Sewing with Conductive Thread

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Contributors: Dia
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How Do I Use Conductive Thread with Sewable Components?

Most e-textiles components, including the LilyPad, Aniomagic, and Flora lines, are made out of PCB and have a large hole at each pin. The inside of each hole, as well as the silver pad surrounding it, is conductive.This is intended to give you plenty of room to pass a needle and thread through the hole several times. This helps to guarantee that the thread has a wide surface to make solid conductive contact with. When you’re sewing your components down, it’s important to make sure that each stitch wraps securely around the edge of the component and is pulled down tight so that the thread is in solid contact with the interior of the hole and the surrounding pad. Put in at least three stitches per hole this way, always making sure that each stitch is tight before proceeding to the next.

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