Build Your Own Pressure Sensor / Velostat / Scamp3

This video will describe how to build a simple pressure sensor using anti-static bag material. ( Velostat) The Scamp3 board running Flashforth wil be used to display the pressure values.
ScampPressure.txt code:
www.dropbox.co...
Scamp3:
www.tindie.com...
udamonic.com/w...
Force Sensing Materials:
• Force Sensing Materials

[@BusyElectrons]

I've made these before using copper foil tape, but that approach can be somewhat fragile. I never thought about using solder wick. Thanks for the idea!

[@PerScientiaAdAstra]

...Great tip, and a lot cheaper than using Force Sensitive Resistors, in appropriate applications.

[@ShellacScrubber]

An ingenious idea and a great video Ken. As to uses for such a device, a midi Hi Hat pedal immediately springs to mind ! I'm continuing to have great fun with FlashForth and my various 328p based boards. I am currently enjoying playing with shift registers and using the "csend" word which is of course the equivalent Arduino's "Shift out" function.

[@JanJeronimus]

Great idea to use the solder wick!

[@dancollins1012]

Great project! I'm gonna study up on velostat and get some!

[@lasersbee]

Smart idea... never saw that one before... Thanks for enlightening me and I'm sure many others...😉

[@ciro_costa]

Apparently this velostat material is used in the otomatone toy as a ribbon controller. As in, it outputs a different voltage (while hooked up to power) based on where you press on the ribbon. This seems to be at conflict with the velostat being a pressure sensitive resistor. I originally thought it was more of a resistive strip, like a potentiometer wiper or a sheet or graphite. It seems they used two sheets of velostat against eachother for the ribbon controller. It would be nice to test it out.

[@0033mer]

They use a softpot membrane. If it was velostat, the pitch would change with pressure intead of position. www.sparkfun.com/products/8681

[@lucdrouin2625]

Very innovative idea!

[@WalidIssa]

Great but do another video when you put this on your finger back and pend the finger and see the result. I expect it also senses the degree of your figure pend, it is like flex sensor, if worked share it

[@avr_stm_pro2955]

Class 🙂👍👍👍

[@noweare1]

I think a while ago you used the foam to make a pressure transducer, I could be mistaken. Would the sensor output change if the sensor is bent ?Maybe could be used to detect angles roughly, looks like it could be good for making a scale too.

[@zedmeinhardt3404]

Late to the party, but for anyone else wondering. I seen a very similar design used as a flex sensor.

[@balloftitanium3961]

Hi sir, does the Velostat surface need to be sandwiched with conductive material like copper to be able to detect pressure? what if I used copper tape but the adhesive side (the side that contacted the velostat's surface) are not conductive ? I'm thinking if this possible for wearable Vest with pressure sensor that cover whole area.

[@0033mer]

You can use tape that has conductive adhesive. www.adafruit.com/product/1127

[@ChavalBrasil]

This is awesome! Any idea how I could make this a on/off switch? Press=On, Release=Off... connected to some simple circuit without Arduino

[@ChavalBrasil]

that will be for using in electronic drum cymbals, as a sensor to detect when the border is hit, additional to the piezo signal

[@0033mer]

You could use a voltage comparator to detect the voltage change for "ON" and turn "OFF" when the voltage returns to the normal state.

[@mrnewham]

could you recommend a microcontroller with 30 or more pins that could work like the scamp 3 in this circuit? I want to implement LEDs in a circular configuration so that the one in the center lights up with a little pressure and then by adding pressure the second circle lights up, then the third, etc...I need it to be compact, so the scamp probably isn't ideal. P.s. Thank you for the content you make. I've learned a lot.

[@0033mer]

You could use the Atmega2560 micro used on the Mega2560 pro board. www.pcboard.ca/mega-2560-pro Other options are to use shift registers like the 74HC595 which can drive 8 LEDS or the MCP23017 which can drive 16 LEDS using the I2C bus where a couple of GPIO pins are used to drive as many LEDS as desired.

[@mrnewham]

thanks for the swift reply! I'll look for your tutorials using these microcontrollers. I actually found some LEDs that are soldered in circles on a circuit board, so I might not need as many pins as i thought, but it would be nice to vary the brightness of each circle with the pressure sensor, rather than just reaching a threshhold and giving on/off behaviour. Is that behaviour programmable with the microcontrollers you mentioned in the reply? You're time and patience is much appreciated.

[@0033mer]

If you want to vary the brighness and control a circle of LEDS with a single GPIO pin you probably want to look into neopixels. Check out Adafruit's website: www.adafruit.com/category/168

[@mrnewham]

thanks a bunch😀

[@t1d100]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@0033mer]

You are welcome!

[@johncatsoulis]

Very, very cool. :)

[@neilgraham7670]

Neat!

[@viscera9579]

could I use this pressure sensor for a chair that detects if someone is sitting on it?

[@0033mer]

Easiest solution would be a car seat pressure sensor: www.ebay.com/itm/294111776495

[@KaranSahota369]

can we use raspberry Pi or arduino instead of scamp3 (scamp3 is not available where i live)

[@0033mer]

You can use any microcontroller that has ADC so the Arduino Uno/Nano will work. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aInMg6GlmJ2NiNE

[@reinaldoruiz5909]

Hi ken, the reason I am contacting you is because I need help on an idea I have to creat a batting glove that reeds the pressure points when swinging a bat, can you help me with that?

[@0033mer]

For that type of application you will need strain gauge sensors that can output calibrated values. If you are serious about this project I would contact an applications engineer at Tekscan.com. They have development boards using their A201 Flexiforce piezo strain gauge sensors that can be fitted into a glove.

[@reinaldoruiz5909]

@@0033mer Yes, it is something I’m interested in doing but I have no idea how to develop that idea and that’s the reason I contacted you to see if you can help me with that?