ELECTROMANIC

5. E-textiles

## Research

This week, we were introduced to electronic textiles, exploring how fabric circuits and soft sensors can be embedded into materials to create interactive and responsive fabrics. The session introduced key concepts in the field, starting with the basics of electricity, circuits, and conductive materials. We learned how voltage, resistance, and current work together in a circuit and discussed various conductive materials like fabrics, threads, and inks, which are critical for creating flexible and soft circuits.

One of the most exciting parts of this week was experimenting with soft sensors. We explored both digital and analog sensors, learning how each operates and can be integrated into fabric-based projects. I particularly enjoyed learning about momentary and toggle switches, as well as pressure and stretch sensors. These sensors, made from conductive fabrics or threads, allow fabrics to detect physical interactions like bending or stretching, opening up endless creative possibilities.

In the practical portion of the course, we were tasked with replicating and programming an ATTINY microcontroller. This exercise involved programming a basic LED blink using Arduino and integrating it into a soft circuit. It was my first real hands-on experience with microcontrollers, and it helped me understand how code can bring fabric circuits to life. Additionally, I created one digital sensor and one analog sensor using materials and techniques of my choice, connecting them to LEDs to observe their functionality.

We were experimented with different connection techniques, and I found the idea of combining soft and hard elements, such as conductive threads with metal poppers, particularly useful in bridging fabric with electronic components. However thats not what i ended up with.

The project culminated in creating textile swatches embedded with the sensors and documenting the process through circuit schematics and Arduino code uploads. This week’s work attempted to strengthen my technical skills in fabricating soft circuits and understanding how to incorporate interactive elements into textile-based designs.

I wish I had a better understanding of e-textiles so that I could have completed my intended project for this week.

Check out and research alumni pages to betetr understand how to document and get inspired * Soft tools - [Stephanie Vilayphiou - GreenLab](https://class.textile-academy.org/2024/stephanie-vilayphiou/assignments/week05/#knitted-breadboard) * Booklet & veggie moisture sensors - [Kae Nagano - FabLab Kamakura](https://class.textile-academy.org/2024/kae-nagano/assignments/week05/#moisture-sensor) * Knitted samples - [Alice Sowa - Icelandic Textile Center](https://class.textile-academy.org/2023/alice-sowa/Assignments/week05/#knit-cables-circuit) * Final project trajectory - [Ieva Maria Dautartaite](https://class.textile-academy.org/2023/ieva-dautartaite/project/) _Add your fav alumni's pages as references_

References & Inspiration

* I was inspsired by my love for boating and sailing. I thought it would be cool to make a kitchy boat hat that would look like a boat with starboard and portside lights that would blink to the song *I'm On a Boat by The Lonely Island and T-Pain*. However, it was made clear to me after my first prototype that that was not the point of the assignment this week so I had to pivot.

• Image reference

centered image with credits/reference

• Download reference

Tools

• Arduino UNO
• Arduino IDE

ELECTRIC OUTAGE

Process and workflow

This schematic ¹ was obtained by..

This tutorial ² was created using..

Code Example

Use the three backticks to separate code.

// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
  // initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
  pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}

// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
  delay(1000);                       // wait for a second
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW);    // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
  delay(1000);                       // wait for a second
}

Results

Video

From Vimeo

Sound Waves from George Gally (Radarboy) on Vimeo.

From Youtube

---

Fabrication files

---

1. File: xxx ↩

2. File: xxx ↩