.conrad.de

    Metal Snap Fasteners (Druckknöpfe)
    local textile shop

    Thermoplast
    https://www.modulor.de/en/modulor-thermoplastic-modelling-pellets.html
    https://www.amazon.de

    Fusible Interfacing
    local textile shop
    https://www.amazon.de/Heatn-Bond-Ultra-Iron-Adhesive-17/dp/B000Y0083K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511168222&sr=8-1&keywords=heatn%27bond

    Good Lighting for soldering and sewing!



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