Traces
Traces
A trace is a conductive material that carries electricity (e.g. current) from one location in your circuit to another. In traditional electronics, your traces are usually insulated wires with uninsulated tips that you plug into a breadboard or solder to a controller. In soft electronics traces can be created from a single thread traveling through a material, a conductive fabric or paint fused to the surface of a fabric or a single thread of material integrated into a knit or woven fabric. They are attached through more inventive connection methods. Most "smart" features of garments are created by remaking existing sensors and actuators using traces alone - as traces configured in particular patterns (spirals, etc) can produce emergent properties such as magnetism, etc. Traces typically are produced from highly conductive materials like copper and can be integrated with any number of processes from bonding, plating, etching, fusing, knitting, weaving, etc.
Examples:
| Process | Example |
|---|---|
| Combing and Carding | |
| Spinning |
Spinning sensor yarn: https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=7777 Spinning conductive/resistive yarn: https://class.textile-academy.org/2019/ana.correa/assignments/week08/ |
| Extruding/3D printing |
Make your own conductive filament: |
| Plying |
Hand plying conductive yarn |
| Braiding | |
| Paper-Making | |
| Growing | Growing wires in roses: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a18274/plants-electrified-scientists-just-grew-conductive-wires-inside-roses/ |
| Knitting |
Knitting traces to make a finger sensor (see tutorial slides at end of
page):
Knitting i-cords with conductive material: |
| Weaving | Woven Electronic Ribbon integrated into performance garments:
http://www.scisci.org/textilen/ |
| Embroidery | Embroidered traces
http://www.ireneposch.net/the-embroidered-computer/ |
| Felting | |
| Coating | |
| Dying | |
| Bonding | Cut and fused copper fabric example:
http://afroditipsarra.com/index.php?/older-projects/cosmic-bitcasting/ |
| Etching | |
| Pleating | |
| Electrospinning | |
| Sewing | Sewing Traces Tutorial:
https://www.instructables.com/lesson/Sew-a-Circuit/ |