Conducting Tape

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1

I was mildly surprised that SparkFun doesn’t carry this. I had to search quite far for it myself. Copper conductive tape. I searched pretty much all over town, couldn’t find it in any of the hardware or electronics stores. Eventually found it for pretty cheap on a site that sells - get this - equipment to repair guitars. All it is, is an adhesive strip of copper that can conduct a signal. It seems like a reasonable thing for SparkFun to carry, I’m using it for a custom step controller: two strips of conductive tape on the controller board, one on an old shoe, step on the board and it shorts. I’m making a 4x4 pad that can be plugged into a computer for gaming use. This project in particular is low on electrical design (I’m just hotwiring a USB keypad) but I can see the tape having other uses, too. Just throwing the suggestion out there.

Minus

2

You can probably find adhesive copper tape locally in a hobby store: look in the stained glass section.

3

Sometimes you can find adhesive copper foil in hardware stores near the roof/gutter supplies. Sometimes you can find conductive tape used for burglar alarms (window-break tape).

(no opinion on whether SF should carry it, just throwing out other places you can sometimes get it)

4

I tried every hardware store in my area, didn’t find anything. Never would have equated it with stained glass though, that’s interesting.

5

We are talking about [this stuff?

I know where I can buy it but most of you would probably prefer one of their US distributors (link in the lower left).

It’s quite expensive. One meter of 0.5" tape costs about as much as an ATtiny13 in that store…](http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/electronics_mfg/esm/node_C4BJJZH8LKbe/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_DPB1Q1MJ7Nge/gvel_4BSQ4C5VF8gl/theme_us_electronicsesm_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html)

6

The place where I found it was much cheaper ($2.25 for a 180" long, 1/4" wide roll). I just suggested it because it seems like something a tech hacker could really use. I dunno, wouldn’t it be cool to have a desktop PC that you add, maybe, an extra hard drive by simply PLACING THE NEW DRIVE ON TOP OF THE TOWER?! :smiley: