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AKit­of­No­PartsbyHannahPerner­WilsonB.S.UniversityofArtandIndustrialDesignLinz,2007SubmittedtothePrograminMediaArtsandSciences,SchoolofArchitectureandPlanning,inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofMastersofScienceinMediaArtsandSciencesattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,June2011©MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology2011.Allrightsreserved.Author:

HannahPerner­WilsonPrograminMediaArtsandSciences,MIT

May10,2011Certifiedby:

LeahBuechleyAT&TCareerDevelopmentProfessor

PrograminMediaArtsandSciences,MITAcceptedby:

MitchelResnickLEGOPapertProfessorofLearningResearch

AcademicHeadPrograminMediaArtsandSciences,MIT

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AKit­of­No­PartsbyHannahPerner­WilsonB.S.UniversityofArtandIndustrialDesignLinz,2007SubmittedtothePrograminMediaArtsandSciences,SchoolofArchitectureandPlanning,inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofMastersofScienceinMediaArtsandSciencesattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,June2011©MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology2011.Allrightsreserved.ABSTRACTIdemonstrateanewapproachtobuildingelectronicsthatemphasizestheexpressivequalitiesofdiversematerialsaswellastheskillandcreativityofthebuilder.Ibelievethatamoreinsightfulandskilledprocessisalsocapableofproducingmoreintelligibleandpersonalresults.Conventionallyelectronicsthatarebuiltfromakit‐of‐partshavebeenoptimizedforspeed,efficiencyandrepeatabilityofassembly.Whilethisapproachdemonstratesthepowerofmodularsystemsthathavemademanyofthetechnologieswerelyonpossible,italsoconstrainsustoparticularstylesofbuilding,influencingwhatwebuildaswellasimpactinghowwecometothinkaboutelectronics.InordertopromoteadifferentapproachIhavedevelopedaseriesoftechniquesthatallowustobuildelectronicsusingavarietyofcraftmaterialsandtools.Acollectionofelectronicsamplesshowcasestheresultsandthepotentialofthesetechniques,andapublicwebsitedocumentsthesetechniquesintheformof“recipes”.Besidescontaininginstructionsonhowtobuildelectronicstheserecipesarealsodetailedaccountsofmydevelopmentprocessthataimtopromotefurtherexplorationandmaterialinvestigation,insteadofstraightforwardreplication.Afterdevelopingthiscollectionofnewtechniques,documentingandpublishingthem,Irantwoworkshopsinordertoobservehowmyapproachfaredinpractice.Workshopparticipantswereinvitedtobuildtheirownelectronicprojectsfromanewanddiversesetofmaterialsandtools.Observingparticipants’processledmetoreflectontheirdifferentstylesofbuildingandevaluatetowhatextentaKit‐of‐No‐Partsapproachsupportsabuildingstylethatismoreunderstandable,andallowsindividualstoworkmorefreelyandexpressivelywiththematerialsandtoolsinvolved.Currentlyourapproachtobuildingelectronicsisshapedbyindustrialstandardsanddiscretecomponents.TheKit‐of‐No‐Partscountersthisapproachbyintroducingthenotionofcraftandputtingemphasisonskilleduseoftools,intimateknowledgeofmaterials,withtheaimtoproducemorediverseandintelligibleresults.

Advisor: LeahBuechleyAT&TCareerDevelopmentProfessorPrograminMediaArtsandSciences,MIT

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AKit­of­No­PartsbyHannahPerner­WilsonAdvisor:

LeahBuechleyAT&TCareerDevelopmentProfessor

PrograminMediaArtsandSciences,MITReader:

MitchelResnickLEGOPapertProfessorofLearningResearch

AcademicHeadPrograminMediaArtsandSciences,MIT

Reader:

NeriOxmanAssistantProfessor,MediatedMatter

PrograminMediaArtsandSciences,MIT

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................6

BACKGROUND.........................................................................................................................................8Electronics.......................................................................................................................................................................................8IndustrialProduction...................................................................................................................................................... 8IndividualPrototypingandBuilding........................................................................................................................ 8ConstructionKits .............................................................................................................................................................. 9

LiberatedCircuits ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10ElectronicTextiles ......................................................................................................................................................... 10PaperCraftsandElectronics..................................................................................................................................... 10MakerCultures................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Craft ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12CraftToday ....................................................................................................................................................................... 13

BUILDINGAKIT­OF­NO­PARTS...................................................................................................... 15MappingASpace....................................................................................................................................................................... 17SourcingSuppliesandInformation .................................................................................................................................. 20Sourcing:ConductivePaints ..................................................................................................................................... 22

ProducingSamples................................................................................................................................................................... 26Samples:Carving............................................................................................................................................................ 29

DocumentingRecipes.............................................................................................................................................................. 38Recipe:Electroplating.................................................................................................................................................. 40

TheWebsite ................................................................................................................................................................................. 52COLLECTIONOFEXAMPLES ............................................................................................................ 55CarvedPixels ............................................................................................................................................................................... 56CarvedTraces ............................................................................................................................................................................. 57CastTraces................................................................................................................................................................................... 58EtchedTraces ............................................................................................................................................................................. 59GildedTraces .............................................................................................................................................................................. 60Laser­EngravedTraces(andPress­FitComponents) ............................................................................................... 61LinocutandLino­PrintedTraces ....................................................................................................................................... 62PaintedTraces ........................................................................................................................................................................... 63PaperSpeakers .......................................................................................................................................................................... 64PlatedSeashellSpeaker ......................................................................................................................................................... 65PlatedTraces .............................................................................................................................................................................. 66Screen­PrintedTraces............................................................................................................................................................. 67SculptedMotor........................................................................................................................................................................... 68VinylcutTraces .......................................................................................................................................................................... 69

WORKSHOPS ........................................................................................................................................ 70FirstWorkshop .......................................................................................................................................................................... 73SecondWorkshop ..................................................................................................................................................................... 80

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REFLECTIONSONPROCESS ............................................................................................................. 88BalancingMethodandIntuition ........................................................................................................................................ 89BeingExplicitAboutTacitKnowledge ............................................................................................................................ 89DocumentinginReal­Time................................................................................................................................................... 90StylesofApproach .................................................................................................................................................................... 90RehearsingandDebugging .................................................................................................................................................. 91ConcludingRemarks................................................................................................................................................................ 92

APPENDIX.............................................................................................................................................. 93

BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................................... 95Websites ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 96

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INTRODUCTIONTheMITMediaLabisaplacetoimagine,prototypeandbuildtechnologies.Situatedwithinthisenvironment,theHigh‐LowTechresearchgrouplooksattheprocesses,audiencesandculturessurroundingtechnologiesandathowthesesurroundingelementsimpacttechnology.Wecareaboutthekindsofpeoplewhoaredrawntocreatingtechnology.Wepromotediverse,accessibleandcreativewaysofapproachingtechnology.Finally,weencourageandsupporttheformationofcommunitiesandculturesaroundthesenewaudiencesandprocesses.

Inmywork,Ilookathowwebuildelectronicsandatthematerialsandtoolswebuildwith.TheKit‐of‐No‐Partsisanewapproachtobuildingelectronicsthatemphasizestheexpressivequalitiesofdiversematerialsaswellastheskillandcreativityofthebuilder.Thisapproachisrepresentedthroughasetoftechniquesthatinclude,amongotherthings,waystosculptandplateelectricalconnections,cutpaperspeakers,carvewoodendialsandpaintcolor‐changingpixels.Ibelievethatthisnewapproachtobuildingwillleadtoagreaterdiversityofelectronicsthataremoreunderstandableandunique.

Inindustry,“kit‐of‐parts”describesanapproachtodesigningdiscretecomponentsthatfunctionasmodularpartswithinacoherentsystem.Thesepartshavebeenoptimizedforspeed,efficiency,andrepeatabilityofassembly.TheKit‐of‐No‐Partsapproachemphasizesbuildingoutsideofthesesystems.WhileIincorporateavarietyofpartsinmytechniques,Idonotconfinemyselftoworkingwithintheirconstraints.

Iamnotthefirstpersontoaddresssomeoftheseproblemssurroundingelectronics.Awholerangeofelectronicconstructionkits(picoCricket[picoCricket,w2011],Phidgets[GreenbergandFitchett,2001])havebeendesignedtomakeelectronicsmoreunderstandable,andaccessible,makingthemappealnotonlytochildrenbutalsotoartistsanddesigners(Arduino[Arduino,w2011]).TheLilyPadArduino,asewablemicrocontrollerplatform,isanexampleofhowanewandmoreexpressiveapproachtobuildingelectronicsengagesdiversecommunitiesandproducesnewkindsoftechnologies[BuechleyandHill,2010].ArangeofprototypesandprojectsfromwithinthefieldofInteractionDesigndemonstratesomeofthedifferentkindsoftechnologiesthatcouldexistifweweretoapproachtechnologywithafocusonmoresocial,culturalandethicalimplications[Dunne,2005].

WhatdifferentiatesmyapproachfromtoolkitsandcriticaldesignsisthatIamnotintroducinganewsetofmoreunderstandablepartsorexamplesofwhattechnologymightonedaybecome.InsteadIamdevelopingnewprocessesforcreatingtechnologybyre‐introducingthenotionofcraft.Takingacraftapproachtobuildingelectronicsintroducesaninsightfulandskilledprocessthatisalsocapableofproducingmoreintelligibleandmorepersonalresults.Thisprocessanditsresultsappealtoindividualsandcommunitieswhowerepreviouslynotdrawntobuildingelectronicsthemselves.

BeforetheKit‐of‐No‐Partsapproach,Ihadbeenworkingwithtextilecraftsandelectronicsforseveralyears.Mypreviousworkincludesanonlinelibraryoftextilesensors[HowToGetWhatYouWant,w2011],aseriesofhands‐onworkshops[Perner‐Wilsonetal.,2011]onthetopicofDoItYourself(DIY)textilesensorinterfacesaswellasaseriesofprojectsthatincludeawearablegameinterfaceandamotion‐capturecostume.

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Inapproachingmythesis,Iselectedandcategorizedelectroniccomponents,conductivematerialsandcraftprocessesandmappedthemintoacollectivespace.WithinthisspaceIsketchedconnectionsbetweendifferentcategoriesandusedtheseintersectionstogenerateideas.Iproceededtorealizetheseideasthroughmakingandtestingsamples.Makingsamplesmeantcombiningdifferentmaterialsandtoolingprocessesinasystematicwayinordertotestwhatworkedandwhatdidn’t.WhileIwassystematicaboutmysamplemaking,Ialsoreliedonmyintuition.Thisprocessofproducingsamplesforcedmetothinkexplicitlyaboutmystyleofworkingandhowtoconveyitasanapproach.ThroughmythesisdocumentIaminterestedincommunicatingnotonlytheresultsofmyexperimentation,butalsotheexperimentalapproachitself.

Theresultsofmythesisworkincludeacollectionofexamplesandawebsite.Thecollectionofexamplesdemonstrateswhatonecanbuildwhencraftskillsandexpressivematerialsbecomeaninherentpartofthebuildingprocess.TheyshowcasetheresultsofthevarietyoftechniquesIdevelopedsuchascopper‐platedseashellspeakersandornamentallygildedgoldcircuits.Thewebsitedocumentsthetechniquesusedtocreatetheseexamplesasrecipes,sothatthisapproachcanbeappliedbyothers.Theserecipesarenotjuststraightforwardstep‐by‐stepinstructionsonecanfollowtoachievetheresult;instead,theyaredetailedaccountsofmyprocess.Theyattempttopromptotherstobuilduponmywork,ratherthansimplyreplicateit.

Inordertogetanunderstandingofhowmyworkimpactshowwecurrentlybuildelectronics,Idiscusstowhatdegreeitsupportsabuildingstylethatismoreunderstandable,andtowhatdegreesuchtransparencyallowsindividualstoworkmorefreelyandexpressivelywiththematerialsandtoolsinvolved.ThroughtwoworkshopsIlookatothers’abilitytoapplythesetechniquessuccessfully,andathowtheuseofcraftmaterialsandtoolsinfluencestheirperceptionofelectronics.Iaminterestedtofindoutwhoisdrawntothisbuildingapproach,whatmotivatesthemtoengagewithit,howtheyexperiencetheprocessandwhattheywanttobuild.

Inthefollowingchapters,Idescriberelatedworkandbackgroundinformationrelevanttomythesis.IdetailmyexperimentalprocessofbuildingtheKit‐of‐No‐Partsanddocumentmytechniquesintheformofrecipes.IintroduceacollectionofexamplesthatshowcasewhatkindsofelectronicscanbebuiltwiththetechniquesI’vedeveloped.ThroughsummarizingandanalyzingtheworkshopsI’veconducted,Ireflectonmyprocessaswellasontheresultsofthatprocess.

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BACKGROUNDInthischapter,Iintroducebuildingprocessesastheyrelatetoelectronicsandcraft.Idescribehowelectronicsaredesignedandmanufacturedasdiscretecomponentsandhowweprototypeandbuildelectronicsatanindividuallevel.Whilethisfirstsectiononelectronicsisfocusedonhowwebuildwithinsystemsofparts.Inasecondsectiontitled“LiberatedCircuits”focusesonelectronicsoutsidetheirsystemsbyexploringotherformsofbuildingwithelectronicsthat,fordifferentreasons,buildelectronicsinmoreunconventionalandunintendedways.Inafinalsectiononcraft,Idescribewhatitmeanstocraftandtowhatextentscrafttodayincorporatestechnology.

Electronics

IndustrialProduction

Todaythemajorityofelectroniccomponentsaremass‐manufactured.Standardizationandakit‐of‐partsapproachtoproductionhavemadelarge‐scalemanufacturingfast,efficientandaffordable.Anelaboratesupplychaindeliversmaterialsthathavebeenmadeworkable,theirflawsremovedtorenderthemuniformandpredictable.Standardizedproductionor“workmanshipofcertainty”asDavidPyecallsit[Pye,1968],allowsustobuildtechnologiesthataremorecomplexthananyonehumancouldevermakehimselforherself.Theresultsofthisprocessdemonstratethepowerofblackboxing[Pugin,1853]anddivisionoflabor,withoutwhichmanyofthetechnologieswerelyontodaywouldnotexist.Buttheseresultsalsoillustratetheinfluencethatthisstandardizedapproachhasonhowtechnologylooks,feelsandfunctions.

“Inparticulartherehasbeenapronounceddevelopmentintheideaofabuildingasakitofpartswhoseindividualfunctionsaretestedandknown,whosecostandperformancehasbeensetandwhoseusecanbespecifiedinonecountryandusedinanotherandeveryoneconcernedknowswhattoexpect.“[CraftandtheTuringTestforpracticalthinking,PeterDormer,TheCultureofCraft,1997]

TheInternationalElectrotechnicalCommission(IEC),whichwasfoundedin1906andworkstowardsdevelopingindustrystandards,describesthegoalofstandardsasallowingfortheassemblyofelectronicsthat“perform,fitandworksafelytogether”[IEC,w2011].Someofthesebenefitsofstandardizationcanalsobecomelimitations.Infirst‐worldindustrialsocietieswehavealreadybeguntothinkofelectronicsintermsofstandardizedpartsanditishardtobreakwiththeseconventions.Whenwethinkofatransistor,wethinkofthespecificcomponentpackagesandnotoftheactualmaterialsandmaterialpropertiesusedtomakethetransistoritself.Thewaytransistorsaredesigned,theirpackageandform‐factor,havelittletodowithhowtheywork.Thiswayinwhichpartstendtoblackboxfunctionality,hidingmechanismsandfunctionalmaterials,makesthemlessintuitiveandunderstandableandharderforindividualstouseinunexpectedorexpressiveways.Ibelievethatpartslibrariesandstandardizedindustrialsystemsconstrainhowwebuild,whatwebuildaswellashowwethinkaboutelectronics.Figure2showsanassortmentofstandardizedelectronicscomponents.

IndividualPrototypingandBuilding

Thewaysinwhichwecurrentlysketch,prototypeandbuildelectronics,evenashobbyistswithinthevicinitiesofourownhomes,relyonstandardizedparts.Arangeoftoolsexistthatallowustoprototypeandeasilydisassembleourdesignsbuiltwiththeseparts.Thisstyleofworking,too,standsincontrasttotheapproachIamproposing.

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IwanttobrieflyintroducesomeofthewaysinwhichwecurrentlybuildelectronicstobettercontrastitwiththeapproachI’mproposing.Breadboardingisacommonelectronicstermusedtodescribetheprocessofprototypingcircuitsonabreadboard.Thename“breadboard”comesfromthewayearlyradioenthusiastsusedactualbreadboardsorpiecesofwoodasplatformstowhichtheyscrewedandattachedtheindividualpartsoftheirradiocircuits[Fig.1,left].Todaybreadboardsarerectangularplasticconstructionbaseswithagridofholesspacedtofittheleadsofmostthrough‐holecomponents[Fig.1,right].Jumperwiresareusedtocreateadditionalconnectionsonthebreadboard.

Figure1.Left:1922OnetubebreadboardradiobyA.CGilbertErector(imagetakenfromnwwone.org).Right:Modernbreadboardwithcomponentsandjumperwires.

Todesignmoredurableandpermanentprintedcircuitboards(PCBs),onecanusesoftwarethatallowsfortheselectionofcomponentsfromalibraryofstandardpartstobelaidoutinadesign.Thesoftwarehelpsoptimizethearrangementofindividualpartsandtheconnectionsbetweenthem.Thefinaldesigncanthenbeexportedtocreatefilesforindustrialorindividualproductionthroughchemicaletchingormillingthecircuitfromacopperfoillaminate.

ConstructionKits

Constructionkitsmakeelectronicsaccessible;theylowertheentrybartoscience,engineeringandtechnologydisciplinesandallowmoreofustobuildourownelectronics.Similartoindustrialproduction,thepartsofaconstructionkitfunctioninsidemodularsystems,yetwhereasinindustrypartsareoptimizedforengineerstobuildwithandmachinestomass‐produce,thepartsofaconstructionkitaredesignedwithattentiontohowanindividualusesthemtobuild,understand,andlearn.

Arangeofphysicalcomputingtoolkitsareaimedatbridgingthegapsbetweenprogrammingandbuildingelectronicsandtheirinteractionswiththephysicalworld.ToolkitssuchasPhidgets[GreenbergandFitchett,2001]andArduino[Arduino,w2011]havemadeprogrammingandbuildinginteractiveprojectssoaccessiblethatartists,designersandstudentsallovertheworldareintegratingelectronicsintheirwork.PicoCrickets[Fig.2]arephysicalcomputingmodulesforchildrendesignedtobeeasilyintegratedwiththephysicalworldtoemphasizeandpromoteartisticexpression.

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Figure2.Left:Electronicscomponents(imagetakenfromprintedcircuit1.com).Right:PicoCricketsbyPICOarebasedonresearchfromtheLifelongKindergartengroupattheMITMediaLab(photofromSmartDesign).

LiberatedCircuits

Besidesindustry,individualprototypingandconstructionkits,thereareotherapproachestobuildingelectronics.Buildingoutsideofindustrialproductionisoftenassociatedwithbuildingasaformofpersonalexpressionoraestheticcreation.Thefollowingparagraphssummarizesomecontemporarymovementsthatrepresentindependent,expressiveandmoremateriallydiversebuildingprocessesrelatedtoelectronicsandtechnology.

ElectronicTextiles

ThefieldofElectronicTextiles(E‐Textiles),theseamlessintegrationofelectronicsandtextiles,representsoneofthemoreintegrativematerialapproachestobuildingelectronicswithandfromfabricsaswellasothersoft,flexibleandmalleablematerials.Researchinthisarea[BuechleyandHill,2010]hasshownthatintroducinganewpaletteofmaterialsandtoolsforbuildingelectronicsattractsnewaudiencesandgeneratesanewdiversityofelectronicartifacts.Theseartifactsarenotonlyaestheticallyintriguingbutalsofunctionallynovelandoftentheresultofapersonalencounterwithtechnology.

AnewsetoftoolkitssuchastheLilyPadArduino[Buechleyetal.,2008][Fig.3],Fabrickit[Fabrickit,w2011]andtheSchemer[Schemer,w2011]aredesignedtofacilitatetheintegrationandcombinationofelectronicsandtextiles.WhilethesetoolkitssupportandenableanewcommunityofbuilderstorealizetheirownE‐Textileprojectstheyalsointroducenewprocessesandnewstylesofworkingthatlieinbetweentheplugandplayworldofelectronicsandtheworldoftextilehandicrafts.

PaperCraftsandElectronics

In2007and2009twoconferenceworkshopstitledTransitiveMaterials[TransitiveMaterials,w2011]focusedonintegratingmaterialtechnologyandcomputation.TheacademicpaperspresentedattheseworkshopsincludedtheworkonPulp‐BasedComputing[Coelhoetal.,2009]thatintroducedelectronicsintothepapermakingprocessesallowingforelectricalconnections,bendsensorsandLEDlightstobeembeddedwithinpaper.Pulpcomputingalsointroduceda

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screen‐printedflatspeakercoilthatinspiredthepaperandseashellspeakersIintroduceinmythesis.AnotherpaperonCo‐DesignedPaperDevices[Sauletal.,2010]includeddocumentationofagildedcircuitmadefromgoldleafthatwasusedtoactuateapaperrobot.

Figure3.Left:LilyPadArduinoembeddedinanE­Textilesproject.Right:Screen­printedspeakercoilonhandmadepaperbyMarceloCoehlo(imagetakenfromeyemotive.com).

Combiningpaper,electronicsandcomputationhasalsobeenoneoftheresearchdirectionsoftheHigh‐LowTechresearchgroup.ElectronicPopables[QiandBuechley,2010]isaninteractivepop‐upbookthatshowcaseshowelectronicsandpop‐upmechanismscanbeintegratedtoproducenewresultsthatcombineartisticexpressionwithcraftandengineeringskills.TheLivingWall[Buechleyetal.,2010]isalarge‐scalepaintedinteractivecircuitthatappearsasadecorativefloralwallpaperpattern,integratingfunctionalcircuitlayoutandtheelectricalpropertiesofconductivepaintwithappearanceandaesthetics.

InmanywaystheKit‐of‐No‐PartsapproachsprungfromarealizationthatinattributingmanyofthenovelanddiverseresultsofE‐Textilesandpapercomputingsolelytothedifferentmaterialstheyweremadefrom,weareoverlookingtheimpactthattheshiftinprocesswashavingonelectronics‐namelyashiftfromtheestablishedpracticeofassemblingelectronicsfromakit‐of‐parts,toaprocessofcraftingelectronics.

MakerCultures

InthissubsectionIintroduceavarietyofdifferentbuildingcommunitiesthat,inmyopinion,representstylesofbuildingwithelectronicsthattakeplace“outsidethebox”.BythisImeanthattheymakeexpliciteffortstoworkwithelectronicsinunconventionalways,foravarietyofreasonsthatincluderesourcefulness,customizationandaesthetics.

Hackerspaces[Fig.4]haveestablishedthemselvesinmanyplacesasaphysicalspacetobuildandhackelectronicstogether.

Circuitbendingisastyleofmodifyingmostlycheaptoycircuitstoillicitinterestingelectronicsounds.Bentcircuitsareoftenhousedincustom‐builtcontainersfromre‐assembledpartsandscraps,bringingtogetherelectronicscomponentsandhouseholditems.

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Steampunk[AkahandBardzell,2010]isasubculturethat,amongotherthings,modifiesandbuildselectronicstolookliketheyoriginatedfromtheVictorianarea.WhilemanySteampunkelectronicsarereplicasofmoderntechnology,theyincorporatearangeofmaterialsandstylesthatarereminiscentofapasterainwhichsteampowerwaswidelyused.Theresultsaresometimeselectronicartifactsthatstandoutbecausetheylooknothingliketypicalconsumerelectronics[Fig.4].

Figure4.Left:Nosebridgehackerspace,SanFrancisco(phototakenfrommattleaf.com).Right:RhombusMaximusbyAlexNeretin­asteampunkcomputermousemadeofcopper,brassandwalnutwood(imagefrombehance.net).

ThetermDoItYourself(DIY)hasexperiencedrecentpopularityandmediaattention.O’Reilly’sMakeMagazine[Makezine,w2011]andMakerFaires[MakerFaire,w2011]arebigsupportersofthisnewmakermovement.MakerculturehasalsoverysuccessfullyleveragedtheInternetasaninternationalplatformforcommunitiestomeetandexchangeprojectsandinformation.Ravelry[Ravelry,w2011]andInstructables[Instructables,2011]areexamplesofonlinecommunitiesbasedaroundsharinginformation,publishingprojectsandacknowledgingothers’work.

Culturesofmakingexistaroundmaterials,tools,andcommunityspacesaswellasaroundtheartifactsthatpeoplemakebutthemindsetoftheindividualmakerisjustasmuchanimportantpartofthesecultures.JaySilverdescribesaMakerMethodology[Silver,2009]thatpromotesmakingasamindset,wheretheworldisyourpaletteandyouandyourbodyplayaroleinthewayyoubuild,learncreateandinteractwithelectronics.

Craft

Craftmaterialsandcraftedartifactsareoftenpraisedfortheiraesthetic,decorativeandmaterialqualitiesandyetwehardlyconsiderthemintermsofinnovativenessorusefulness.Wegenerallyconsidercraftedartifactstobeshapedbytheskilled“workmanshipofrisk”[Pye,1968]andthepersonalknowledge[Dormer,1997]oftheindividualcraftspersonaswellasbythematerialsandtoolsinvolved.

“Acraftobjectoftenrevealsmuchabouttheskillandthetechnologyusedtomakeit.Therelationshipbetweencraftprocessandproductislikelytobe,ifnotquitetransparent,thenatleastrelativelyaccessibletomostofus.Thereispleasurefromwearingorusingsomethingwhosecreationwecan

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bothadmireandunderstand.Inaworldwherewehavelosttouchwiththebusinessofmakingthings,thecraftobjectrestoresforustheconnectionbetweenmakingandusing.Bycontrast,designconceals.Notonlydowenotunderstandhowdesignedobjectsaremade,wedonotunderstandhowtheywork.”[HelenRees,Patternsofmaking:thinkingandmakinginindustrialdesign,TheCultureofCraft,1997]

CraftToday

Lookingatcontemporarypracticesofcraft,thereseemstobeasplitbetweencontemporarycraftthatleveragestechnologiesinsupportoftraditionalpractices,suchastheonlineknittingcommunityRavelry[Ravelry,w2011],andcontemporarycraftthattakesamoreradicalstanceonestablishingnewformsofcraftexpressioninmodernsociety,suchasKnitta[Knitta,w2011]andHyperbolicCrochet[HyperbolicCrochetCoralReef,w2011].Knittaisacollectiveofknitterswhouseknittingasaformofgraffiti.HyperbolicCrochethasbecomeaworld‐widemovementthatcelebratesthecraftofcrochettoproducemathematicalstructuresthatrepresentcoralreefstructuresinanattempttodrawattentiontothethreatsthatglobalwarmingishavingonthisnaturalwonder.

Figure5.Left:Knittagrafitti(imagetakenfromhugznbitchez.com).Right:“CrochetCoralandAnemoneGarden"withseaslugbyMarianneMidelburg(photoscopyrightTheIFFbyAlyssaGorelick).

Craftemphasizesprocess,thematerialsandtoolsinvolvedaswellastheskillandjoyinmanuallabor.Crafthasbecomedefinedasothertoindustrialproductionandthiscomparisonhasemphasizedmoreofthesocialandeconomicalaspectsofcraft,craftsmanshipandartisanalproduction.Theresultisthattheseaspectstohaveanimpactonhowweviewcraftandcraftedartifacts.

Thecommonimageweconjureupofthecraftsperson’sworkspace,whilefullofmaterialsandtools,isoutdatedintermsoftechnologyandinnovation.Themoderncraftworkspaceexists.Itincludescomputersandotherhigh‐techelectronicsandyetwhenwethinkofcraftwepicturethenostalgicworkspacethatrepresentsthebirthplaceofthekindsofartifactswetypicallyviewascrafted.Whilecrafthascometoembracetechnologyforproduction[AnnSuttonquotedinDormer,1997,p145],communitybuildingandsocialnetworking[Torray,2009][Rosner,2010],therearefewapproachesthathavebroughtusaframeworkinwhichtocrafttechnologyitself.

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InthefollowingchaptersIdetailmythesisworkthatexplorestheprocessandpossibilitiesofbuildingelectronicsbycombiningtheskilled,materialandpersonalqualitiesofcraft,theexpressive,tinkeringandresourcefulqualitiesofmakerculturewithestablishedformsofbuildingelectronicsfromasetofdiscretecomponents.IdescribetheseriesoftechniquesthatIhavedevelopedinordertopromotewhatIbelieveisamoremateriallydiverse,functionallytransparentandexpressivestyleofbuildingelectronics.

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BUILDINGAKIT‐OF‐NO‐PARTS

Figure6.SnapshotofmyworkspacetakenduringtheprocessofbuildingaKit­of­No­Parts.

TheintroductionexplainedmymotivationanddescribedmyapproachandinthebackgroundsectionIpaintedapictureofhowwebuildandcraftwithelectronicstoday.Inthischapter,IwilldetailthestagesIwentthroughincreatingmythesiswork.Figure6showsasnapshottakenofmyworkspacewhileIwasbuildingtheKit‐of‐No‐Parts.

ThroughoutthisdescriptionofmyprocessofdevelopingnewtechniquesItalkaboutsamples,examplesandrecipes,asshowninFigureX.Whileintimatelyrelated,thesearethreeseparatethings.SamplesaretheexperimentsIproducedtodevelopnewtechniques.ExamplesarethedemonstrationsImadetoshowcasethesetechniques.Finally,recipesaretheinstructionsIwroteinordertosharethesetechniqueswithothers.

FororganizationalpurposesIwilldescribethedifferentstagesofbuildingaKit‐of‐No‐Partsinalinearorder.ButinpracticetherewasmuchoverlapandbackandforthbetweenstagesthatisbetterillustratedasshowninFigure7.

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Figure7.IllustrationoftheprocessofbuildingaKit­of­No­Parts.MappingSpace:Visualizingtheconceptualframeworkofmythesistogenerateideas.SourcingSuppliesandInstruction:Acquiringthenecessarymaterials,toolsandinformationtobeginwork.ProducingSamples:Testingnewtechniquesthroughasuccessionofsamples.MakingExamples:Designingacollectionofexamplesthatshowcasemyvarioustechniques.Workshops:Holdingtwoworkshopstosharetechniquesandgatherfeedbackonhowtheyarereceived.DocumentingRecipes:Writingupmysuccessesandfailuresforotherstofollow.Website:Launchingthewebsiteandfillingitwithinformation.

AsIcontinuetotalkaboutthetechniquesIdeveloped,IwanttobeclearthatI’mreferringtoaparticularstyleofbuildingthatcomesclosertocraftthanengineering,thatislimitedbyskillandnotbytoolsetandthatisdefinedbyriskandnotbycertainty.Ibeganmyexplorationlookingfortoolsthatwouldallowmetoworkexpressivelywithawiderangeofmaterials;fortechniquesthatrequireskillandemphasizematerialqualities.Iwaslookingtoachievediverseanduniqueresults.Thereisn’taclearlineIcandrawbetweentheexpressiveprocessI’mtryingtodescribeandthelessexpressiveprocessesI’mtryingtocounter.Themindsetandattitudeofthemakerplayalargepartinhowexpressivethebuildingprocessis.ThisiswhytheKit‐of‐No‐Partsisasmuchaboutattitudeasitisaboutconcretetechniquesandrecipes.

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MappingASpace

Figure8.Snapshotofcategorizationsmadeintheprocessofmappingspace.

ThefirststepItookinexploringtheintersectionsofcraftandelectronicswastolookseparatelyatthedomainsofelectronics,materialsandbuildingprocesses.Iwasinterestedinhoweachofthesethreedomainsdescribedandcategorizedthemselves.IlistedthedifferentkindsofcategorizationsIcouldfindforeachdomainandthenselectedtheonethatwasmostrelevantformyintentions.Sometimesthisinvolvedmixingcategorizationsandeveninventingmyown.Figure8showsadetailofsuchacategorization.

Electronicscanbecategorizedbyelectricalproperties(conductive,resistive,piezoresistive,piezoelectric,dielectric/isolating…)orbypackagenorms(surfacemount,through‐hole...),butconventionallytheyarecategorizedbydiscretecomponent(traces,resistors,capacitors,sensors,actuators,power,transistors,integratedcircuits…)aslistedinestablishedliteraturesuchasTheArtofElectronics[HorowitzandHill,1989].Whilethinkingofelectronicsintermsofelectricalpropertieshelpedmetothinkofindividualcomponentsfromanewperspective,Idecidedtogowiththecommoncategorization.Myreasoningforthiswasthatitwasnotmyimmediategoaltochangehowwecategorizeelectronics,butratherhowwebuildthem,whichincludesbuildingwiththem.

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Materialsareconventionallycategorizedbychemicalelementsandcompounds(metals,ceramics,wood,polymers...)butcanalsobecategorizedbyform‐factor(solid,liquid,powder,gas…)orbyconductivity(conductive,resistive,piezoresistive,piezoelectric,dielectric/isolating…)Ichosetopre‐selectconductivematerialsandthencategorizethembyform‐factor.Myreasoningforthiswasthatsuchamajorityofconductivematerialsfallintothemetalscategorythatthiscategorywoulddistinguishlessdifferencesandcategorizingmaterialsbyform‐factorallowedmetorelatethemmoreeasilytoprocessesandtools.

BuildingProcessesarecategorizeddifferently,dependingondomain.Industrialprocessesaresometimeslistedbyprocesstypesuchaschemicalprocess,heatprocessorphysicalprocessbutmorecommonlytheyarecategorizedbysimilarityoffunctionsuchascasting,molding,forming,machining,joiningandpolishing.Craftprocessesaretraditionallycategorizedbymaterial(metalwork,woodwork...)andbyprocess(carving,weaving...)butthisisnotsomuchacategorizationasawayofnamingcrafts.Idecidedtocategorizecraftsinmodernmanufacturingtermsandtolistthemasadditive,subtractiveanddeformingprocesses,anothercommoncategorizationusedinmanufacturinghandbookssuchasFundamentalsofModernManufacturing[Groover,2010].

Itisinterestingtonotethateachofthesethreecategoriesdescribesitselfdifferentlythroughitschoiceofnamingandcategorization.Electronicsareverymuchdiscretecomponentsthathavebeencategorizedbyindustryandtheirmanufacturingterms.Materialsfallnaturallyintoscientificcategorizations,butcouldjustaseasilybedescribedandcategorizedintomoretactileoremotionalcategoriessuchasrough,softandcold.Whilecraftsdescribethemselvesthroughmaterialsandtoolprocessessuchaswoodworkorcarving,industrialprocessesfocusonhowmaterialsareworkedintotheirfinalform,eitherthroughadding,removingorshapingthematerials.

Aftertryingoutvariouscombinationsoftheabovedomainsandcategorizations,Ifoundthefollowingcombinationmostsupportiveofgeneratingideasfornewtechniques.Ichosetolistconductivematerialsbysubstanceandthenbyform‐factorontheleftandprocessesbyadditive,subtractiveanddeformingontheright.Ichosenottoincludeelectroniccomponentsasacategoryandinsteadhavethemresultfromthevariousmaterial‐processintersections.ThismappingworkedoutverywellformeandinthefollowingIgiveamoredetailedlistingofwhatIincluded.

Conductivematerialswerelistedasmetal,metalizedandnon‐metallic.WithinthemetalandmetalizedcategoriesIlistedmetaltypessuchascopper,silver,gold,nickel.Withinthenon‐metalliccategoryIlistedcarbon,intrinsicallyconductingpolymers(ICPs),salt,plasma.Thenextsubcategorywasform‐factor.InmetalsIincludedthingslikefoil,sheet,rod,pipe,wire,mesh,leaf,bead,filing,powder,fiber,screw,nailandhinge.Metalizedformfactorsincludedfabric,tape,threadandyarn.Non‐metalform‐factorsincludedpowder,fiber,liquid,solution,coating,gel,fabric,paper,tape,pencilleadandgas.

Craftprocesseswerecategorizedasadditive,subtractiveanddeforming.Idividedadditiveintoapplyingandfusing.Applyingincludedprinting,painting,coating,platinganddrawing.Fusingincludedgluingandlaminating.Subtractiveprocessesweredividedintocuttingandremoving.Technically,cuttingisnotalwayssubtractiveandcanfallinthedeformingcategory.Cuttingincludedripping,tearingandseparating.Removingincludedcarving,engravingandetching.Andfinally,thedeformingcategorywassubdividedintomolding,casting,foldingandinterlocking.Moldingandcastingincludedthrowing,sculpting,shapingandcuring.Foldingincludedcreasing.

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Interlockingincludedweaving,knitting,crochetandknotting.ManyofthetechniquesintheinterlockingcategoryareprevalentintextilecraftsandtosomedegreeIexplicitlytriedtoavoidthesebecauseIwaslookingtocombinecrafttechniquesthathadnotalreadybeenexploredinE‐Textiles.

Figure9.Brainstormingsketchesontopofcategorizationmapthatleadmetodeveloptechniques.

ThesketchesinFigure9showmybrainstormingsketchesforselectcomponentsontopofthecompletedmapthathelpedmedrawintersectionsbetweenmaterialsandtechniques.ThesesketchesalsodepictconcreteideasfortechniquesthatIwentontodevelop.Thefirstsketchontheleftdescribesamethodforincorporatingnaturalmaterialssuchasleavesandshellsasbasestructuresforelectronics.Thisideaevolvedintoarecipeforelectroplatingseashellspeakers.Thesecondsketchontherightdescribesanapproachtosculptingandcarvingelectronicsfromconductivematerialsandthisideaevolvedintorecipesforcarvingelectricalconnectionsoutofwoodaswellasanattemptatsculptingpreciousmetalclaytomaketiltsensorsandmotors.

HavingusedmymaptogeneratetheseconcreteideasIbegantheprocessoforderingsupplies,findinginstructionsanddevelopingnewtechniques.

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SourcingSuppliesandInformation

Figure10.ImagetakenofthespatchulatooldisplayatthelocalartandcraftsupplystorewhereIpurchasedseveralofmysupplies.

HavinggeneratedideasfornewtechniquesIwasreadytobeginsourcingandacquiringthenecessarymaterialsandtools[Fig.10].InthischapterIdescribehowIuseddifferentinformationsourcestofindsuppliesandinstructions.ThroughselectexamplesIsharewhatIlearntaboutthesenewmaterials,toolsandtechniquesthroughtheprocessofobtainingthem.

ThetypesofmediaIfoundmostusefulincludedotherpeopleswrittenaccountsoftheirprocesses,especiallywhentheyincludeddetailsnotonlyregardingwhatbutalsowhytheychoseacertainmaterialortool.Photoswereextremelyvaluablebecausetheycapturedmoreinformationthanthepersonthoughttowriteabout.Sketcheshelpedillustratedetailsthatwereotherwisehardtodepictordescribe.Whilevideoswereoftentedioustowatchatlength,theyweregreatsourcesofallkindsofimplicitdetailsthatIhadahardtimefindinginexplicitdocumentation.

Ichoseonlinemediaoverotherformsofinstructionsuchasapprenticeships,classesandevenprintedliterature.MyreasoningforthiswasthatIintendedtousesimilarformsofdocumentation

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formyownworkanditseemedliketheperfectopportunitytoexperiencelearningfromthemfirsthand.

Idrewmostheavilyupontheinstructionalresourcesbothbeforeandafter,andlesssoduringmyprocessofmaking.Instructionsarenotonlyasourceofhow‐toinformationbutalsoagreatplacetolookforinformationpertainingtothematerialsandtoolsinvolvedinaprocess.Otherplacestolookforthiskindofinformationincludetheonlineandofflineshopsthatmanufactureanddistributetheseresources.Thesewebsitesoftenmakesuggestionsastowhatcollectionsofproductsbelongtogether,givingyouanideaofallthesuppliesinvolvedinaparticularcraftorprocess.

Approachinganewfieldofpracticecanbeanoverwhelmingexperienceintermsoftheamountsofnewinformationoneencounters.Thiscanmakeithardtofindthepreciseinstructionsordetailedinformationthatoneislookingfor.SometimesIgiveuponfindingwhatI’mlookingforrelativelyearlyinfavorofamorehands‐onlearningexperience.Ifindthatevenafterabriefhands‐onencounterwithsomeofthematerialsandtools,I’minamuchbetterpositiontooverseeandcomprehendthemassesofinformationavailableonline.Byfiguringthingsoutmyself,myvocabularygrows,allowingmetobetterdescribewhatI’mlookingforandIbecomebetteratjudgingrelevantfromirrelevantinformation.

InordertoillustratesomeofthedetailsofmysourcingprocessformaterialsIdescribemysearchforconductivepaintsthatIwaslookingtouseforpaintingandcastingconductors.

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Sourcing:ConductivePaints

Figure11.Collectionofconductivepaintsmixedatdifferentratios,withdifferentmediums,andstraybottleofgildingsize.

Conductivepaintsareproducedforvarietyofapplications.Historicallysomepaintswereconductivebecausetheycontainedmetalliccolorpigments,buttodaythereisawholeindustryaroundtheproductionofconductivepaintsforprintingcircuitsaswellaspaintingwallstoshieldentireroomsfromelectromagneticfrequencies(EMF).

Mygoalwastofindconductivepaintsthatcouldbeappliedtoavarietyofdifferentsurfacesandmaterials.Ialsowantedtocombinethemwithbasemediumssuchasscreen‐printingbase,block‐printingbaseandevenlatexsothatIcouldcaststretchyconductors[Fig.11].Iwaslookingtoachieveavarietyofconductiverangesthatincluded:“Veryconductive”,lessthan10Ohmresistanceacrossroughlyadistanceof10cmandnowiderthan1cm,“Resistive”,intheKOhmrangeacrossroughlythatsamelengthanddistance,and“Piezoresistive”,havingelectricalpropertiesthatchangeunderphysicalinfluencessuchaspressureandstretch.

Beingabletopaint,print,stampandcastelectronics,aswellashavethembestretchableandflexible,opensupmanyexcitingpossibilities.

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OneofthefirsttrailsofthoughtIfollowwhenlookingforanewmaterialiswhetherIcouldpossiblymakeitmyself.Intermsofconductivepaintthiscouldbesomethinglikegrindingpencilleadandmixingitwithabinder,andindeedifyousearchonlineyoufindavarietyofinstructionsformixingyourownconductivepaintsandglues.Mostofthemmixgraphitewithamediumsuchasliquidtapeortwo‐componentepoxy,amediumthatwillshrinkratherthanexpandduringdryingorcuringsothatthenon‐conductivemediumwillnotseparateorencapsulatetheconductivepowderparticlesbutinsteadtocompressthem.IhadexperimentedwiththisinthepastandwhileitwaspossibletomakemyownconductivepaintsIwaslookingforsomethingmoreconductivethanIhadbeenabletoachievepreviously.

Ioftenbeginmysearchforaspecificmaterial,notonline,butbythinkingifthematerialiscontainedinorapartofanycommercialproduct.Oftentimesfindingacommonlyavailablevariantofwhatoneislookingforcansavetimeaswellascost.Silverpaint,forexample,iscontainedinconductivepensthataresoldforfixingelectricalconnectionsoncircuits.Ihavehadlittleluckgettingthesepenstoworkwellanddispensetheirconductiveinkniceandsmoothly,buttheycaneasilybecutopenandthesilverpaintextractedtobeusedinotherways.Whilemetallicmarkersandmagneticwallpaintseemliketheymightbeconductive,neitherofthemare.Metallicmarkerseithercontainonlyminimalamountsofmetalparticles,notenoughtoconduct,andoftentheydon’tcontainanyconductivematerials.Ironfilingsinmagneticwallpaintaretoodispersedintheirmediumtoconductelectricity.

Anotherwaytofindmaterialsinoddplacesistoconsiderallthedifferentformsandformfactorsitmightbesoldas.Conductivepaintsarealsosoldinspraycansbothforshieldingyourhomeaswellasforshieldingboxesthatcontainsensitivecircuits.

Therearecountlessmanufacturersanddistributorsofconductivepaintsonlineandbecauseconductivepaintisusedinavarietyofapplicationsitissoldindifferentpackagingandamounts.ConductivepaintforEMFshieldingpurposes,wherecustomersmightbepaintingthewallsoftheirhouse,comesinbuckets,whilethesamepaintforjewelryplatingprocessescomesinsmalljars.

Whenmakingsamplesoneoftenonlywantssmallquantitiesofanymaterialtotestbeforeplacingalargeorder.Itisalwaysworthwhiletocontactthecompanydirectlyandaskforsamplesoftheirproduct(s).Oftentimesthesamplesamountsareextremelygenerousandfree.Othertimesyouwillpay.Beforepurchasingamountsofaspecificproductitisgreattohaveaccesstosmallerquantitiestomakesureitwillworkforyourpurposes.InlookingforconductivepaintsonlineIfoundnumerousmanufacturersandsuppliersandwassurprisedtofindquiteanumberofthemthatwere“local”,orratherbasedinNewEngland.WhileitcanbeconvenientandhelpfultoorderfromalocalsuppliersometimesIdidnotrestrictmyselfasIbeganbybrowsingwebsites.

Browsingsomeofthesewebsitescanbeoverwhelmingduetotheamountsofproductsanddatasheetsfilledwithnewkindsofinformation.IfindithelpstotakenotesandsketchchartsinwhichIcancomparethepropertiesandpricesoftheitemsIcomeacross.IthenbeginformulatingemailstothesuppliesofthecompaniesI’minterestedin.IntheemailsIoftenrequestmoreinformationonspecificproductsandinquireaboutsamples.IalsobrieflydescribedwhatIamworkingon.TheKit‐of‐No‐Partswebsitewasnotquitesetupatthatpointbutassoonasitwas,IlinkedtoitinordertoreferencemyworkandhelpexplainwhatIwasdoing.Iheardbackfromtwoorthreecompanies,oneofwhichaskedmetomorepreciselyspecifymypurpose.Itturnedoutthattheymixtheirpaintsforeachorderafterclientsspecifywhattheywant.AtthatpointIwaslooking

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foraconductivepaintthatwouldconductevenwhenstretched.Thecompanysentmeasampleofoneoftheirpaintsscreen‐printedonapieceoffabrictodemonstrateitsflexibilityandabilitytoworkonporousmaterials.WhilethepaintlookedinterestingIdidnotenduppurchasingitfortworeasons:itwasasolventbasedpaintthatrequiredthinninganditneededtobedriedandcuredforupto15minutesattemperaturesabove100°C.Whileunfortunate,ourlabspaceisnotsetupwithgoodventilationoracuringoven,makingworkwithsomematerialsmoretediousthanothers.ButthinkingthatIalsowantmytechniquestobeavailabletoawideaudience,choosingnottoworkwithhigher‐maintenancematerialssuchasthisone,oftenmakemyworkmoreaccessible.

TheconductivesilverpaintIdidenduppurchasingfromanothersupplierwaswater‐basedanddriesextremelyquicklyatroomtemperature,WB‐101fromconductivecompounds[ConductiveCompounds,w2011].Unfortunatelysilverpaintsarenotcheapandthisonecost$1.25pergram.Theydidnotoffersamples,buttheydidsellsampleamountsatthisprice.Somecompanieshaverelativelylargeminimumorders,whichmeantIcouldpurchase100gfor$125.ComparedtomanyoftheothermaterialsandtoolsIwasusinginmyprocess,thiswasdefinitelyamongthemostexpensivepurchases.100gofthepaintwaslessthan100mlandatfirstdidnotseemlikemuchatall,butitendeduplastingmethroughoutmyprocessaswellasthroughouttheworkshops.

OneofthemostvaluablethingsIhavelearnedthroughrequestingsampleamountsofmaterialsisthatthepeoplewhomanufacturetheproductsareoftenjustasinterestedinmyprojectasIamintheirproduct.TheywanttoknowwhatIamusingtheirproductforandevenifitisworkingwellornot.Thepeoplewhoengineerandmakethematerialsknowalotaboutthemandonejusthastogetincontactwiththerightpersonandnotbeafraidtoexplainwhatitisoneisworkingon.Ihavefoundsomepeopleextremelyunderstandingofunusualsoundingapplicationsandactivelyhelpingmefindgoodsolutions.

Smallercompaniesmayhaveasmallerproductrangebuttheymightalsobemoreflexibleandabletoproducesomethingforyouspecifically.Eventhefactthatyoucancontactthemandgetapersonalresponsefromthepersonintherightpositiongivesyoubetteraccesstotheirexpertise.Largecompaniesoftenproducelargeamountstomeetindustrialorders.Theytendtobelessinterestedinone‐offprojectsbecausetheirrevenuecomesfrombigsales.Evenifyourprojectissuccessful,theamountsyoumightenduppurchasingfromthemarenothingonthescaleoftheirreturns.Also,iftheirmachinesaresetuptorunlargeorders,thenitisnoteasyforthemtomakeanythinginsmallamounts.Itisnotthatlargecompaniesassuchdon’tcareaboutyourproject,itisjustthattheirbusinessmodeldoesnotalwaysscaletoyourproject.

TheInternetisavastandintriguinglandscapeofresources.Insteadofwalkingintoastoreyoubrowseanonlineshopanditishardtonotletawebsite’sdesigninfluencetheimpressionyouhaveoftheirproducts.Someindustrialwebsitesareespeciallyhardtonavigateandcanappeardodgy.Aftergettingusedtothesesitesyoubecomemoreadaptatlookingpastwhatisoftenjustpoordesign.Manycompaniesdon’thaveadesignerorsimplydon’tcareasmuchabouttheironlinepresencebecauseitisnottheirmaininterfacewiththeirclients.Insteadordersareplaceddirectlyoverthephone.

Itisinterestingtolookatthedifferentaudiencessomeindustriescatertheirproductsto,especiallywhenthesearenichemarketsonewouldn’timmediatelyconsiderhavinganythingincommonwithoneanother.ConductivefabricsareaniceexampleofhowtheElectroMagneticField(EMF)shieldingindustryproducesproductsthatarebeingsourcedbyindividualssewinginteractivelight‐

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upgarmentsandpeopleshieldingtheirhomesfromEMF.Oftentimesthesedifferentcommunitiesarenotevenawareofeachother.

Astheseobservationsaccumulate,theymakeupalargepartofthisprocess.Thesedetailsarewhatmakethisprocessmorediverse,transparentandindividualthanplacingyourorderforpre‐assembledpartswithacompanylikeDigiKey[DigiKey,w2011]andbeingabletoassembleeverythingthenextday.

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ProducingSamples

Figure12.Samplesofdifferentcolorthermochromicpaintsondifferentheatingelementsthatincludesteelthread,copperpaint,carbonpaint,silverpaintandcoppertape.

Thissectiondescribestheprocessofproducingsamples,oftryingthingsoutthroughsystematicmakingandtesting[Fig.12,13].Whileitisamethodologicalprocessitalsobenefitsfromintuition.Especiallyasyougainexperienceworkingwithmaterialsandtools,onedevelopsafeelingforwhatworksandwhatdoesn’t.I’vefoundthatbalancingmethodandintuitionworkswell,solongasIkeeptrackofeverythingIdo.

Whilesamplemakingthrivesonthefreedomtobranchoutandexplorenewpossibilities,onealsoneedstoknowwhatoneislookingfor.Ideallyonealreadyknewwhatonewaslookingforwhensourcingthematerialsandtools,asdescribedinthepreviouschapter.IntheprocessofbuildingaKit‐of‐No‐PartsIestablishedaroutineofmakingsamplesthatwentsomethinglikethis:

(1)Trytomakeaconductor,acontinuousandreliableelectricallyconductivesurfaceorsolidthatcanbecontrolledintermsofdimensionsandspread(theequivalentofawire).(2)Connectthisconductor,forexampletotheleadofanelectricalcomponent.(3)If1and2aresuccessful,thentrytoisolatetheconductorand“jump”overitwithanotherone,creatinganintersectionoftwo

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overlappingconductorsthatarenotelectricallyconnected.(4)Connectoneoftheconductorsyouhavemadetoanother,thiscanbeseenaspartofstep3aspartofjumpingatraceistoconnecttwoexistingtraces.(5)Basedonexperiencefromtheprevioussamples,thinkofpossibilitiesforresistors,capacitors,inputandoutput.Forexample:switches,pressuresensors,heatingelements,motion,andcolorchange.

Figure13.Left:Samplesofconductivepaintsandpowdersmixedwithlatexinanattempttomakeastretchyconductorthatcanbecast.Right:Samplesofconductivepaintsandrubbersmixedwithvariousmediumssuchasmatteacrylicmedium,fabricmedium,latexandpuffyfabricpaintinanattempttocreatepaintablesubstancewithpiezoresistiveproperties.

ForroughlytwomonthsIspenteverydaytryingtodemonstratehowtheselectionofmaterialsandtoolsIhadchosencouldbeworkedintofunctionalelectroniccircuits.Eachtime,Iroughlyfollowedthesuccessionofsampleslistedabove.Ofalltheworkthatwentintothisthesis,thisstagetookthelongest,wasthemostchallengingandfun,yetremainstheleastcomplete.Theprocessoftryingthingsoutneverreallyends,thereisalwayssomethinglefttotry.

WhateversamplesImade,IalwayskepttrackofwhatIdidandhowIdidit.InotedthematerialsIused,howIcombinedthem,sometimesevenwhenIcombinedthem–sothatIcouldcompareresultsovertime.Asexperimentsaccumulate,thesenotesbecomeinvaluable.Theyallowonetogobackandreferenceanypriorexperimentandpickupfromthere.SometimesexperimentsledfullcircleandIfoundmyselftryingsomethingIhaddonebefore.Well‐organizednotesallowedmetocheckbackandreferencemypreviousresults.Sometimesitpaidofftomakeextrasamplesthatcouldbeusedinfurtherexperiments.Whileworkingonaproject,neverthrowanythingaway.Especiallynotfailedexperimentsorexcesssamples,oneneverknowswhenonemightneedthem.

DuringtheactualprocessofproducingsamplesIfoundagoodbalancebetweenbrowsinginstructionsandfiguringthingsoutformyself.Thisalsohelpedmeconcentrateonthetangiblematerialsathandtonotgobackandforthbetweenreadingandmaking.Often,theconclusionsIreachedwereinlinewithexistingdocumentationbuthavingfigureditoutformyself,evenifittookmelongerthanfollowinginstructionswouldhave,gavemeaninsighttothematerialsandtoolsthatIwouldn’thavegottenotherwise.

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Tobetterillustratesomeofthedetailsofthesamplemakingprocess,Idescribehowthisplayedoutforcarvingwoodcircuits.

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Samples:Carving

Figure14.Samplesofcarvedwoodcircuitrythatincludeavarietyofconductivematerialssuchascopperandsilverpaintsandimitationgoldleaf.Inanattempttocreateelementssuchasconductiveconnections,dials,thermochromicheatingelementsandspeakercoils.

Theterm“carving”canmeanmanydifferentkindsofcarving,dependingonthematerialsinvolved.Evenwoodcarvingencompassesarangeofdifferenttechniques.InthischapterIdescribetheprocessofdevelopingtechniquesforcarvingwoodcircuitryandexplainmyseriesofsamples[Fig.14]thatImadetoexploreandexperimentwithwhatwouldworkandwhatdidn’t.

Whatappealedtomemostaboutcarvingwoodasatechniquewasthatitwouldallowmetoworksculpturallyinthreedimensionsaswellasincorporatesomeoftheaestheticandtactilequalitiesofwood.KnowingwhatIwantedtoachievewaskeyinfiguringoutwheretostartaswellashowtomoveforwardthroughthesamplemakingprocess.Mygoalwastodevelopaprocessthatallowedmetocarvecircuitsoutofwood,leveragingandexposingitsmaterialqualities.

OnedayatthecraftstoreIpickedupmyfirstcarvingtool.Ihaddonenoresearchoncarving,anyknowledgeIhadoncarvingcamefromglimpsingotherpeoplecarveandfromexaminingcarvedobjects.Itisinterestingtopayattentiontoalltheplacesoneencountersrelevantinformation.Evenatthecraftstore,justbylookingthroughthevarietyoftoolsforsale.Sometimestoolscome

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packagedwithelaborateinformation,andeveninstructions.Othertimesthereisnothing.Thesecarvinginstrumentshadverylittleinformationattachedtothembutstill,fromthevarietyofdifferentkindsoftoolsIcouldalreadygathersomeusefulinformation.Carvingtoolscomewithdifferentblades,shapedinvariationsofaVorUshapesandvariousflatnessofanglesfromasharpVtoaperfectlyflatline.AnotherformofinformationIwasabletoobtainthenandtherewasthroughcomparingdifferentqualitiesofthesametool.Icoulddistinguishthisbycomparingthequalityoftheblades,someofwhichalreadyhadnotchesinthem.Andthedesignofthehandles,someofwhichwerenotshapedergonomically.Icouldconfirmmyintuitionsbycomparingprices.ThatdayIpurchasedasingleverysmallV‐shapedcarvingtool.

Figure15.Left:Carvingsupplies.Conductivesilverpaint,paintbrush,wood,acrylicpaint,sandpaper,carvingtoolsandsuperglue.Right:Carvingcopperpaintedwoodusingaflatcarvingtool.

I’mnotsureiftheideacametomewhenIpickedupthetoolorifIhadalreadybeenthinkingofitpriortothat.Myplanforcarvingwoodcircuitswastocreateaconductivelayerontopofwoodthatcouldthenbeselectivelycarvedaway.LeavingconductiveareasbehindwhereIwantedthem.ThisconcreteideaofwhatIwantedtoachievedeterminedwhatsamplesIstartedmaking.Figure15showsaselectionofsomeofthecarvingsuppliesIworkedwithaswellasademonstrationofcarvingwithoneofthecarvingtools.

ThefirstsetofsamplesImadewasaimedatachievingahighlyconductivesurfaceonwood.ForthisImixedawater‐basedcopperpaintfromLessEMF[LessEMF,w2011]withdifferentmediumsatdifferentratios.ThemediumsIchosewereacrylicmediumandlatexandthemediumtocopperratiosIchosewere,1:1and1:2.Mychoiceofmediumsandratioswerebasedonintuitionandonpreviousexperienceworkingwiththepaintonpaper.FromthisIknewthatthepaintwasbrittleandIwantedtomixitwithsomethingthatwouldholdthecopperparticlestogetherbetterthanjustwater.Ialsomadesamplesusingcopperpaintwithsomewatertothinit,butwithoutanymedium.Iappliedsinglecoatsofallmymixturestoindividual4x4cmwoodsquaresusingasoftpaintbrushsoastominimizevisiblebrushstrokes.WhenthepaintwasdryImeasuredsurfaceconductivity.Alloftheacrylicandlatexmixesweregood,exceptthe1:2coppertolatexmixwhichwasseeminglynotconductive.Thesamplesofpurepaintthinnedtovariousdegreeswithwaterwerenotconsistentlycontinuouslyconductive,inotherwordsflakey.

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Sincethreeofthesefirstsamplesweresuccessful(andIhadmadeextra),Ibegancarvingtracesusingmynewtool.Icarvedtracesofvariousthicknessesbothwithandagainstthegrainofthewood.IdiscoveredthatifIcarvedatoonarrowtraceagainst(perpendicularto)thegrainofthewoodthenthiswouldnotconduct,whileatraceofthesamethicknessthatraninlinewiththegrainofthewoodwasconductive.

Figure16.Copperpaintmixedwithmediumandpaintedonwood.Tracescarvedtomatchthespacingbetweenleadsonthrough­holemicrocontroller.

Myintuitionwasthatthegrainofthewoodwastooroughandthepaintwascrackingacrossthehillsandvalleyofthegrain.Also,thecarvingprocessofmovingthetoolperpendiculartothegraindamagedthesurfacealongtheedgeswherethetoolremovedmaterial.Whencuttingveryslimtracesthismeantthatthesedamagesmightdisruptthefulltrace.Onereactionwastothinkofacceptingthis,inwhichcaseallthintracessimplymustruninlinewiththegrainofthewood.Thereissomethingniceabouthowthepropertiesofamaterialcandictatehowyouworkwithitandwhatitiscapableof.Atthesametime,thereweresomanywaysofsolvingthisproblem.Icouldsandthesurfaceofthewoodmakingitsmoothandmoreuniformtoreducetheunevennessthatmighthavebeencausingtheconductivepainttocrack.InadditiontothisIcouldalsoapplyalayerofprimer,againsandingthisdowntocreateanevensmoothersurface.Bothoftheseoptionsworked,allowingmetocarvenarrowtracesanywhichwayIlikedacrossthesurfaceofthewoodwithouthavingtoworryaboutdisruptingconductiveconnections[Fig.16].

WhileIwashappywiththisresultbecauseIfeltgoodaboutovercomingahurdle,sandingdownthesurfaceandprimingitdisguisedthewood’ssurfacestructure,whichiswhathadinitiallyappealedtome.InafurtherattempttomaintainmoreofthewoodqualitiesofthistechniqueIwentandboughtanothertoolthatIhadseenwhenpurchasingthefirst.AflatversionoftheVshapedtoolIwasusing.WiththeflatversionIcouldeasilyremovealltheareasofpaintthatwerenolongervaluableasfunctionalconductivesurfacesinmycircuit.Thisexposedthewoodunderneaththepaint.Italsogaveasculpturalqualitytothesurface,asitwasnolongerflatwithridges,itnowshowedmorecontrast.DependingonhowdeepIcarvedIexposeddifferentlayersofwoodandbindingmaterialthatweredifferentlycolored.

AtthispointIhadalsoreceivedanewconductivesilverpaint,WB‐101fromConductiveCompounds[ConductiveCompounds,w2011],thatwasmuchmoreconductivethanthecopperIwasusing

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previously.Icouldapplyitwithoutmediumtoachieveaverysmoothandhighlyconductivesurfaceand,becausethesilverparticlesweresmaller,ithadalowerviscositylettingmoreofthewoodstructureshowthrough.Figure17showsimagesofaspeakercoilbeingcarvedfromalayerofsilverpaintonwood.TheimagealsoshowstheuseofthetwodifferentcarvingtoolsthatIhadacquired.

Figure17.Carvingspeakercoilsusingdifferenttools.

BeforeIgoontodescribethenextstepinthissampleprocess,I’dliketogobacktotheveryfirstsetofsamplesandnoteanobservationthatImade,thatrelatestowhytheonecopperpaintandlatexsampleonwooddidnotconduct.

WhenmixingconductivepaintsandpowderswithlatextobeabletocastaconductorItriedalotofdifferentratiosandmanyofthemwerenotconducting,butIdiscoveredsomeinterestingfacts.Theconductivematerialswereheavierthanthelatexandbecausethelatextooktimetocure,thesewouldsettletothebottomofthemixture,creatinganisolatinglatexlayerontopbutexposingconductivityonthebottom.Myprocedureformeasuringconductivitywastopoketheprobesofthemultimeterintothecuredlatexandcheckforcontinuity.Iwasn’tgettingareadingonsomeofmysamples,butatsomepointIrealizedwhatwashappening.Figure18showsanupside‐down(fromthewayitwascast)speakercoilthatthatisconductiveunderneathbutnotwhenmeasuringfromabove.Thelatexdoesanexcellentjobatisolating,evenagainstpointymillimeterprobes.

Whenasampledoesnotdowhatoneexpectsofit,itisimportantnottogiveuponittooeasily.SomeofthestepsItaketoinsurethisisfirsttodouble‐checkandmakesurethesampleiswhatIthinksitis,especiallyifIwascertainitwouldwork.Withoutgoingbackandre‐doingtheexperiment,IcheckthatIdidn’taccidentallyuseawrongingredientormiss‐measurearatio.Sometimesjustthinkingbackovertheprocessorlookingatphotosoftheprocesshelpsjumpmymemory.ThenIcheckthatmytestsetupisn’tfaultyandtrytothinkofanotherwaytotestthesampleaswellastestingitforotherinterestingproperties,sometimesnottheonesIwasoriginallylookingfor.Gettingtoknowthesample,developingatheoryofwhyitisn’tworking,describingwhatpropertiesitdoeshaveandspendsometimethinkingaboutwhatitmightbegoodforareallhelpfulthingstodoinordertogetthemostoutofthisprocess.

Anotherexampleofafailedattemptrelatedtomycastingsamplesisofmixinglatexwithcarbonpaint.Ifirstspreadoutathinlayeroflatexandthenwiththetipofatoothpickdrippedcarbon

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paint/latexmixtureintotheuncuredlayeroflatex.Theresultwasnotconductiveatall,notevenhighlyresistiveorstretchsensitive.Butwhathappenedasthepurelatexandcarbonpaintblendcuredwasthatattheedgesthecarbonexpandedintothelatexformingverygeometricalpatterns.Althoughelectricallyuninteresting,theywereextremelybeautiful[Fig.18].

Figure18.Left:Exampleofacastspeakercoilfromconductivecopperpaintandlatex.Thecopperparticleshavesunktothebottom(sideshown)ofthelatex,creatinganisolatinglayerontopandexposingthemonthebottom.Right:Carbonpaintmixedwithlatexandcastinuncuredlatex.Notconductivebuttheblackcarbonpainttrickledoutintothelatexattheedgescreatinganinterestingpattern.

Backtocarvingwood.Thenextstepinmakingsampleswastofindwaysofconnectingmycarvedtracestocomponentleads.Sincewoodisstiffandwillnotbendorflextooeasilyortoomuch,asimpleandimmediatewayofdoingthiswastosupergluethecomponentsdowntothewoodandthenpaintadditionalconductivepaintbetweentheleadandthecarvedtrace.Ifthewoodwereflexibleandwouldbendatthisjoint,thepaintwouldprobablycrackandtheconnectionwouldnotbereliable.Whengluingthecomponentdownbyitsleadsbecarefulnottocoattheleadentirelyinglueotherwisetheglueencapsulatestheminanisolatinglayer,interceptingtheconnectionyouaretryingtomake.TheimagesinFigure19weretakenwithaUSBmicroscopeoftheconnectionsIjustdescribed,theyalsoshowthesurfacemountLEDlightsinsetintothewood.ThiswasdonebycarvingoutasmallholethatcouldfittheLEDbeforegluingitdown.Thesepaintedconnectionswereveryreliable.

Anotherwayofmakingtheconnectionbetweenthecomponentleadandthecarvedtracewastopushtheleadsofathrough‐holecomponentintothewoodandagainapplyadditionalpaintaroundtheleadtoconnectittothepaintonthewood.Thisworkedwellifthewoodwassoftenough.

NowthatIwasabletocarveconnectionsandconnecttoconnections,Iwantedtobeabletojumpconnections.Iusedsomeofmyearliersamplestotestdifferentnon‐conductivematerialsasisolatorsforjumpingcarvedtraces.Itriedacrylicpaint,primerpaint,woodglue,acrylicsealerandnailvarnish.Twolayers,withdryinginbetweenlayers,ofallofthesesamplesworkedfine.Piecesofmaskingtapeortransparenttapealsoworked.Ifoundnailvarnishtobeoneofthemostconvenientbecauseitdriesfastandcomesinmanydifferentcolorsincludingtransparentwhichmakesitalmostinvisible,especiallyifyoucoattheentirecircuitinaprotectivesealantattheveryend.The

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leftimageinFigure20showsanexampleofthenailvarnishappliedtothetracesbeforejumpingoverthemwithanadditionallayerofconductivepaint.

Figure19.ImagestakenwithaUSBmicroscopeofthe(left)theleadsofamicrocontrollerand(right)asurfacemountLEDpaintedoverwithsilverpainttomakeelectricalconnectionstotherestofthecircuit.

InthenextstepofsamplemakingIranintoaproblem.Ihadsuccessfullyisolatedmytraceagainsttheprobesofmymultimeter,butwhenIpaintedacrosstheisolatedtracewithmoreconductivesilverpaint,mytwotraces,thatshouldhavebeenisolatedfromoneanother,wereelectricallyconnected.AsfarasIcouldtellitwasnotthatthenailvarnishwasaffectedbytheconductivepaintandletitseepthough,butratherattheveryedgesofthetracethenailvarnishhadnotproperlysealedit.Thesilverpaintwasextremelyviscousandveryconductive,itcouldgetintoeventhesmallestholeandeventhesmallestamountofpaintcouldmakeagoodelectricalconnection.Iwasabletosolvethisproblembyre‐doingmysampleandbeingextracarefulinapplyingthenailvarnishandpayingattentionthatitsealedovertheedgesofthecarvedtraceandintothevalley.

Figure20.Left:CarvedwoodcircuitcontainingamicrocontrollerandthreesurfacemountLEDlights.Right:Carvedwoodcircuittracescoatedintwolayersofnailvarnishtoisolatethem.

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BeforeIcontinuetodescribesomethenextsamplesinthisprocess,IwanttomentionthatIalsotriedoutdifferentwaysofcarvingtracesinwood.TheseincludedcarvingfirstandthensaturatingthecarvedtracewithpaintasseeninFigure21.InthiscaseIcouldsubmergethecomponentleadsintotheconductivepaintwhileitwasstillwettomaketheconnections.

Figure21.Left:Carvedtracesformicrocontrollerleads.Right:Carvedtracesfilledwithcopperpaint.

Avariationonthistechniqueusedthelasercuttertoengravethetracesinsteadofcarvingthembyhand.ImagesofthiscanbeseeninFigure22.

Figure22.Imagesoflaser­engravedtracessaturatedwithcopperpaint.Through­holecomponentshavebeenpressedintothewoodforelectricalcontactandstability.Left:Close­upofmicrocontroller.Right:Close­upofLEDs,speakerandmicrocontroller.

Thenextstepintheprocesswastobeginthinkingofelementsthatcouldbeintegratedandusedinacircuitinmeaningfulandusefulways.Ibeganlasercuttingpress‐fitcoin‐cellholdersliketheoneshowninFigure23andthedialswitchthathasapress‐fitholeinitforatoothpicktofitasapegaroundwhichitcanrotate[Fig.23].

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Figure23.Left:Carveddialwithpress­fitpegjoint.Right:Lasercutpress­fitcoin­cellbatteryholderbeingcarvedtocreateaslopedsurface.

Aswellasanotherpress‐fitcoin‐cellholdermadebyscrewingtwosmallscrewsintotheconductivepaint[Fig.24].

Figure24.Imagesofthemetalscrewpress­fitbatteryholderwithout(left)andwith(right)thecoin­cellbattery.

Ialsotriedcarvingpaintingandthenplatingwoodsuccessfully[Fig.25].Thefollowingimagesshowsomeclose‐upsofapairofheadphonesthatIworkedon.Thestructureoftheheadphoneswaslasercutoutofplywoodandtheelectricalconnectionswereexplicitlymadevisibleasanintegralpartofthedesign.

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Figure25.Carved,paintedandthenelectroplatedcoppertracesinwood.

IntheendIwasverypleasedwiththistechniqueIdevelopedforcarvingcircuitsandsomebasiccircuitelementsfromwood.But,asImentionedintheverybeginningofthischapter,theprocessofexperimentingandtryingthingsoutneverreallyends.Ifanything,itcontinuouslyspawnsnewideas.Evenwritingaboutthisprocessandrecallingthedetailsgeneratednewideasandthoughtsonimprovements.

Thenextchapterisaboutdocumentingrecipes.Recipesareanopportunityforreflectionaswellasforrefiningtechniques,throughchoosinghowtoconveythemandwhatinformationtoinclude.

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DocumentingRecipes

Figure26.Sketchesofthecrafttechniquesandelectronicscomponentsasusedonthewebsite.

IntheprevioustwochaptersIdescribedtheprocessesofsourcingsuppliesandmakingsamplestorefinegoodtechniquesandthroughouttheseprocessesIdocumentedeverythingIwasdoing.InthischapterInowdescribetheprocedureoftranslatingtheseprocessesandthedocumentationintorecipesandpublishingthemonthewebsite.Figure26showssketchesthatIdrewofthedifferentcrafttechniquesandelectroniccomponentsthatarefeaturedinthevarietyofrecipesonthewebsite.

WhenwritingupmyworkasrecipesItrytoconveytwothings.First,Itrytoincludethebreadthofdocumentationcoveringaspecifictechniqueandtoincludeeveryrelateddetail.HavingthoroughdocumentationmakesiteasierformetoinsurethatI’mnotforgettinganythingbecauseIcanusethedocumentationasareferenceandguidetojogmyownmemory.Second,Iwanttherecipesnotonlytodescribehowtodosomethingrightandgetthingstowork,Ialsowanttoconveymyexperimentalapproachofsamplemakingandmaterialinvestigation.ToachievethisItrytowriteveryhonestlyandstraightforwardaboutwhatIdid,howIdiditandwhyIdidit.Iwriteequallyaboutwhatworkedandwhatdidn’t.Tothisendsomerecipesmightfeaturemorefailuresthansuccesses.AndsomerecipesmightbejustaninitialideathatIhavenotyetsetouttorealize.Itis

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importantformetoemphasizethispointthatmyrecipesaredifferentfromwhatoneusuallyexpectsarecipetobe.Myrecipesarenotstraightforwardstep‐by‐stepinstructions,theyaredocumentationoftheknowledgeIacquiredduringmyprocessandameansformetoconveymyapproach.

InthinkingabouthowIformulatemyrecipesforotherstoreadIwasinspiredbyRichardSennett’sbookchapteron“ExpressiveInstructions”[Sennett,2009].Sennettdetailsthreerecipesonhowtoprepareaboned,stuffedchickenandpointsoutdifferencesintheinstructionsastheywerewrittenwiththecook,thefoodandgastronomyinmind.Wherethecookisthepersonfollowingtheinstructions,thefoodaretheingredientsorthematerialsandtoolsinvolvedintherecipe,andgastronomyisthebiggerpicture.WhenwritingmyrecipesItrytofocusonallthreepoints.Iconsiderthecookinmywritingbydescribingmyownexperiences,hopingtomakeitmoreaccessibleforotherstorelateto.IamthinkingofthefoodwhenIincludedetailsanduseanalogiestoexplainhowthingsfeelandbehave.GastronomyformeisthebiggerpictureofsamplemakingandIconsiderthisthroughouteachrecipebyconstantlypromotinganexperimentalapproachwhere“justtryit”isalwaysanoption.

ToshowthedetailsandscopeofmydocumentationIhaveincludedmyrecipeforsculptingandelectroplatingcopperconductors.Figure27bellowshowsscreen‐shotsofthisrecipeasitappearsontheKit‐of‐No‐partswebsite.

Figure27.Screenshotsoftheelectroplatingrecipeasitappearsonthewebsite.

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Recipe:Electroplating

Figure28.ElectroplatedFimosculptedcircuitwithmicrocontroller,LEDlightsandcoin­cellbattery.

Introduction

Electroplatingisatechniqueforcoatingaconductiveobjectinathinlayerofmetal.Ituseselectrodepositingtotransfermetalionsinasolutionfromoneelectrodetoanother,depositingathinlayerofmetalontheconductivematerialattachedtothenegativeelectrodeofyourdirectpowersupply.Thistechniqueisusedinjewelrymakingtoplatenaturalobjectssuchasleaves,flowersandseashells.Onceonegetsthehangofit,electroplatingisaverystraightforwardandrelativelysimpleprocess.Ittookmesometimetogetafeelingfortheprocessandallthematerialsinvolved,butnowitallowsmetosculptthree‐dimensionalcircuitsaswellasincludefoundobjectssuchasseashellsinmycircuitdesigns.

Thisrecipedescribestheprocessofsculptingacrylicclay,firingitandthenelectroplatingitwithcoppermetaltoformfullyfunctioningcircuitconnections,createamagneticbatteryholder,shapeaskinresistiveswitchandembedsomeelectroniccomponents;inmycaseanAtmegaATtiny85microcontrollerandsomeLEDlights[Fig.28].

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MaterialsandTools

Figure29.Left:Electroplatingsupplies:Rectifier,coppersulfate,replenishingbrightener,copperrods,silverpaint,paintbrush,glasscontainerandalligatorclips.Right:Snapshotofmyelectroplatingsetup.

Thematerialsandtoolsusedinthisprocesscanbesourcedfromacombinationoflocalcraft,hardwareandonlineshops.Tobeginelectroplatingandsculptingcircuitsyouwillneedthefollowingmaterialsandtools,someofwhicharedepictedinFigure29.

­Arectifier:Adirectpowersupplythatallowsyoutocontroltheamountofvoltageandcurrentyousupply.Rectifierscostfrom$100upwards.SomemodelsaresoldspecificallyforplatingandincludeSherriHaab'sE3kit[SherriHaab,w2011].­Coppersulfate:Commonlysoldasarootkillerandcanbepurchasedfromlocalhardwarestores.ItcanalsobepurchasedthroughavarietyofonlineelectroplatingsupplystoressuchasRioGrande.­Replenishingbrightener:Midasalsosellsareplenishingbrightenersolutioncanbeaddedtotheplatingbathtomaintainthebath'sabilitytoproduceabrightfinish.­Somecoppermetal:ThepositiveleadfromyourDCpowersupplyconnectstoapieceofcoppermetalthatissubmergedintheplatingbath,thiscanbeasolidpieceofsheetcopperorarodthatcanbebentinaspiraltofittheshapeofyourplatingcontainer.­Acontainer:Dependingontheshapeandsizeoftheobjectsyouplantoplateyou'llwanttoselectacontainerforplatingin.Thiscontainershouldbeofamaterialthatwillnotcontaminatethesolution,norbeaffectedbythesolution'scorrosiveproperties.Transparentglasscontainersworkwellsincetheyalsoallowyoutobetterseetheobjectyouareplating.­Alligatorclips:Youwillneedalligatorclipsorsimilartoconnectfromtheleadsofyourpowersupplytothecopperrodaswellastotheobjectyouareplating.­Conductivepaint:someotherrecipesIreadsaidthattheywereplatingobjectscoatedincarbonpaintbutIcouldnotgetittoworkwellforme.Silverpaintisnotascheapascarbon,butthewater‐basedsilverpaintWB‐101fromConductiveCompoundsworkedbestforme.­SomeFimo:oranotherkindofpolymerclay.­Anoven:atoasterovenwillworktoo.­Someelectronicscomponents:toincludeinyourcircuit.

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SculptingyourCircuit

Forsculptingyoucircuitryyoucanchoosefromavarietyofpolymerclaysandtheirfiringorhardeningmethods.ThefollowingstepsdescribeindetailtheprocessofmoldingFimo,anacrylicclaythatcanbefiredatalowtemperatureinanovenortoasterovenforhalfanhour.Benefitsofthelowfiringtemperaturearethatyoucanfireyoursculptedcircuitcontainingcertainelectronicscomponentswithoutdestroyingtheelectronics,andalsoitcoolsquicklyandyoucancontinuetoworkwithitassoonasithascooleddown.Afterfiring,theclayisfirm,yetflexibleandcanwithstandtheetchingpropertiesoftheplatingbath.Other,moreporousclaysneedtobesealedbeforeplatingthemiftheirsubstanceisaffectedeitherbyliquidortheacidoftheplatingbath.Forshapingyourcircuitryyoumightalsoliketokeepaselectionofcommonsculptingtoolsathand,suchasribs,needles,knivesandrollingpinsaswellasasurfacetoworkingon.

Figure30.Left:Microcontrollerwithlegsbentoutwardsandpressedintothelongpiecesofacrylicclay.Right:AdditionofthreeLEDlightsthatallconnecttothesameballthatwillbethegroundconnection.

TobeginsculptingtheFimostartbyrollingandkneadingyourclayinyourhands,warmingituptomakeitmoreworkable.Asyoushapethematerialyoucanincorporatevariouselectronicsasyougo[Fig.30].Youcandothisbysculptingclayaroundthemorbypressingthemintotheclay.Asyouworktheclayintoit'sfinalformyouneedtoplanwheretheconnectionsbetweenyourelectronicswillrunsothattheymatchtheconnectionsinyourcircuitdiagram.

Firing

WhenyourFimosculptureisfinisheditcanbefiredinyourovenoreveninatoasteroven[Fig.31].Checkthepackagingforpreciseinstructionsonwhattemperatureandforhowlongyoushouldfireyourpiece.TheFimothatIusedcouldbefiredat110°Cfor30minutes,atthistemperatureyoucanfiremostelectronicswiththeclayandnotdamagethem.Fimosoftensasitheatsupinthefiringprocessandthismightaffectthestructureofyourpiece.Dependingonwhatyouhavesculptedyoumightneedtocreatesomesupportstructuresoutoftoothpicksorsimilarmaterialsthatcanwithstandtheheatofthefiringprocess.RightafterfiringtheFimoishotandstillsoft,leaveittocoolbeforeproceeding.

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Figure31.Left:Fimosculptureintoasteroven.Right:Fimosculptureafterbeingfired.

ApplyingConductivePaint

Thecoppersulfateplatingbathisalsoanetchant.Iftheobjectyouwanttoplateisofamaterialthatmightbeaffectedbytheetchingpropertiesthenyoufirstwanttosealitwithalayerofvarnish.Forthisyoucanuseawholerangeofproducts,forsmallerobjectsoneofthemostconvenientoptionsistousenailvarnish,sinceitalsodriesrelativelyquickly.

Inorderforthecoppertoselectivelyplatetoareasthatyouwouldlikeitto,youfirstneedtomakethesurfaceofyourobjectelectricallyconductiveintheseareas.Whilethereareavarietyofdifferentconductivepaintsthatcanbeappliedtovarioussurfaces,IhadthemostsuccessusingawaterbasedsilverpaintWB‐101fromConductiveCompounds[ConductiveCompounds,w2011].Youcanthinthepaintwithwaterandwithapaintbrushapplyasinglelayertotheareasoftheobjectyouwishtoplate[Fig.32].Paintselectively,butkeepinmindthatwhenyougoontoplatetheseareas,iftheyarenotinterconnectedthenyouneedtoconnectseparatelytoeachofthem.

Figure32.Left:Applyingsilverpaintwithpaintbrush.Right:Disassembledcircuit.

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Therearesomethingsyoucandotogetaroundhavingtomakemultipleconnectionsortoplateeachseparateconductiveareaoneatatime.Onesolutionistohaveallyourconductorsmeetinanareathatyoucanlatercutawayorremove.AtrickforthisshowninFigure44istouseapieceofcoppertapethatyoucansticktothesurfaceoftheobjectandhavetheconductivepaintconnecttoitbypaintingontopofit.Aftertheplatingisdoneyoucanscorethecoppermetalbuilduparoundthetapeandthenpeelitoff.AnothervariationofthisapproachisshowninFigure33,whereawirehasbeensupergluedtotheseashellandthensilverpainthasbeenpaintedontopofit.Becarefulnottocompletelycoatthewireinsuperglue,otherwiseyoucreateanisolatinglayerandthewireandthepaintwillnotbeelectricallyconnected.

Anothersolutionistousemultiplealligatorclipstointerconnectallyourseparateconductorstothecathodeofyourrectifier.Bewarethatalligatorclipsandanyothermetalitemsthatgetincontactwiththeplatingsolutionwillcorrodeovertimeunlessyourinseanddrythemafteruse.

Figure33.Left:Seashellwithsilverpaintandwiresupergluedtosurfaceasapointofconnection.Right:Seashellsthatwereaccidentallyleftinplatingsolutionovernight.Theshellswereetchedbythesolutionbutprotectedwheretheconductivepainthadbeenapplied.

ThefollowingimagesinFigure34showaseashellcoatedincarbonpaint.Theplatingattemptswerelesssuccessfulthanwiththesilverpaint.Whileintheimageontheleftthehomemadeplatingbathdidnotachieveanicelayerofcopper,itdidcoatalmosttheentireshell.Intheimageontherighttheshellonlyplatedclosetowherethealligatorsclipswereattached,evenafterbeingleftintheplatingbathforlongerperiodsoftime.MostlikelythecopperpaintthatIwasusinghadtoohigharesistance.

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Figure34.Platingusingblackcarbonpaintinsteadofsilver.Ididnothavemuchluckwiththis.Left:Carbonpaintedseashellinhomemadeplatingbathwouldonlyplateathighervoltageandcopperbuildupwouldhappenfast,becontaminatedandwashaway.Right:Sameshellafterrinsingplatedincommercialplatingsolutionworkedbetterbutcopperbuildupwouldonlyhappeninselectareas,evenwhenleftinforlongerperiods,uptohalfanhour.

PlatingBath

Youwantyourplatingbathtobeinacontainersuitabletothesizeoftheobjectyouareplatingaswellasthepieceofcoppermetalthatwillbeyouranodeintheplatingprocess.IfyouareusingarodthenyoucanbenditintheshapeofyourcontainersothatitsurroundstheobjectyouareplatingasshowninFigure36.

WhenIfirststartedelectroplatingIwassetonmakingmyownplatingbath.Ihadreadonvariousonlinetutorialsthatitispossibletocreatetheplatingsolutionyourself.Whenetchingcopperfabricinsaltandvinegarthesolutionturnsgreenandcrystallizesasitislefttodry.Ihadbeensavingthesecrystalsbecausetheyarepoisonousandshouldnotbepoureddownthedrain.ReadinguponcoppersulfateitsoundedlikethesecrystalswereaformofcoppersulfatethatIcoulddiluteinwatertomakeaplatingbath.TheimagesinFigure35showmyattemptatdilutingthecrystalsandplatingacoin.Thiswasnotsuccessful,thoughIamnotsureoftheexactreasons,Isuspectismighthavetodowiththepurityofthesolution.

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Figure35.Preparingmyownplatingbathfromthecrystallizedremainsfrometchingcopperfabricinsaltandvinegar.

ThesecondhomemadesolutionItriedmakingwastodissolvecitricacidindistilledwater.Afternoticingthatitdidnotwork[Fig.36,left],Iranlowvoltageacrosstwocopperelectrodesforawhileuntilthesolutionturnedturquoise.

Figure36.Left:Preparingmyownetchingsolutionfromsaltandvinegar.Aftersometimethesolutionbeginstoturnlightblue.Right:Myownetchingbathpreparedbydissolvingcitricacidindistilledwater.Afterawhilethesolutionturnsblue,asthepictureshows.

Iproceededtoplateinthisturquoisebathandmyattemptswerefinallysomewhatsuccessful.TheproblemwasthatthecopperbuildupwasveryroughandlookedlikeitwasrustingasitwasplatingasseeninFigure37.WhatevercopperbuildupIachievedwouldwashawayunderrunningwater.

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Figure37.Imagesofplatingprocessinahomemadeplatingbath.Thecopperbuilduplooksroughandrustyandrinsedoffwithwater.

AfteralltheseunsuccessfulattemptsatcreatingmyownplatingsolutionIfinallyorderedsomeprofessionalMidascoppersulfatejewelryplatingsolutionfromRioGrande[RioGrande,w2011]aswellasabottleofreplenishingbrightenerandtheseworkedwonderfully.Thefollowingprocedureswerealldonewiththiscommercialplatingsolution.

PowerSettingsandConnections

Setyourrectifiertosupplyaverylowvoltage,lessthan1Voltanddonotlimitthecurrent.Connectthecoppermetal(Anode)tothepositivepoleofyourrectifier.Andtheobjectyouareplating(Cathode)tothenegativepoleofyourpowersupply.Ifyoulookupthecopperplatingprocessonline[SherriHaab,w2011]youwillfindlotsofillustrationsthatindicatewhattoconnecttowhataswellaswhatexactlyishappeningwiththecopperelectrodesintheplatingbath.

Submergetheobjectcompletelyintheplatingbathandmakesuretheareascoatedinsilverpaintdonottouchthecopperanode.Whentheplatingprocessbeginsitwilldrawcurrentandifyourrectifierhasadisplaythenyoucanwatchtheamountofcurrentitdrawsincrease.Checktheobjectwithinthefirstminutetoensureitisplating,ifallisgoingwellthenyoushouldseeatintofcopperformingontopofthesilverpaintasshowninFigure38,right.

Continuetoplatetheobjectuntilyou’resatisfiedwiththecopperlayer.Thismighttakeanywherefromafewminutestomuchlonger,dependingonthesizeandconductivesurfaceareaofyourobject.Ifthecopperdoesnotlookshiny,youcanaddafewdropsofthebrightenersolutiontothebath.

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Figure38.Left:paintingseashellwithconductivesilverpaint.Right:Seashellduringplatingprocess.Afterthefirstfewsecondsyoucanalreadyseeafinebuildupofcopper.

Whentheplatingiscomplete,removetheobjectandrinsethoroughlywithwatertoremoveallofthecoppersulfatesolution.Coppersulfateispoisonoussomakesurenottogetitinyourmouthorincontactwithanyutensilsthatyouuseforfood!

Figure39.Left:Removingplatedobjectfrombath.Right:Rinsingafterremovingfromplatingbathtoremovecoppersulfatesolution.

Re­AssemblingtheCircuit

Youcanbegintoreassembletheplatedpiecesofyourcircuit[Fig.40].Thegreatthingaboutplatingisthatyoubuildupalayerofcoppermetalthatyoucanthensolderto,creatingextremelyrobustconnections.

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Figure40.Left:Partiallyplatedandassembledcircuit.Right:Close­upofthemagneticbatteryholder.

Figure41showscloseupimagestakenwithaUSBmicroscope.Whiletheconnectionstothemicrocontrollerweresoldered,theconnectionstotheLEDlightswerepaintedandthenplated.YoucanseehowtotherightsideoftheLEDtheplatedcopperseamlesslycoverstheFimoaswellastherightledoftheLED.

Figure41.USBmicroscopeimagesofthesolderedandplatedconnections.

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TheFinalResult

ThefollowingFigures42and43showimagesofthefinalplatedcircuit.

Figure42.ImagesofthefinishedcopperplatedcircuitwiththethreedifferentcoloredLEDlightslit­up.

Figure43.Imagesofthefront(left)andback(right)ofthecopperplatedcircuit.

CommentsandReflections

Besidessculptingandplatingacrylicclayyoucanalsoplateavarietyofotherobjects.Includingseashells,andevenflexibleandporousmaterialssuchaspaperandfabric[Fig.44,45].Whenplatingonslicksurfacescoppertraceswilleasilycomeoffthesurface.ThoughIhavenotdonethis(yet),youcouldusethisfeaturetocastcircuitelementsoffofexistingstructures.Aprocessinwhichtheelectroplatedmetalisself‐supportingandcanberemovedforthebasestructureiscalledelectroforming.

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Figure44.Other,flexiblematerialsyoucanplate:paperandfabric.Eventhoughplatinginstructionsrecommendthatyousealporousmaterialsbeforesubmergingthemintheplatingbathtopreventtheetchingpropertiesofthebathtoaffecttheobject,Isuccessfullyplatedpaperandfabric.Afterplatingrinsethematerialswithcleanwatertogetridofallthecoppersulfate.

Figure45.USBmicroscopeimagesofthecopperplatedpaper.Left:Legsofamicrocontrollersolderedtothecopper.Right:SurfacemountLEDssolderedtothecoppertraces.

Links

InlearninghowtosuccessfullyplatecoppercircuitsIfoundSherriHaab’stutorialsextremelyhelpful.SherriHaabisajewelrymakinginstructorandalsodevelopsherowntechniquesandequipmentthatsheshareswithothers.Herwebsite[SherriHaab,w2011]contains,amongotherthings,extensiveandwell‐preparedPDFsonhowtoplatenaturalmaterialsforjewelry.Shealsosellskitsandsuppliesthatincludeherownelectroplatingregulateddirectpowersupply.

Thepublication“Jewelry:ConceptsandTechnology”byOppiUntracht[Untracht,1982]containsdetailedinformationaboutallthematerialsandtoolsinvolvedinelectroplating.YoucanviewpartsofthebooksonlinethroughGooglebooks.

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TheWebsite

Figure46a.Kit­of­No­Partswebsitefrontpagedisplayingselectrecipesinagridorganizedbyelectronicsandcrafts.

InthischapterIintroducehowthewebsite[AKit‐of‐No‐Parts,w2011]cametobeandexplainitscurrentstructureandcontents.Iwillalsodetailsomeofthemoretechnicalaspects.Figure46ashowsascreenshotofthewebsite’sfrontpagethatdisplaysselectrecipeslistedinagridorganizedbyelectronics(columns)andcrafttechniques(rows).

Thewebsitewentonlineearlyonintheprocessesofmakingsamplesanddocumentingrecipes.Itwasintendedasadatabasethatcouldgrowandexpendalongsidetheprocess.Italsoofferedmeawaytovisuallyorganizemythoughtstohelpmestructuremyapproach.ItistheplacewhereIwouldcompilenotes,postresultsandsharetechniques.

ThestructureofthewebsitedevelopedovertimebutwasalwaysbasedontheinitialcategorizationsIchosewhenmappingthespaceIusedtogenerateideas.Thecurrentselectionof

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categoriesisbasedonthekindsoftechniquesandresultingrecipesIendedupdevelopinganddocumenting.WhereasinthebeginningIhadthreecategoriesthatwereelectronics,materialsandprocesses,Iultimatelynarrowedthisdowntotwomaincategories:electronicscomponentsandcrafttechniques.IwantedittobeaneasyandintuitivestructuretonavigateandtoaccommodatethecontentIhadcreatedandwascontinuingtocreate.WhileIfeelthatthecurrentstructurelackssomeofthepotentialthatlessconventionalcategorizationsmightoffer,Ihavealsobecomeusedtoitandfinditconvenientformyownpurposes.

Therecipesonthewebsiteareorganizedasindividualposts.Thesecanbebrowsedbytwomaincategories,CraftsandElectronics.Withineachofthesecategoriesarethefollowingsubcategories.Craft:Additive‐drawingandpainting,gilding,plating;Subtractive‐carving,etching,cuttingandengraving;Deforming‐moldingandcastingandsculpting.AndElectronics:Tracesandconnections,resistors,sensors,actuators,capacitorsandpoweroptions.

Figure46bshowsscreenshotsofthewebsitelistingrecipesintheelectronicscategory“TracesandConnections”(left)andinthecrafttechniquecategory“MoldingandCasting”(right).Thewebsitealsofeaturescategoriesfor“Ingredients”[Fig.46c],“Equipment”and“Examples”.

Figure46b.Kit­of­No­Partswebsite.Left:Listingallrecipesinthe“TracesandConnections”category.Right:Websiteshowingallrecipeslistedinthe“MoldingandCasting”category.

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Figure46c.Kit­of­No­Partswebsite.Left:Listing“Ingredients”.Right:Showingthelistingfor“MetalLeaf”.

ThewebsitewasbuiltusingWordpress[Wordpress,w2011],afreeandopensourcesoftwareforcreatingblogsandwebsitesthatusesaMySqldatabasestructure.ThesiteiscurrentlyhostedonmyMITstudentserverspacewiththeURL:“http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/”itcanalsobeaccessedthroughthedomain:“www.kit‐of‐no‐parts.at”.

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COLLECTIONOFEXAMPLES

Figure47.CollectionofExamplesmountedonawall.TheyrepresentthetechniquesdevelopedinbuildingaKit­of­No­Parts.

TheexamplesthatIintroduceinthissectionweredesignedtoeachrepresentoneofthedifferenttechniquesIdeveloped.Whenviewedtogethertheyfunctionasasortoflibraryoranexhibitionofthecircuits,materialsandtechniquesrepresentingtheKit‐of‐No‐Partsapproach[Fig.47].Besidesshowcasingmaterialsandtechniqueseachexamplealsodemonstratesthepossibilitiesofthisapproach.

Someoftheexamplesareinteractive,othersareintentionallyleftincompleteandsomeunfortunatelydonotwork.VideosofeachoftheexamplescanbeviewedintheexamplessectionontheKit‐of‐No‐Partswebsite[Kit‐of‐No‐Parts,w2011].Theinteractiveexamplesincludeamicrocontrollerthatrunsaverybasicprogram.Whenthe,inmostcasesspiral,contactbetweengroundandinputistouched,themicrocontrollertogglesbetweenthreeLEDsthatareconnectedtoitsoutputs.Thetouchsensingisdonethroughasetthresholdbasedonskin‐resistance.

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CarvedPixels

Thisexampledemonstrateshowthermochromicpaintscanbeusedtopaintcolorfuldisplaysthatareactuatedthroughanunderlyingcarvedcircuit[Fig.48].Adialinthecenterofthepixelsdirectsthecurrenttodifferentpartsofthecircuit,revealingthecarvedpixelsonebyone.

Theplywoodonwhichthecircuitwascreatedwasfirstcoatedwithprimerandthensandeddowntocreateasmoothandlessabsorbentsurface.Anevenlayerofsilverpaintwasappliedtothissurfaceandlefttodry.ThecircuitwasfirstsketchedoutinpencilandthencarvedoutusingthenarrowheadedcarvingtooldepictedinFigure17,left.Aftercarvingthecircuit,stripesofthermochromicpaintwerepaintedontopinanattempttodeferfromthemaze‐likedesignofthecarvedtraces.Differentcolorsofthermochromicpaintandpigmentweremixedwitharangeofcolorsofacrylicpainttocreateavarietyofcolors.Thethermochromiccolorsbecometransparentwhenheatedandrevealtheregularacrylicpaintcolorstheyweremixedwith.Differentcolorthermochromicpigmentsreactatdifferenttemperaturescausinganunevenvisualeffect.Inthecenterawoodendialwithaconductiveundersideconnectsonesideofthebatterytodifferentpartsofthecircuit,dependingonthedirectionitispointing.Thepartofthecircuitunderneaththetipofthedialbeginstoheatupbecausethe9Vbatteryisshortedacrosstheconductivepaint.

Figure48.ThermochromicPixels.Left:Photooffullexample.Right:Close­upofdialpointinginthedirectionthatthecurrentisbeingdirected.Thepathofthecurrentcausesthethermochromicpainttoheatupandchangecolor.

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CarvedTraces

Thiscircuithasbeencarvedoutofplywoodandsilverpaint[Fig.49].WhenyoutouchthespiraltothebottomleftofthesquaretheLEDlightstoggleonandoff,onebyone.

Theplywoodbasewassandeddowntosmooththesurfacebutnofillerwasappliedinordertomaintainasmuchofthewood’snaturalsurfacestructureaspossible.Thenacoatofsilverpaintwasappliedandletdry.Themicrocontroller,LEDlightsandcoin‐cellbatterywerelaidoutontheconductivesurfaceand,withpencil,thecircuitconnectionsweresketchedout.WhenthedesignwasreadytheexcesssilverpaintwascarvedawayusinganarrowcarvingtooltomakethenarrowlinesandaflattooltoremovelargerareasasshowninFigure49.SmallgrooveswerecarvedoutforthetinysurfacemountLEDstorecedeinto.

Oncethecircuitwascarved,thecomponentsweresupergluedtothesurfaceandadditionalsilverpaintwasappliedwithasmalltippedbrushtobridgetheconnectionsbetweenthepaintedwoodtracesandthecomponentleads.DetailsofthesepaintedcontactscanbeseeninFigure19.Thecoin‐cellbatteryholderwasmadebyscrewingtwosmallscrewsintothewood,penetratingthroughthesilverpaintthatconnectsthemtothepositiveleadofthecircuit.Thescrewsarespacedsothatthebatterypress‐fitsbetweenthem.DetailsofthisbatteryholdercanbeseeinFigure24.

Figure49.CarvedTraces.Left:Example.Right:Close­upofmicrocontrollerandLEDlightsintheircarvedoutgroves.

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CastTraces

Thecircuitryinthisexampleiscastfromasilverpaintandlatexblendthat,unfortunatelydoesnotconductelectricity[50].Butnevertheless,thisexampledemonstratesthepossibilitiesofcaststretchyconductors.

Firstathinlayeroflatexwasspreadoutonapieceofacrylicandlefttocure.Oncecured,themicrocontroller,LEDlightsandbatterywereallplacedontopofthissurface.Silverpaintmixedina3:1ratiowithlatexwasthenappliedthroughthetipofasqueezebottletocreatetheconnectionsseeninFigure50.Finally,additionallatexwasusedtocoatthecomponentsandkeeptheminplace.

Unfortunatelythisexampledoesnotwork.InallmymoldingandcastingattemptsIwasnotyetabletoachieveagoodconductortolatexmixthatmaintainsthestretchypropertiesofthelatexaswellastheconductivepropertiesoftheconductorbeitapowder,paintorfiber.Iwasabletocastconductorsthathadhighresistances(intheKiloOhmrange)butthesecouldnotbestretched,otherwisetheconductivecontactswouldbebroken.

Figure50.CastTraces.Left:Example.Right:Close­upofmicrocontroller,demonstratingthestretchinessandflexibilityofthiscircuit.

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EtchedTraces

Thisexampledemonstratestheprocessofselectivelyetchingcopperfabrictocreateconductivefabriccircuits[Fig.51].Thecomponentsforthiscircuithavenotbeenattachedtothefabricinanattempttodrawattentiontothedelicateandaestheticpropertiesthatcanresultfromthistechnique.

Toetchthiscircuit,firstamaskwascutfrommaskingtapeandtransferredtoasquareofcopperrip‐stopfabric.Vaselinewasappliedtothecutoutsofthestencilandthemaskingtaperemoved[Fig.51].ThewaterrepellentpropertiesoftheVaselineworkasaresistintheetchingbath,protectingthecopperfabricintheplaceswheretheresistwasapplied.Thefabricwasthensubmergedinabathofonetablespoonofsaltandonecupofdistilledvinegar.Withinfourhours,mostofthecopper,exceptforthatprotectedbytheVaseline,hadbeenetchedaway.ThefabricwasthenthoroughlyrinsedtoremovethesaltandvinegaretchantandironedbetweentissuepapertowelstoremovetheVaseline.

Themissingcomponentscanbeattachedtothecircuitbysewingthemonwithconductivethread.Theleadsofmostelectronicscanbecurledtocreatealoopthatcanthenbestitcheddownsimilarlytohowonesewsonasnaporloopfastener.Inthecasethatacomponentdoesnothavealongenoughlead,additionalwireorcrimpbeadscanbesolderedtothecomponent’sleadstomakethem“sewable”.ThisisacommonE‐Textiletechnique.

Figure51.EtchedTraces.Left:Exampleofcircuitetchedfromcopperrip­stopfabric.Right:RemovingthemaskingtapestencilafterapplyingVaselinetothecopperfabricasaresist.

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GildedTraces

Thisexampledemonstratestheornamentalanddecorativepropertiesofgoldleafandhowtheycansimultaneouslyfunctionasanelectroniccircuit[Fig.52].ThisinteractiveexampletogglesonandoffbetweenthreeLEDlightsthataremountedatthebottomoftheverticalgoldtraces.

Firstthewoodsurfaceispreparedthroughsandingandapplyingblackacrylicpainttocreateanicesmoothblacksurface.Afterthecircuithasbeensketchedoutonthissurfacewithpencil,sizeisappliedwherethegoldleafshouldgo[Fig.52,right].Sizeisanadhesiveusedingilding;itisappliedtoasurfaceandletdryforseveralminutes.Whenithasbecometacky,metalleafisthenappliedandtheexcessbrushedaway.Thecircuitinthisexamplewasmadefromimitationgoldleaf,whichismadefrombrass,acombinationofcopperandzinc.

ThemicrocontrollerandLEDlightscanbesuper‐gluedtothewoodforstability,andthentheirleadscanbesolderedwithcareandfluxtothegoldleaf.Workingwithgoldleafisfinickyandthiscircuithasceasedtowork.Tinycracksinthegoldleafsurfacecanbethecauseofanelectricaldisconnectionthatisnotvisibletothehumaneye.WiththehelpoftheUSBmicroscopeusedinpreviousexamples,someofthesecrackscanbespotted.Theprocessofbridgingacrackedconnectionisnotstraightforwardsincethelayerofsizethatneedstobeappliedforthemetalleaftoadherealsocreatesanisolatinglayer.Applyingunevendabsofsizetocreateaninconsistentcoverisonewaytore‐connecttounderlyingcircuitry.

Figure52.GildedTraces.Left:Exampleshowinggildedcircuitwithpres­fitbatteryholderintoprightcorner.Right:Applyingsizewithasqueezebottleandtoothpicktocreateatackysurfaceonwhichthesheetsofimitationgoldleafwillstick.

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Laser‐EngravedTraces(andPress‐FitComponents)

Thisexampleshowcaseshowalasercuttercanbeusedtocutholesforvariouscomponentssuchasacoin‐cellbattery,amicrocontrollerandaspeakerthatarejusttherightsizesothatthepartspress‐fitintothemanddonotfallout[Fig.53].Thelasercuttercanalsobeusedtoengravechannelsthatconnectthedifferentcomponents.Thisexamplehasnotbeencompleted,butthenextstepwouldbetosaturateorfloodtheengravedchannelswithaconductivepainttomakealltheelectricalconnections.

Inthecaseofthiscircuitthepress‐fitholesaswellastheengravedtraceswerecreatedinthesoftwareAdobeIllustrator.Thisdesignwasimportedintothelasercuttingsoftwareanddifferentelementswereassigneddifferentpowerandspeedvaluesaswellasspecifiedwhethertheyshouldbecutorengraved.

Figure53.Laser­EngravedTrace.Left:Exampleofcircuitmadebylaser­engravingtheconnectionsbetweenthecomponentsthathavebeenpress­fitintoholescutoutholes.Right:Close­upofupside­downmicrocontrollerinapress­fitholewithleadsrecessedintheengravedtraces.

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LinocutandLino‐PrintedTraces

Carvedfromasheetoflinoleumthiscircuitcanbecoatedinconductivepaintandstampedtocreatemultipleprints.Ihavenotyetbeenabletofindagoodmixofconductivepaintandtransfermediumthatallowsmetomakeprintsthatconductwell.

Tomakethelinoleumprint,firstthecomponentsusedinthecircuitwerelaidoutontopofthelinoleumandthenthecircuitwassketched.Withalinoleumcarvingtooltheexcesslinoleumwascarvedaway,leavingtheoriginallinoleumsurfaceasthecircuitasseeninFigure54,left.Conductivesilverpaintandalinoleumprintbaseweremixedandappliedtothesurfaceofthecarvedlinoleumwitharoller.Thepaintonlyappliedtotheareasthathadnotbeencarvedaway.Thenapieceofpaperwaslaidontopofthepaintedlinoleumandwiththebackofaspoonthepaperwasrubbeddowncarefully.Thenthepaperwaspeeledaway,revealingtheprintshowninFigure54,right.

Figure54.LinocutandLino­PrintedTraces.Left:Exampleofcircuitcarvedfromlinoleumwithasilverpaintandlinoleumtransferbasemixappliedtoitssurface.Right:Printmadefromthelinoleumcutfeaturedontheleft.Unfortunatelythesilverpaintdidnottransferwelltothepaperandsothetracesofthiscircuitarenotconductive.

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PaintedTraces

Thislittlecircuitwaspaintedonapieceofstore‐boughthandmadepaper.Thenthewholecircuitwaselectroplatedsothatathinlayerofcopperformedontopofthepaintandpaper[Fig.55].TheplatedcoppermakesthetracesmuchmoreresilienttocrackingwhenthepaperisflexedanditalsomeansthattheleadsofthemicrocontrollerandLEDscanbesolderedtothecircuit.Thecoin‐cellbatteryisheldinplacebyatinyneodymiummagnettapedtothebackofthepaper.Thepositiveleadofthemicrocontrollerconnectstothepositivesideofthebatterywithanothersuchmagnetsolderedtotheendofaflexiblewire.

InFigure41aspartoftheelectroplatingrecipeyoucanseeimagestakenwiththeUSBmicroscopeoftheplatedtracesandsolderjoints.

Figure55.PaintedTraces.Left:Exampleofsmallcircuitpaintedonpaperandthenplatedwithcopper.Right:Close­upofplatedpapercircuit.LEDlightsandthemicrocontrollerleadshavebeensolderedtothecopperbuildup,creatingextremelyrobustconnections.

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PaperSpeakers

Thisexample,basedonthePulp‐BasedComputingpaperspeaker[Coelhoetal.,2009],showcasesaspeakerthathasbeenmadeontissuepaper,bytapingavinylcutcoppercoilontopofit[Fig.56,right].

ThecoppercoilwasdrawninAdobeIllustratorandcutoutusingaCraftRobovinylcutter.Behindthepieceoftissuepaperasmallneodymiummagnetisgluedtothelargersquareofyellowpaper[Fig.56,left].InthelowerleftcornerasmallcircuittakenfromaHallmarkgreetingcardhasbeenmountedandatransistoraddedsothattheaudiosignalcomingfromthesoundcircuitcanbeamplifiedwithanexternalpowersource.

Whena9Vbatteryisconnectedtothetwoleadsatthebottomrightoftheexampleandtheswitchonthesoundcardispressed,thespeakerplaysmusic.Whereasnormallythecoilinsideaspeakeriswrappedcylindrically,inthiscasethecoilisaspiralonaplane.Asthecurrentmodulatedbytheaudiosignalflowsthroughthecoil,itturnsitintoanelectromagnetwithafluctuatingmagneticfieldsothatthecoil,andwithitthetissuepapermembrane,arerepelledandattractedtothepermanentmagnetmountedbehindit.Thesefluctuationsofthemembranecauseairtobemovedcreatingthesoundwavesthatwehear.

Figure56.PaperSpeakers.Left:Paperspeakerexamplewithgreetingcardcircuit.Right:Close­upofexampleinwhichyoucanseetheneodymiummagnetmountedunderneaththepaperspeaker.

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PlatedSeashellSpeaker

Thisexampledemonstrateshowalimpetseashellcanbemadeintoaspeakerbyplatingacoppercoilarounditsinteriorandexteriorwithaholeinthetip,thatconnectsthetwo.Becausetheshellisamuchthickermembranethanthetissuepaperdescribedinthepreviousexample,itvibrateslessgiventhesameamountofcurrentasthepaperspeaker,andsoplaysmuchquietersound.Butifoneholdstheseashelluptoone’sear,onecanhearitplaymusic.

TheexampleoftheplatedspeakerpicturedinFigure57,leftalsoshowsthesoundcircuit,takenfromaHallmarkproduct,andtheamplificationcircuitthatincludesaTIP122transistorandconnectionsfora9Vpowersupply.

Thespeakercoilwasplatedontotheseashell[Fig.57,right],byfirstpaintingthecoilwithconductivesilverpaintandthensubmergingitintheplatingbath.Thinflexiblewiresweresolderedtoeitherendofthecoilmakingtheconnectionfromthespeakertotheamplifiedsoundsourcecomingfromthecircuit.

Figure57.PlatedSpeaker.Left:Exampleofplatedspeakerandcircuitthatplaysandamplifiessound.Right:Threeseashellswithspeakercoidplatedtothem.

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PlatedTraces

Thiscircuitissculptedfromacrylicclayandthenselectivelyelectroplatedtobuildarobustconductivecoatingthatwillnotcrackwhenthetracesofthesculptureareflexedorplayedwith[Fig.58].Thecomponentsofthiscircuitincludeamicrocontroller,threeLEDlightsandacoin‐cellbatteryholder.

Inmakingthesculptedcircuittheacrylicclaywassculptedrightaroundtheleadsofthevariouscomponentsandeverythingwasfiredinatoasteroven,withoutdamagingthecomponents.Thenconductivesilverpaintwasselectivelyappliedtomaketheconnectionsbetweencertaincomponents.Whenthepainthaddried,thecircuitwasdisassembledandthetracesplatedindividually.Fordetailsonthisprocess,seetheelectroplatingrecipefeaturedinthe“Recipe”chapter.

Afterplating,thecircuitwasre‐assembledandtheconnectionstotheleadscouldnowbesoldered.Askin‐resistanceswitch,situatedintheupperlefthandcornerofthecircuit,togglesbetweenthethreeLEDlightseachtimeitispinched.Thebatteryholderincludestwomagnetstoensureagoodelectricalconnectionbetweenthesculptureandthecoin‐cellbattery.

Figure58.PlatedTraces.Left:Exampleofplatedtracesasitappearsintheexamplecollection.Right:Close­upoftheexamplewithallthreeLEDlightslitup.

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Screen‐PrintedTraces

Thisexampleofscreen‐printedtracesshowshowyoucanusetraditionalsilk‐screenprintingtocreatecircuitryonavarietyofflatmedia[Fig.59].

Thecircuitintheexamplewashand‐drawnandthenscannedintothecomputerandtranslatedintovectorgraphics.Themaskforthescreenwascutoutofmaskingtapewiththelasercutter,usingthefilecreatedfromthescan.Themaskinglayerwasthenappliedtothebackofthescreenandadditionalareasweretapedoffwithmoremaskingtape.Copperpaintwasmixedroughly1:1withatransparentscreen‐printingbaseandthenappliedalongtheedgeofthemaskedscreen.Withasqueegeethepaintwasevenlydistributedintotheporesofthesilkscreenbeforelayingthescreendownonapieceofpaperandusingthesqueegeetopressuretheconductivepaintfromthescreenontothepaper.Twotothreelayersofpaintwerenecessarytocreategoodelectricalconnections.Inthisexampleonlythemicrocontrollerhadbeengluedtothesurfaceofthepaper.Theothercomponentscouldbeattachedinasimilarmannerandadditionalpaintwouldneedtobeappliedbetweentheprintedtracesonthepaperandtheleadsofthecomponentstomaketheelectricalconnections.

Thecircuitinthisexample,thoughnotfullyassembled,includesconnectionsforthreeLEDlights,oneresistiveinputaswellasatransistorfortriggeringathermochromicpixel(seethefirstexampleinthischapter).Manyoftheleadsfromthemicrocontrollerconnecttothelowerrighthandsideoftheexamplesquare,theseconnectionareforprogrammingthemicrocontrollerusingasix‐connectionISPprogrammer.

Figure59.Screen­PrintedTraces.Left:Screenprintedcircuitonpaper.Right:Screenprintingusingconductivecopperpaintandmaskedsilkscreen.

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SculptedMotor

ThisextremelybasicmotordesignhasbeenassembledfromavarietyofmaterialssuchastoothpicksandcustomshapedFimofixtures[Fig.60].Theassemblyhasthenbeenelectroplated,formingaconductivelayerofcoppermetal.Whena9Voltbatteryisshortedacrossthetwoconnections,forcingthecurrentthroughthewirewrapcoilthatissuspendedbetweenthetwopoles,itcreatesamagneticfieldaroundthecoilthatrepelsitselffromastackofmagnetsmountedbeneath.Themotorbeginstospinandtheimagesofthebirdandthecagemergeintoone.

Figure60.SculptedMotor.Left:Exampleofamotorassembledfromtoothpicksandpartssculptedfromacrylicclay.Theassemblywasthenelectroplatedwithcopper.Whenpowered,thecoilbeginstospin,mergingtheimageofthebirdandthecage.

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VinylcutTraces

Inthisexample,acircuitcutfromcopperadhesivetapehasbeentransferredtoapieceofclearacrylic.Aholeintheacrylicholdsthecoin‐cellbatteryinplaceandadditionalcomponentshavebeensolderedintoplace[Fig.61].

Thedesignforthecircuitwashand‐drawnandscanned.ThescanwasthentranslatedintovectorsandsenttoaCraftRobovinylcutterwhichthencutitoutfromasheetofadhesivecoppertape.Thecutoutcircuitwastransferredtotheacrylicusingmaskingtape,toensurethatallthetracesstayedinplace.Aholeforthecoin‐cellbatterywaslasercutoutoftheacrylicandtheconnectionstothepositivesideofthebatteryextendovertheedgesofthishole.ThenegativesideofthebatteryisconnectedsimplybystickingthenegativeleadofcoppertapetothebottomofthebatteryasshowninFigure61.ThemicrocontrollerandLEDsweresolderedontothevinylcuttracestoholdtheminplace.ThecoilinthelowerleftcornerisaskinresistiveinputthattogglesbetweenthethreeLEDlightseverytimeyoutouchitwithyourfinger.

Figure61.VinylcutTraces.Left:Coppertracesmountedonclearacrylic.Right:Press­fitholecontainingcoin­cellbatteryandcoppertracesmakingpowerconnectionstothebatteryalongitssidesandbottom.

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WORKSHOPS

Figure62.Picturetakenduringthesecondworkshopofaparticipantpaintingaconductorthatwillthenbeusedasaheatingelementtochangethecolorofthermochromicpaint,causingtheoutlineofthetreetoappear.

Afterbuilding,documentingandsharingtheKit‐of‐No‐Partsonline,workshopswerethenextstepindisseminatingthisnewapproach.Workshopswerealsotheidealplatformtointeractwithindividualswhowereinterestedinlearningthesenewtechniques.Iwantedtoobservehowotherpeoplewouldtaketothetechniques,howtheywouldexperiencethebuildingprocessandwhattheywouldwanttobuild.Figure62showsaworkshopparticipantpaintingacircuitonwood.

IorganizedtwoworkshopsthatwereheldonconsecutiveSaturdaysintheHigh‐LowTechgroupspaceattheMITMediaLab.Bothworkshopswereadvertisedunderthesamedescription,withtheexceptionthatthefirstworkshopwasopentoanybodywhilethesecondworkshopwasspecificallyforindividualswhohadexperiencewithcraft.ThecallsforparticipantswerepublishedonthewebsiteandsentouttotheKit‐of‐No‐PartsnewsletteraswellastotheHigh‐LowTechnewsletter.Itookthefirst10peoplewhorespondedforeitherworkshopandbothworkshopsfilledupwithinthefirstweekofadvertisingthem.

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TheworkshopswereadvertisedasopportunitiestolearntherangeoftechniquesdocumentedontheKit‐of‐No‐Partswebsite.ThefollowingworkshopdescriptionwasincludedintheemailthatwassentoutaswellasonthepostersusedtoadvertisetheworkshopthatareincludedintheAppendix.

Haveyoueverwonderedwhatkindsofelectronicswewouldbeusingifwehadcraftedthemourselves?Whatkindofinterfacewouldyouhavebuilttointeractwithyourmusic?Whatwouldyouralarmclocklooklike?Howwouldyourdoorbellfeel?Whatshapes,sizes,colors,texturesandfunctionalitywouldacraftapproachtobuildingelectronicsoffer?

TheKit­of­No­Partsworkshopintroducesparticipantstoacraftapproachtobuildingelectronics.Imagineyoucouldsculptaswitch,carveacircuitorplateyourownspeakers.Thisworkshopwillcoverarangeoftraditionalandcontemporarycrafttechniquesincludinggilding,carving,casting,sculptingandplating,anddemonstratehowavarietyofcraftmaterialscanbeformedintofunctioningelectronicartifacts.

Theworkshopsstartedat11amonaSaturdayandwentuntil6pm,withalunchbreakfrom1‐2pm.EachworkshopbeganwithapresentationthatbrieflyintroducedtheKit‐of‐No‐Partsapproachandwentontodemonstratetheselectionoftechniquesthatwouldbepossibleduringtheworkshop.

InstructuringtheworkshopsIhadtodecideonwhattointroduce,howtointroduceitandhowtoframeitsothatparticipantshadaclearideaofwhattodoandwhattheycouldexpecttoachieve.MygoalwastointroducearangeoftechniquessothatIcouldseewhichonesparticipantswantedtoengagewith.IimaginedparticipantswoulddevelopanideabasedontheavailablematerialsandthekindsofoutputIpresentedineachworkshop.Dependingonthescopeoftheirideas,Ididnotnecessarilyimagineallparticipantswouldcompletetheirprojectsduringtheworkshop,butIdidanticipatethattheywouldbeabletobeginbuildingandgetagoodintroductiontothecraftstyleofworkingwithelectronics.

TocollectfeedbackfromtheparticipantsIpreparedtwosurveys.Participantswereemailedroughlyadayortwoinadvanceofeitherworkshopwithalinktoanoptionalonlinesurveythataskedquestionsabouttheirpriorexperiencewithart,craft,electronicsandprogramming.Thedayfollowingtheworkshopparticipantsreceivedanotheremailwithalinktoapostworkshopsurveyaskingquestionsabouttheirworkshopexperienceaswellasaskingthemtoratethingssuchasworkshopduration,difficultyandspeed.

Althoughtherewasmuchroomforimprovingtheclarity,structureandfocusoftheworkshops,theybothwentwell.Anoverwhelmingmajorityofparticipantsstatedthattheyenjoyedbeingintroducedtothefullvarietyofnewtechniques.Itwasexcitingthatbothworkshopsfilledupsofast.IknewthattherewasakeeninterestintheE‐Textilesandpapercomputingworkfromourresearchgroup,butIwasn’tsurehowpopularamoregeneralcraftapproachtoelectronicswouldbe.Throughouttheworkshopsmostparticipantswereabletoworkfairlyindependentlyandnobodywasatalossforanideaofwhattheywantedtobuild.

Frommypart,IthoroughlyenjoyedwatchingeverybodyworkwiththematerialsandtechniquesIhadprepared,butbothtimesitbecameapparentearlyonthatinmyplanningIhadexpectedtoomuchofaonedayworkshop.Icrammedtoomuchchoiceandnewnessandtoolittlefocusintotheflowofactivities.Makingithardforparticipantstoconcentrateonlearningandmasteringatechnique.NotonlywasIintroducingparticipantstoeightdifferenttechniquesandthematerialstogowiththem,Iwasalsopresentingelectronicsinacraftcontext.Iunderestimatedhowconfusingit

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canbetoreceivesomuchnewinformationatonce.EventhoughIpreparedillustratedinformationontheelectronicsIintroducedineachworkshop,Ididabadjobofselectingandintroducingelectronicsinabasicandstraight forwardwaythatwouldhaveallowedparticipantsmorecreativefreedom.Overallitwassimplyhardforthemtoimmersethemselvesandcreatesomethingnewinsuchashortamountoftime.

InthefollowingtwosubsectionsIsummarizetheoutcomeofbothworkshopsandfocusonhowtheKit‐of‐No‐Partsapproachwasconveyedandreceived.

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FirstWorkshop

Oftheeightparticipantsthatattendedthefirstworkshopfivewerefemaleandthreemale.Sixpeoplefilledoutthepre‐workshopquestionnaireand5thepost‐workshopquestionnaire.Ofthepeoplethatfilledoutthequestionnairesallwerebetweentheageof20and35.

ThechartsinFigure63illustratesomeofthefollowingobservations.Everybodyhadatleastalittleprogrammingandartexperiencebutroughlyhalftheparticipantshadnocraftexperience.Thisfirstworkshopcontainedmorepeoplewithelectronicsexperiencethanthesecondworkshop.Themajorityofparticipantsconsideredthemselvesdesigners,electronicshobbyistsandartists.Theirindividualartexperienceincludedpainting,photographyandillustration.AndtheirexperiencewithelectronicsincludedArduinoandE‐Textilesprojects.Theparticipantsthathadexperiencewithcrafthadworkedwithcasting,papermaking,ceramicsandjewelryaswellasarangeoftextilecrafts.

Figure63.Workshop1.Graphsshowingparticipants’responsestothepre­workshopsurvey.Left:Onascalefrom1to7,howcomfortabledoyoufeelcrafting,makingart,programmingandbuildingelectronics?Right:Howmuchexperiencedoyouhavewithcraft,art,programmingandelectronics?None,alittle,some,doregularly,expert/professional.

InthequestionnaireIexplicitlyaskedwhetherpeoplehadpreviousexperiencecombiningcraftsandelectronicsandeverybodyrespondedthattheyhadheardorreadaboutitpriortotheworkshop.Manyofthemhadalsoalreadyworkedonconcreteprojects.Itwasinterestingthatsomanyoftheparticipantswerealreadyinvolvedincombiningartandelectronics,butthiswasprobablytiedtothefactthattheyfoundoutabouttheworkshopthroughtheHigh‐LowTechnewsletter.

Whenaskedabouttheirmotivationforattendingtheworkshop,Ifoundthefollowingtwoquotesrepresentativeoftwodifferentreasonsthatparticipantsstatedforcomingtotheworkshopthatday.

“Idon’thavealotofexperiencewithelectronicsandfinditveryempoweringtolearnabouttechnologyinahandson/craftway.”

“Iamworkingonanartprojectthatintegrateselectronicswithsculpturalobjects.Iwouldlikeforthecircuittobenotonlyfunctionalbutanaestheticpartofthepiece.”

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Thisfirstworkshopfocusedonmakingthespeakercoilsdescribedintheprevious“Example”chapter.Participantswereshownavarietyofspeakersmadefromvarioustechniquesandmaterials.ThechallengeinintroducingthespeakerwasthatIneededtoincludeasourceofsound.AneasysolutionwastoprovideaselectionofHallmarkgreetingcardsthatparticipantsguttedforthecircuit.Someofthecardsplayedpre‐recordedsongs,otherswererecordablesothatparticipantscouldrecordandplaybacktheirownsounds.Fortheaudiosignalofthegreetingcardcircuittomakesoundthroughthespeakers,thesignalneededtobeamplifiedwithatransistoranda9Voltbattery.TheseextracomponentswerebulkyandsomewhatdistractingfromthetechniquesIwastryingtofocuson.SinceIwasnotfocusingtheworkshoponaspecifictechniqueandneededtofocusitsomehow,Iwassetonhavingthespeakerandthespeakerrequiredtheseextraparts.

Aftertheinitialintroductionsanddemonstrationofthetechniques,participantsproceededtosketchandthinkaboutwhattheywantedtobuild.ThisiswhenitbecamemostapparenttomethatwhileIhadmadesuretoorganizeallthematerialsandtoolsrequiredforthetechniques,therewerenotenough“other”craftmaterialsaroundtoinspirethekindofbuildingIhadenvisioned.

Figure64.Copyinganexistingdesignisagreatwaytogetstartedaswellaslearnsomethingsintheprocessofbuilding.

WhileIencouragedparticipantstofocusfirstonbuildingaconductivespeakercoil,Ididnotenforceitasanintroductoryactivity.Whilesomeparticipantswentaboutmakingthecoilbeforeanythingelseothershesitated.InretrospectIshouldhaveconsideredthissituationmore.Havinganextremelystructuredintroductoryactivitycanbeagreatstartingpointthatallowsparticipantstogettoworkingwiththematerialsandlearningaboutthemeveniftheyarecopyinganexampledesign.Figure64showsparticipant’sspeakercoilsbasedoffsomeoftheexamplesIshowedintheintroduction.

Itisalwaysaharddecisionhowmanyandwhatkindofexamplestointroduceinaworkshop.Everythingyoushowhasanimpactonhowparticipantscometothink,especiallybecauseworkshopsareoftenheldinsuchshortamountsoftimetheseinfluencescanreallyimpacttheoutcomeofaworkshop,bothforgoodandforbad.

Whileroughlyhalftheparticipantsbuildvariationsofthepaperspeaker,theotherhalfbecameinterestedintheuseofthermochromicpaintsthatchangecolorwhenheated.Thisinterestsprung

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fromtwoparticipantsinparticularwhohadseenthethermochromicpaintsfeaturedontheKit‐of‐No‐Partswebsite.Theywerelookingtoincorporatethermochromicpaintsintheirownworkaspaintersandillustrators.Althoughthesepaintswerenotinitiallyplannedfortheworkshop,itwasnotdifficulttointroducethemonthespot.

Asparticipantsbeganbuildingtheirdesigns,oneofthefirstthingsInoticedwasthattheylenttowardsusingmaterialsandtechniquestheywerealreadyfamiliarwith.Figure65showssomeoftheworksthatparticipantscreatedwithmaterialstheywerefamiliarwith.AtfirstIthoughtIhadfailedtointroducesomeoftheothertechniquesclearlyenoughandparticipantswereunsureofthem.Ontheotherhand,thisresponsemadetotalsense.Whenyoucometoanewactivity,evenifyouareallsettotryouteverythingyoudon’talreadyknow,asyoubegintoworkyounaturallyfallbackintothinkingwithandmanipulatingfamiliarmaterialsandtools.Despitethisbeinganaturalprocess,Icouldhavedonemoretosupportparticipantsinengagingwithsomeofthemoreunusualtechniquessuchassculptingandplatingthepolymerclay,andcarvingfromwood.Introducingthesetechniquesasshortandsimplehands‐onintroductoryactivitieswouldhavebeenonewaytodothis.

Figure65.Participantsexploredtheuseofthermochromicpaints.Left:Oneparticipantexperimentedwithcastingboththermochromicpaintsaswellasconductivepowdersinlatextocreatematerialsthatcouldsimultaneouslyconductandchangecolor.Right:Anotherparticipantexploredthecombinationofthermochromicpaintwiththespeakercoilinordertoanimateherownpaintingsandillustrations.

Oneofthemostessentialtoolsinworkingwithelectronicsisthemultimeter,whichcanbeusedtomeasureelectricalresistance,checkforcontinuityandalsoforcapacitance.Intheworkshopparticipantsallusedthemultimetertochecktheircircuitsforbothgoodandbadconnections[Fig.66].Besidesbeinganextremelyusefultoolthemultimeteralsohasastrongeffectonsupportingexplorativeandmoreexperimentalapproachestoelectronics.InmanywaysitbaressimilaritytoJaySilver’sDrawdio[Silver,2009]tool,whichsupportsandenablesaplayfulexplorationofconductiveeverydayobjects.

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Figure66.ThemultimeterisanessentialtoolinanyelectronicsworkshopsandmaybeevenmoresoinaKit­of­No­Partsworkshop.Left:Participanttestingasilverpaintandwoodcircuitforcontinuity.Right:Anotherparticipantlookingattheresistanceofhercastlatexcoil.

Participantsspentthemajorityoftheworkshopworkingontheirprojects.Mostparticipantsbeganwithasketchoftheirinitialideabutsoonmovedontobuilding.Becauseparticipantschosetoworkwithtechniquesthattheywerefamiliarwiththeywereabletoworkmoreindependently.Also,mostoftheparticipantsinthisworkshophadpriorexperiencewithelectronicsandwerecomfortableusingthecomponentsandcircuitryinvolved,workingfromtheschematicdrawingIprovided.Thefactthatparticipantsinthisfirstworkshophadpriorelectronicsexperiencemighthaveleadmetotakethisforgrantedinpreparingforthesecondworkshopandnotgivingabetterintroductiontoelectronics,whenitwouldhavebeennecessary.

InthefollowingIbrieflysummarizethekindsofprojectsthatparticipantsbuiltaswellasthetechniquesandapproachestheytook.

Fouroutoftheeightparticipantsfocusedprimarilyonusingpaintandpaper.Paintingtheirspeakercoilsandthermochromicheatingelementsaswellastheconnectionstotheotherpartsoftheircircuitryusingtheconductivesilverpaint.Oneparticipantwhoworkedonintegratingthespeakerandthermochromicelementsintotheimageofafrogfoundthathissilverpaintedcoilwasnotconductiveenoughtoplayloudenoughsound,sohewentontosuccessfullyplatehispaintedpapercoil.Althoughthefirstattemptatthisfailedbecausethepaperwastooabsorbentandaffectedbytheplatingbathwhichtookawhilebecausetheconductivesurfaceareawasratherlarge.TheimagesinFigure67showthepapercircuitsubmergedintheplatingbathandthenthefinishedcircuitwithyellowthermochromicpaintaddedaseyesthatdisappearwhentheheatingconnectionismade.

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Figure67.Left:Paintedpaperspeakercoilsubmergedinplatingbath.Right:Finishedcircuitwithyellowthermochromiceyes.

Oneparticipantwasinspiredbyawoodencheeseboxshepickedoutofoneofthematerialsbinsthatwerepartoftheworkshopandbuildamazefromit.Sheusedcardboardtoconstructthewallsofthemazeinsidetheboxandconductivepainttocreatethecircuitryontheback.Twometalballsinsidethemazecouldrecedeintotwoholes,closingthecircuitandturningononeoftwoLEDlights[Fig.68].ThisparticipanthadpreviousexperiencewithelectronicsandalthoughLEDswerenotintroducedaspartoftheworkshopsheaskedtousethem.AstheworkshoporganizerandfacilitatorIwasnotalwayssurehowmuchIshoulddirectpeople’sideastowardsincorporatingtheKit‐of‐No‐Partstechniquesinsteadofreachingforstandardcomponents.InthecaseoftheLEDsIfeeltheparticipantscouldhavepossiblyproducedamoreuniqueandmateriallyintegratedpieceifshehadinsteadusedthermochromicpaintoreventhespeakersasherchoiceofactuatedfeedback.ButontheotherhandherideaincludedtheLEDlightsandatthattimeIwasinthemindsetofhelpingparticipantsrealizetheirideas,ratherthanthinkingtopersuadethemtogoinspecificdirections.InretrospectIcouldhavebeenmoreupfrontaboutstatingthisasagoaloftheworkshop.Tellingparticipantsthattheywereencouragedtotakethelessexploredapproachesandapplytheunderusedtechniques.Icouldhavemoreactivelysuggestedspecificsolutionsthatleadtotheuseofcertaintechniques,ratherthanleaveitentirelyuptoparticipantstodecidehowtheywantedtowork.

Thissameparticipantwentontogildaspeakercoilontheinsideofthelidofthewoodencheesebox[Fig.68].Theideawasthatwhentheboxwasclosed,thepowerconnectionofthecircuitwouldcomplete,turningthecircuitonandplayingsoundthroughthespeaker.Whiletheparticipantgothermazetowork,shestruggledwiththegildingtechnique,asmetalleafisextremelyfinickytoworkwith.Althoughwegotthespeakercoiltobeconsistentlyconductiveweranoutoftimebeforegettingitconnectedtotherestofthecircuitryinorderforittoplaysound.

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Figure68.Left:Mazeconstructedinsideawoodencheesebox.Right:Gildedspeakercoil.

Twoparticipantstookasimilarapproachintwodifferentareas.Bothofthemexploredthematerialsandtechniquesthroughmakingsamplesratherthanworkingonaconcreteproject.Oneparticipanttooktocastingavarietyoflatexsampleswiththermochromicpaint[Fig.65],aswellaswithsteelyarnandconductivepowderstoachieveheatingelements.Theotherparticipantexperimentedmakingavarietyofspeakercoilsondifferentpapersandsubstratessuchastape.Oneofhismoresuccessfulspeakerswasmadeonapost‐itnote,whichthenleadtosomepossibleprojectideas.

Andfinally,oneparticipantincorporatedsculptingandelectroplatingtomakemetalchimes.Thechimeswereintendedtobesuspendedinaspacewheretheycouldbeaffectedbypassers‐by.Causingthechimestomoveandmakecontactwithoneanother,whichwouldtriggersoundsandambientlightingeffects.Thisparticipantsculptedawholeseriesofchimes,firedtheminthetoasterovenandthenplatedtheminbatches.Theplatingdidnotgosowellwithsomanyatonetimeandwereducedthenumberofchimestogetthemtoplatecompletely.TheimagesinFigure69showthesculptedchimesinthetoasterovenaswellasabatchofthemintheplatingbath.

Figure69.OneofthefewparticipantswhotriedsculptingFimoandelectroplatingittocreatemetalchimes.

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Halfanhourbeforetheendoftheworkshopparticipantsgatheredtobrieflypresenttheirworktoeachotherandtosharenotonlywhattheyhadmadebutalsohowtheyhadexperiencedtheprocess.Participantsseemedpleasedwithwhattheyhadmadeandexcitedaboutthevarietyoftechniques,eveniftheyhadnotbeenabletotrythemall.Togiveabetterimpression,herearesomerepresentativequotestakenfromtheresponsestothepost‐workshopsurveys.

Whenaskedwhattheirfavoritethingabouttheworkshopwas:

“Seeingthedemonstrationsandthenusingtheprocesses.”

Whenaskediftheyhadsuggestionsforhowtheworkshoporthetoolsandtechniquesusedcouldbeimproved:

“Ijustwishthegoldleafingwasabitmorereliable.ItlookssoneatandyetIamafraiditistoofragiletobeabletohaveadurablecircuit.”

“Drawingsmoothconcentricspiralsisdifficult.Maybehaveastencil?”

Whenaskedtoshareanyotherreflectionsorcomments:

“Itreallyallowedmetoseehowcircuitscouldpotentiallybemadefromsomanysubstrates.Itwasalmostaninvitationtostartexperimentingwithdifferentmaterialsandreinventingtheformofthecircuitandhowitcanbeintegratedinanewwayinanobject.”

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SecondWorkshop

Ofthetenparticipantsthatattendedthesecondworkshopsixwerefemaleandfourweremale.Allparticipantsfilledoutthepre‐workshopquestionnaireandeightthepost‐workshopquestionnaire.Ofthepeoplethatfilledoutthequestionnairesallwerebetweentheageof21and40.

ThechartsinFigure70illustratesomeofthefollowingobservations.Themajorityofparticipantsconsideredthemselvesartists,craftersanddesigners.Fewpeoplehadpriorelectronicsorprogrammingexperience.Participant’sartexperienceincludedpainting,sculpture,ceramics,videoandelectronicart.Participant’scraftexperienceincludedrepurposingmaterials,metalsmithing,woodworking,ceramics,glass,papercrafts,jewelry,carpentryandawholerangeoftextilecraftssuchassewing,knittingandembroidery.Itisinterestingtomethatthisworkshop,thatwasdirectedatindividualswithpriorcraftexperience,attractedlessparticipantswithelectronicsexperiencethanthefirstworkshopdid.

Figure70.Workshop2.Graphsshowingparticipants’responsestothepre­workshopsurvey.Left:Onascalefrom1to7,howcomfortabledoyoufeelcrafting,makingart,programmingandbuildingelectronics?Right:Howmuchexperiencedoyouhavewithcraft,art,programmingandelectronics?None,alittle,some,doregularly,expert/professional.

Inresponsetothequestionaboutwhatmotivatedthemtosignupfortheworkshop,oneparticipantreplied:

“I’vealwaysbeeninterestedingettinginvolvedsomehow,andwaswaitingforaworkshoptoopenupthatseemedappropriate.”

InarrowedthenumberoftechniquesIintroducedinthesecondworkshopdowntofour:gilding,electroplating,carving,andmoldingandcasting.Ialsoaskedparticipantstobringsomethingwiththemthattheyhadmadeandcouldpossiblyincorporateintheworkshop,butdidnothaveto.Inthepreviousworkshopanumberofparticipantshadshownakeeninterestinusingthermochromicpaintsthatcanbemadetochangecolorwhenheatedup.SobesidesfocusingonthespeakersIalsoincludedthesecolorchangingpaints.InsteadofusingthegreetingcardcircuitsasasourceforsoundIdecidedtouseapre‐programmedmicrocontroller,asmallcomputerwitheightlegsandaprogramloadedonitthatplayedadifferentnote,dependingonthevalueofinputconnectedtooneofitspins.Thisvariableinputcouldbeachievedbypaintingastripofcarbonpainttocreatearesistivetrackalongwhichtomoveaconductivewiperthatconnectedtotheelectricalgroundof

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thecircuit.Aswiththegreetingcardcircuitthisoptionalsoincludedthetransistorand9Voltbatteryforamplifyingthesoundsignal.

Figure71.Imagesfromthebooklethandedoutatthesecondworkshop.

Inadditiontotriggeringthenotes,thesamemicrocontrollerrananothersetofcommands.Everytimetheinputpinwastriggered,nomatterwhatthevalue,theprogramtoggledbetweenonandoff(highandlow)onthreeoutputpins,allowingsomebodytoconnectthreedifferentoutputstothesepins.Thissetupsoundscomplicated,anditwas.InordertomakeallofthismoreaccessibletotheparticipantsIpreparedasmallbookletcontainingfourcircuitdiagrams.Oneformakingaverysilentspeakercircuitusingjusta3Voltcoin‐cellbattery.Anotherformakingtheamplifiedversionofthespeakercircuit.Averysimplecircuitfortriggeringandheatingthethermochromicpaintthatworkedwithoutthemicrocontroller.Andthelast,themostcomplicated,andwhichnobodyattempted,fortogglingbetweenthreethermochromicpixels.Figure71showstwopagesfromthisbookletthatintroducethedifferentcomponentsandillustratetheamplifiedsoundcircuit.Itturnedouttobetoomuchforsuchashortworkshop.

Asparticipantsbegintosketchouttheirideastheyusedpensandpapertodrawsketchesandschematics,buttheyalsotookthecomponentsandconfiguredthemaroundtheirobjectinordertogetabetterideaofhowthingsmightcometogether.Thishappenedmoresointhisworkshopthaninthefirst.Foronebecausesomeparticipantshadbroughtartifactswiththemthattheywantedtouseintheirdesignandsotheyhadanobjectinfrontofthem.AndalsobecauseatthebeginningoftheworkshopIhandedoutbagscontainingthebookletandthecomponentstheywouldneedtobuildanyofthefourcircuitsitdescribed.GoingbackandlookingatsomeoftheimagesItookduringtheworkshopthefollowingtwoimagesstruckmeasreprehensiveofthisprocesses.Seeingtheseimagesalsomademethinkaboutsomeofthefinerdetailsofthisinitialsketchingprocess.

TheleftpictureinFigure72,leftshowsaparticipantwhobroughtaplainmetalbraceletshehadmadewithhertotheworkshopanddecidedto“apply”thesilentspeakercircuittoit.Intheprocessesoffiguringoutwherethecomponentsshouldgosheexperimentedwithdifferentplacements,bothbysketchingalayoutonpaperaswellasphysicallyarrangingthepartswheresheimaginedtheycouldgoonthebracelet.Havingboththeartifactandthecomponentsinhandallowedhertothinkainacertainwayaboutthecombinationofcraftsandelectronics.

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TherightpictureinFigure72,rightshowsanotherparticipantashesketchedouthiscircuitonpaper.Hedidnotbringanartifactwithhimandsothroughsketchingdesignedboththecircuitandtheartifact.ThoughIcan’tsayexactlyhowthisparticulardesignprocessdevelopedandwhatkindofbackandforthhappenedbetweenelectronicsandartifact,Ifeelitworththinkingabouthowintheprocessofcraftingelectronicsonemovesbackandforthbetweenthedifferentworlds,bothofcraftandelectronics,aswellasoftwo‐dimensionalrepresentationandtherealityoffinalpiece.Andtothinkabouthowthemediausedinfacilitatingthisprocesssuchasflatpaperandrealmaterialsinfluencethisprototyping/buildingprocess.IdiscusstheseideasmoreinthefinalchapterwhereItrytosummarizeandreflectondifferentstylesofapproach.

Figure72.Left:Thisparticipantbroughtaplainmetalbraceletshehadmadewithhertotheworkshopanddecidedtointegratetheelectronicsonherbracelet.Right:Anotherparticipantsketchesouthiscircuitonpaper.

Oneparticipantsharedareallyinterestingcommentwithmeaboutherintenttofocussolelyonthelayoutandvisualaestheticsofthecircuitry.Inherdesign,whichwaspaintedonplywood,shefirstusedblueacrylicpainttopreparethesurfaceuponwhichtopainttheconductivesilverpaint.Thebluepaintbackdropalsocreatedaprominentvisualeffect[Fig.73,left].Ithoughtitwasinterestingtoconsiderherfocusontwo‐dimensional,twocolor,twomaterialaestheticsasaniceconcentrationthatcouldbethefocusofafutureworkshop.

Trialanderror!Oneparticipantworkingwiththethermochromicpaintsdidnotmixinenoughmediumandwhenthepaintdrieditwasveryflaky[Fig.73,right].Butaninterestingthingthathealsodidinthisexamplewastopainttheconductivepaintontopofthethermochromiclayer.WhileIhadtakentopaintingtheconductorinthebackgroundtokeepitinvisible,Iverymuchliketheideaofpaintingtheconductorontop.ThoughIamnotsureifinthiscaseitwasaconsciousdecisionornot.

Asinthefirstworkshopparticipantsspentthemajorityoftimeworkingontheirownprojects.Comparedtothefirstworkshopamajorityofparticipantshadlittleornopriorexperiencewithelectronics.IfoundmyselfchallengedtobetterexplaintheelectronicsIwasintroducingforwhichIrealizedIhadnotpreparedasimpleenoughintroductionto.WhilethebookletIhandedoutdescribedthecomponentsandthecircuitsIhadprepared,itwasdirectedatanaudiencethatwasalreadyfamiliarwithelectroniccomponentsandschematics.

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Figure73.Left:Participantfocusedondesignofcircuitry.Right:Trialanderror.

Beingusedtoworkingwithcircuitschematicsonecomestomorenaturallyviewthemasabstractionsoftheactualimplementationofacircuitanditscomponents.Observinghowparticipantswhowerenewtoelectronicsworkedwiththecircuitdiagrams,thiswasnotthecase.Thewaythecircuitwaslayedoutandrepresentedinmyhand‐out,whichcanseeninFigure71ontheleft,wasveryliterallytakenupbysomeparticipants.Ratherthanconsiderotherformatsforrepresentingcircuitconnections,suchaslistingwhatconnectstowhatandnotdrawingtheconnections,itwouldhavebeenbettertostartwithasimplercircuitthatonlyincludedapowersupply,aswitchandsomeactuation.Ofcourse,needingasoundsourceandamplifiedpower,Ihadhadahardtimesolvingthisforthespeaker.Butthethermochromicpaintontheotherhandcanworkverynicelyinsuchasimpleconfiguration,whereyoupaintyourheatingelementandshortyourbatteryacrossitinordertoactuatethepaint.

Ofthetenparticipantsinthisworkshoproughlyhalfworkedonprojectsthatincludedspeakers.Theotherhalfusedthermochromicpaint.Unfortunatelymanyofthoseincorporatedthespeakerswerelesssuccessfulingettingthemtowork.Ibelievethattosomedegreethiswasbecauseparticipantsreallymadeanefforttointegratetheirspeakerswiththeirartifactandindoingsoencounteredsomechallengesthattooktimetoresolve.Whilewiththevisualqualitiesofcraftyoucanoftenbegintoappreciatethemevenbeforetheyreachtheirultimateform,withelectronicsitcandependoneverythingbeingfinishedbeforethereisevenachancethatitmightwork.Andthentheprocessofdebuggingbegins.Whiledebuggingispartoftheprocessitisashamewhenittakesupthemajorityoftheworkshop.

InthefollowingIdescribetwoprojectsthatincludedspeakers.TheyarealsotheprojectsthatIfirstintroducedwhentalkingaboutstylesofapproachinsketchingandprototypingideas,showninFigure72.

Theparticipantwhobroughtthebraceletshehadmadewithhertotheworkshopcameupwiththeideaofusingthemetalbraceletitselfasthecommongroundconnectionthateverycomponentconnectedto.Shealsousedasmallmagnetonthebatterysothatthiscouldbemovedaroundthebracelet.Becausethemetalofthebraceletwasnowpartofthecircuit,otherpartsneededtobeisolatedfromitinordertoformseparateconnections.Forthissheusedaclearnailvarnish.Usingadremeltoolshedrilledholesandcutslitsinthebracelettoaccommodatethecomponentsthat

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includedthebattery,theresistivesensor,themicrocontrollerandthespeaker.Shemadethespeakercoilbyweavingmagnetwireinacircle,throughtheholesshehaddrilledinthebracelet.Buttheinsulationofthewirekeptshearingontheedgesofthemetalholes,causingittoshortwiththecommongroundandrequiringittobeundoneandredonemultipletimes.Ultimatelywetriedtestingthecircuitbyjustwrappingthewireintoacoilandtapingittothebracelet.Thespeakerdidnotproduceaudiblesoundand,althoughIcan’tbesure,Isuspectthiscouldbebecausethewirecoilwasnotfixedtoitwellenoughcausingittovibratethemetalasitsmembrane,orelsethemetalofthebraceletwastoostifftovibrateatsuchlowpower.Inthiscaseshecouldhavetriedimplementingtheamplifiedversionofthecircuit,whichwouldhaverequiredtheextracomponents,includingtheratherbulky9Vbattery.Figure74,leftshowsthebraceletasitlookedattheendoftheworkshop.

Aprojectthatincorporatedthepaperspeakerwasmadeonapieceofplywoodcutoutintheshapeofawashboard[Fig.74,right].Theideawasthatyoucouldplaythewashboardwithaconductivewiper,whichinthiscasewasachopstickcoatedinconductivepaint,bymovingitupanddowntheresistivetrackpaintedwithcarbonpaint.Therestofthecircuitwaspaintedwithsilverpaintonwood,inasimilarstyletothepreviouslymentionedexampleofanotherparticipantthatusedbluepaintasabackdrop.Thespeakerwasnotpaintedonthewoodbutonapieceofpaperthatwasthenconnectedtothewoodcircuitthroughtwosmallmetalscrews.Thespeakerwasextremelyquietbecauseitusedonlythe3Voltcoincellanddidnotamplifythesound.Again,addingthetransistorand9Voltbatterytoamplifythesoundwouldhavemadeitlouderbutalsobulkier.

Figure74.Left:Braceletwithsimplespeakercircuit.Right:Woodenwashboardinstrumentwithpaperspeaker.

Thefollowingthreeprojectsallusedthermochromicpaintaswellassomecarving,moldingandcasting.

TheworkofoneparticipantplayswithourperceptionoftheratherobnoxioussentenceshowninFigure75.WhenthecircuitispoweredtheimagechangesandanoutlineofthecountryofSpainappearsaroundthetext.TheresultisareferencetohowtheparticipantfeelsaboutlivinginNewYorkduringitscoldwinters,whileinSpain,whichisatroughlythesamelatitude,thewinterstherearesunnyandwarm.

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Figure75.Artworkbyoneoftheparticipants,before(left)andafter(right)completingthecircuitthatcausesthepaintedcircuittoheatupandappearthroughthethermochromicpaint.

TheparticipantwhomadetheartworkreferencingSpain’ssunnywinterswasalsooneofthefewwhobeganherprocessbycreatingaseriesofsamplesbeforeattemptingthefinalpiece.Shewasusedtoworkingwithpaintandalsotheideaforthisartworkissomethingshealreadyhadinmind.Comingatthisprocesswithskillstoleverageaswellasastrongideamakesadifferenceinhowyoucanworkgivenanewsetoftoolsandtechniques.

OneparticipantbroughtaselectionofgemstoneswithhimtotheworkshopandproceededtomakeFimomoldsofthemthathecouldthenusetocastlatexmixedwiththermochromicpaintin[Fig.76,left].Healsoincludedalayerofconductivepaintinthemoldashisheatingelementthatwouldcausethemtochangecolor.Unfortunately,eventhoughthemoldsweresmall,thelatextookforevertocurewhencastintheseshapes.Anotherparticipantconstructedawoodenboxandpaintedthermochromicpaintonthedifferentsides.Contactsunderneaththepaintrevealeddifferentshapeswhenthecubewasorientedindifferentpositionstomakeelectricalconnectionswiththebattery[Fig.76,right].

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Figure76.Left:ThermochromicgemstonescastwithlatexinFimomolds.Right:woodenboxwiththermochromicdisplaythatrevealsdifferentelementsdependingontheorientationofthebox.

Thefollowingfinaltwoexamplesofthermochromicpaintweredoneonwoodwithheatingpatternspaintedunderneathintheshapeofthetree’sleaves[Fig.77].Inthefirstexamplenothingbutthecarvedrecessionofthetreetrunkandbranchesarevisibleuntilthecircuitispoweredtorevealtheleafstructures.Asecondandsmalleriterationofthisprojectchangescolormoredramaticallybecausethepaintedheatingelementheatsmuchfaster.Thissecondversioniscoateditinaclearlack,givingitaveryfinishedquality.Italsoincludesholesinthewoodthatbringthepowerconnectionsforthecircuittotheback.Theholesweredrilledandthensaturatedwithpaintandsmallscrewswerescrewedintomakeconnectionsthatcouldbeclippedtowiththealligatorclips.

Figure77.Left:FinishedversionoftheworkinprogressfeaturedattheverybeginningofthischapterinFigureX.Right:Asmallerexampleofthetreefeaturedontheleft.Becauseofthemuchshorterpaintedheatconductor,thisonechangescolormuchfasterandspreadsmoredramatically.

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Attheendoftheworkshopparticipantsgatheredtogethertobrieflypresenttheirprojects.Iaskedthemalsotoreflectonhowtheworkshopwentaswellashowitcouldbeimproved.Thefollowingquotestakenfromresponsestotheonlinepost‐workshopsurveynicelyrepresentparticipant’sconclusions.

Whenaskedwhattheirfavoritethingabouttheworkshopwas:

“Learningaboutdifferentconductivematerials.”

“Seeingallthepossibilities!”

Whenaskedwhattheirleastfavoritethingabouttheworkshopwas:

“Itwashardtolearntheskillsquicklyenoughtomakeaprojectthatworked.”

“Notbeingtaughthowtomakeelectronicconnections.”

Whenaskediftheyhadsuggestionsforhowtheworkshoporthetoolsandtechniquesusedcouldbeimproved:

“Ithinktheworkshopshouldeitherbelonger,orfocusedonasmallernumberofcrafts/materials.”

“Havingtofigureoutthecircuitandthenewmaterialsatthesametimewasmaybetoohard.”

“Itneedstobelonger,anddemonstratingapplicationscanbenice.”

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REFLECTIONSONPROCESS

Figure78.Theremainsofcarvingawoodencircuit;amicrocontroller,flakesofcarvedwoodwithconductivesilverpaintonthem,andthetipsoftwocarvingtools.

InthepreviouschaptersIhavedetailedtheprocessofdevelopinganddocumentingmythesis,andpresentedtheoutcome,whichincludesthewebsite,acollectionofexamplesandtwoworkshops.Iwouldliketoconcludemythesiswithaseriesofreflectionsonprocess.

IntermsofmyownprocessIreflectonbalancingmethodandintuitionthroughoutmysamplemakingprocess.Idiscusswhatitmeanttodocumentmyresults,inreal‐time,asIwasproducingthem.Idescribehowlaunchingthewebsite,asaplatformfororganizingandsharingmywork,helpedmetobemoreexplicitaboutmyprocessesandtechniques.

BasedonobservationsImadeduringtheworkshopsIreflectontheirdifferentstylesofbuilding.Idescribetherolesthatsketching,prototyping,rehearsinganddebuggingplaythroughoutdifferentkindsofbuildingprocesses.

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BalancingMethodandIntuition

ThroughoutmysamplemakingprocessIhadnosetstrategyforbalancingmethodandintuition.Intuitionplayedapartthroughoutthewholeprocess,fromsourcingthematerialsandtools,todecidingwhatsamplestomakeandhowtotestthemforvaluableresults.

ThemorefamiliarIwaswithacertainmaterialortool,themoremyintuitionplayedaroleinmydecisions.AsIcametoknowamaterial,Iwouldworkmoreintuitivelywithit,producingsamplesbiasedbywhatIthoughtwouldworkandoftenrefrainfromtryingthingsthatIdidnotbelievecouldwork.ThelessfamiliarIwaswithamaterial,theeasieritwastosticktoplanningandexecutingaparticularseriesofexperiments.ThiswasduetothefactthatIhadnotdevelopedafeelingfororanopiniononhowamaterialwouldbehave,andsomyintuitiondidnotbiasmeanddisruptmyplans.Interestinglyenough,althoughthissoundslikeawhimsicalwaytoapproachsolvingaproblem,itworkedverywellformeinmanycases.And,thoughIhavenoproofforthis,Idobelievethatfindingagoodbalancebetweenthesetwoforcescanleadtosuccessfulresults,fasterandmoreefficientlythanaprocessbasedonpureintuitionormethodology.

Partoffindingthisbalancebetweenfactandfeeling,methodandintuitionwasalsoinknowinghowandwhentotransitionbetweenthesearchforpriorworkandhands‐onexperimentation.Beingabletodrawuponotherpeople’sresultsisanextremelyvaluablepartofthisprocess,butsoisexperimentation.MyownexperimentsoftentookmeweeksandleadmetothesameconclusionsthatIcouldhavereadupsomewhere.ButtheknowledgeIbuildfromexperiencewasmorecompleteandembodiedthatanythingIcouldreadup.NotonlydidIgainasenseforwhatcouldgowrong,butalsoIdevelopedanintuitionforhowtomakethingswork.

BeingExplicitAboutTacitKnowledge

BeingnewtothevarietyofcraftsIwasintroducingmyselfto,Itriedtoleveragemypositionofsimultaneouslearner,experimenteranddocumenter.NicolaWood[WoodandHorne,2008]doesresearchintohowtacitknowledgecanbeelicitedthroughthehelpofanintermediateexpertlearnerandthestructureprovidedbythedocumentationprocess.Shedescribeshowtheexpertlearnerisabletoconstruct“bridges”thatcanbeusedbythenovicetoacquireskill.Harpertalksofasimilarprocessandcallsit“disassemblingintuition”[Harper,1987].Thetermcodificationdescribestheprocessbywhichtacitknowledgeistransformedintoexplicitknowledge.

AsIwaslearninganddocumenting,Iwasinthepositionofanintermediateexpertlearner,andbecameveryawareofthetacitknowledgeIwasacquiring.Suchknowledgeincludedhunchesabouthowaparticularmaterialwouldbehave,beingabletopredictwhattoolwouldworkbestforacertainjob,aswellasbecomingtactfulinmypractice.Thisheightenedconsciousness,regardingmydevelopingskills,didnotnecessarilymakeiteasierformetoconveythem.But,promptingmyselftoproducedocumentationbasedonthisawareness,didhelpmeelicitinformationthatinturnenabledmetobetterreflectonhow,andwhy,Iwasdoingthingsacertainway.

Inmyroleaslearner,Idrewuponandcametoappreciateotherpeople’sdocumentation.AsIbecamemorefamiliarandexperiencedwithcertaintoolsIrealizedthatIwasabletouncoverorrecognizeadditionalinformationembeddedwithintheirdocumentation.ThemoreIhadincommonwiththepersonwhohadwrittenthedocumentation,themoreIwasabletorelatetotheiraccountsandrecognizeimportantbitsofinformation,whereIhadpreviouslyjustseentext.

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Iabletodetectembodiedformsofinformationthatwereoftenembeddedintheirdocumentedaccounts.Asanovicelearneritisoftenimpossibletodiscernwhatkindsofinformationrefertomoreembodiedpractices.Thisobservationpromptedmetotryandincluderemarksthatwouldmakethisdistinctionevenmoreexplicitinmyowndocumentation.

DocumentinginReal‐Time

MybeststrategyforinsuringthatIdocumentwell,andthatmydocumentationcapturesrelevantpartsofmyprocess,istodocumentinreal‐timeandthroughoutthewholeprocess.Itakenotesalongwitheverysample;Itakepicturesofeverythinginprocess,finished,material,tool,broken,fixedandworking.Iusevideosparinglybecauseitistime‐consumingtoeditaswellaswatch,butitisgreatforcapturingproceduresthatarehardtoconveyotherwise.IalwayskeepinmindthefactthatIwillbeusingmydocumentationtoconveymyprocesstoothers.Thishelpsmebediligentaboutcapturingmomentsthathavebecometrivialtomyself.IconsistentlytakepicturesofwhatIamdoing,especiallywhileIamlearningandmakingmistakes.

WhileitoccurredtomethatIcouldmountacameraabovemyworkspaceandsimplyfilmmyentireprocess,Idon’tbelievethiswouldresultinbetterdocumentation,orthatsuchanoverwhelmingamountofdocumentationwouldbecapableofconveyingmyprocessmorepreciselyoringreaterdetail.ThereisahugeamountofknowledgeanddetailembeddedinthepicturesIchoosetotake,simplybythefactthatIchosetotakethem.EverytimeIthinkofdocumenting,Idocument,andhaveovertimetrainedmyselfbybeconsistentinmydocumentation.WhileIdon’tspendmuchtimethinkingaboutdocumentationduringtheprocess,IdoreflectonitwhenIamnotinthemiddleofproducingwork.IgooverthedocumentationIhavegatheredandamabletodetectgapsthatIcanthengobackandfill.Irarelyrepeataprocesssolelyforthesakeofdocumentation,butitdoeshappen.Ialsospendtimethinkingofgoodwaysofcapturingcertaindetailsorprocedures.PicturesareoneofthemediumsIusemostincombinationwithwrittendescriptions.IalsotrytosketchanddrawdiagramswhenIthinktheyarehelpful.

IlaunchedtheKit‐of‐No‐Partswebsiteroughlyhalfwaythroughmyprocessofsourcingsupplies,whichwasveryearlyoninmyprocessofgettinghands‐onwiththematerialsandtools.SettingupthewebsiteatthisearlystagemeantIcouldpostmydocumentationthereanddevelopthestructureandlayoutofthesitealongsidethetechniquesandrecipesIwasdeveloping.SettingupthewebsiteandfiguringoutthestructureanddesignasIworked,turnedouttobeanexcellentwayofcapturingmyprocessaswellasthetransformationsofmythoughtsasIwasmaking,learninganddocumenting.PublishingmyprocessinthislivemannermeantthatanyonewhocaredtocheckthesiteregularlycouldfollowmyflowoforganizationinwhichIstructuredmythoughtsthroughcategorizationandlayout.

StylesofApproach

DuringtheworkshopsIobservedparticipants’processesandbegantopayattentiontothedifferentwaysinwhichinitialsketchestranslatedintoelectronicartifacts.

Mostparticipantsbeganwithatwo‐dimensionalsketchoftheircircuitandsometimesalsotheirartifact.Almostalwaysthetwoweredrawninseparatestages,oneaftertheother.Inthecaseswhereaparticipantwasworkingwithaparticularartifactalreadyinmind,theartifactmightbesketchedfirstandthenthecircuit“applied”toit.Tofurthervisualizethefinalartifactwiththisapproach,participantswouldsometimesalsophysicallylayoutthecircuitelementsontheactual

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artifacttogetabetterfeelingforhowthingscametogether.“Applying”theelectronicstoanexistingartifact,nottraditionallyassociatedwithelectronics,helpedintroducenewshapesandaestheticstothecircuitlayoutanddesignofcertaincomponents,suchasresistiveswitches,whichcouldbepaintedinmanyshapes.Ontheotherhandthisapproachverymuchimpliesthatelectronicsarebeingappliedtocraft,thatbotharenotpartofthesameprocess.Thatcraftandelectronicsdon’thappenatthesametime,thattheyaredistinctandseparatematerials,toolsandprocesses.

ThemostfluidapproachtoblendingelectronicsandmaterialsthatIexperiencedandobservedinmyownprocess,wasthatofhavingthematerialsinmyhands,andbeingabletocontinuouslyworkthemintotheirfinalform.Thisprocessinvolvedbeingabletogoback,makechangesandundosomeofthethingsIhaddone.WhenworkingwithconductivetextilesandcrafttechniquessuchasknittingandcrochetIreachedapointwhereIwasnotthinkingaboutintegratingelectronicsintotextiles,norapplyingtextilestoelectronics,butwassimplybuildingandthinkingequallyandinseparablyofbothdomains.

RehearsingandDebugging

TheKit‐of‐No‐Partsapproachblendscraftsandelectronicsapproachestobuilding,andindoingsoalsoblendsthevariousstepsassociatedwitheitherprocess.InthefollowingIwouldliketobrieflydescribetherolesthatrehearsinganddebuggingplayedinmyprocessofbuildingandworkingfromaKit‐of‐No‐Parts.

Reflectingonthecraftprocess,TimIngolddescribesthefollowingrelationshipbetweenrehearsalandperformance.

“Thereisacriticalmoment,inimplementinganytask,whengettingreadygiveswaytosettingout.Thisisthemomentatwhichrehearsalendsandperformancebegins.Fromthatpointonthereisnoturningback.Pencilmarkscanberubbedout,butanincisionmadewiththebladeofasawcannotbecontrivedtodisappear.”[TimIngold“WalkingthePlank”in“DefiningTechnologicalLiteracy–TowardsandEpistemologicalFramework”p.68]

WhatIngolddescribesasrehearsing,formewasmysamplemakingprocess.BymakingsamplesIexploredmaterialsandmasteredknowledgetodevelopmyvarioustechniques.IwasthenabletoapplythisknowledgeandskilltobuildingthecollectionofexamplesthatIpresented.

Whileverymuchanelectronicsterm,debuggingisaprocesssimilartotheprocessofsamplemaking.Debuggingisaprocessofspendingtimefiguringoutwhysomethingdoesnotwork.Iwouldarguethatdebuggingismoreprevalentinbuildingprocessesthatbuilduponpre‐designedandmanufacturedcomponents,whoseexactfunctionsarenotallknowntothepersonusingthem,givingcauseforthebuildertospendadditionaltimetounderstandhowthingswork,whentheydon’tworkasintended.Debuggingisaprocessyoulearnthroughexperience,notonlywhattolookfor,buthowtokeeplookinguntilyoufigureitout.Debuggingrequiresamindsetofnotgivingup,becauseyouknowthatthemistakeliessomewhereandthatyouwillfinditeventually.

ThroughproducingmysamplesIlearnednotonlyhowtoachievedesiredresults,butwasalsoabletocharacterizeundesirableresults.Beingabletorecognizewhysomethingdidnotworkwasalmostmoreusefulthanonlyknowinghowtomakethingsworkandneverexperiencingfailure.Thisexperience,thatcamefrommakingsamples,wasofgreathelplateronintheprocessofdebuggingmyfinalartifacts.Thesetiesbetweenanexperimentalsamplemakingapproachandaproblem‐

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findingdebuggingapproacharepartofwhatmakestheKit‐of‐No‐Partsdifferentfromestablishedelectronicsbuilding.ThesetiesalsocontributetomakingtheKit‐of‐No‐Partsamoretransparentandunderstandableapproach.

ConcludingRemarks

Ihopethattheaccountsofmyprocess,whichIhavereflectedoninthisfinalchapter,conveythattheKit‐of‐No‐Partsapproachtobuildingelectronicsistrulydifferentfromthestyleofbuildingwecurrentlyassociatewithelectronics.AndthatthetechniquesIhavedevelopedandpresentedinthisthesisdemonstratethepotentialofthisdifferentapproachaswellasshowthatitiscapableofverydifferentresults.Resultsthatarenotjustdifferentbecauseofthematerialstheyaremadefrombutdifferentbecauseofhowtheyweremade.

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APPENDIX

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