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Bare Conductive Paint *pens*

Started by midwayfair, May 16, 2012, 05:30:41 PM

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midwayfair

My wife sent this to me. Looks relevant to our interests ... might be a useful alternative when etching or prototype PCBs aren't an option or just something to do on a sunday afternoon in front of the tv.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/14/bare-conductive-pens


TNblueshawk

Interesting. Anyone tried one?

So your wife is perusing Wired and mine is looking at dept store magazines. I need to get mine to read your wife's !
John

midwayfair

Quote from: TNblueshawk on May 16, 2012, 06:22:08 PM
Interesting. Anyone tried one?

So your wife is perusing Wired and mine is looking at dept store magazines. I need to get mine to read your wife's !

I haven't tried one yet. I might order one soon after I work out how much the ink costs. Cost-benefit analysis and all that.

I do most of my non-manufactured board stuff on perfboard (not even vero), but it has its limitations. And I HATE doing IC-based stuff on perf. This could be really useful for doing longer traces or to connect IC pins.

My wife's better informed about most things than I am. :) She crochets incredibly cute things, too:

jkokura

Impressive that she was able to crochet a pair of children who look much more like little statues than crocheted things. How did she get the fine detail in the girls hair? And that sax in the little boys hands! Wow! She's very skilled at crocheting...

Jacob
JMK Pedals - Custom Pedal Creations
JMK PCBs *New Website*
pedal company - youtube - facebook - Used Pedals

gtr2

If you want to sell the little guys you should post in the buy/sell forum.  ;)
1776 EFFECTS STORE     
Contract PCB designer

midwayfair

#5
Quote from: gtr2 on May 16, 2012, 07:28:36 PM
If you want to sell the little guys you should post in the buy/sell forum.  ;)

???

they're not for sale. They're my band. I apologize if I've offended anyone.  :-\

edit, for good measure:  ;)

Double edit: Nobody else has anything to say good, bad, or otherwise about the conductive paint pens?

jkokura

well... they're not new. I know that guys got super excited about them at DIY Stompboxes a while back.

Since I don't etch I don't really see them being useful for me at all. I use a breadboard, then do a layout, then get someone to etch it or do a prototype through Dorkbot. The pens don't fit in with what's working for me.

But super cool idea. I saw a video at least a year ago where a guy did a circuit drawing on a piece of white paper. He used masking tape to apply some resistors and stuff to the paper, then had an LED that was flashing in time after hooking up a battery pack. Neat experiment.

Jacob
JMK Pedals - Custom Pedal Creations
JMK PCBs *New Website*
pedal company - youtube - facebook - Used Pedals

gtr2

I was just kidding midwayfair, hence the wink.  Those little things are rad!  ;D

Josh
1776 EFFECTS STORE     
Contract PCB designer

jubal81

Looks interesting, but I'm skeptical. I've tried two other types and they didn't work worth a poo - and they're expensive buggers.
"If you put all the knobs on your amplifier on 10 you can get a much higher reaction-to-effort ratio with an electric guitar than you can with an acoustic."
- David Fair

CRBMoA

I keep whatever pen Rat Shack sells on hand in case I want to touch up an etch that doesn't look buttlet-proof.

Shake well before application and force dry with some kind of heat (a 60 watt bulb is fine) and it is a handy little trick to save an etch.

cb

raulduke

Yep, I think the pens are intended more for track repairs etc. than they are for full circuit layouts.

Would be fun to try though I guess!