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How To Make Electronic Displays With Mood Ring Ink

Posted by timothy on from the cheap-tricks-are-the-best-kind dept.

Soychemist writes "Print some thermochromic ink onto a sheet of paper, put metal heating elements on the other side, and you have a rudimentary color-changing display. Chemists in the Whitesides Group at Harvard think that the devices could be used to provide a simple readout from cheap medical tests and kits that check water for pollutants. In the past year, the same scientists have made a three-cent medical test and improvised a centrifuge with an egg beater. Their aim is to invent useful gizmos with everyday materials."

2 of 33 comments (clear)

  1. Resistive ink by Rorschach1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I was thinking about making a thermochromic display for a custom watch, actually. Didn't know if anyone else had tried it before, but I guess I'm on the right track. It's going to take a lot of batteries to power, but I only really want it to run for Burning Man and Maker Faire.

    I'm going to see if I can screen print resistive ink onto a PCB to make the heating elements. Failing that, I'll just go with thin film SMT resistors. Anyone know if that has been done before?

  2. The real article behind this by wrmrxxx · · Score: 3, Informative

    The summary links to Wired, which in turn links to the real article with the interesting details: http://www.rsc.org/delivery/_ArticleLinking/DisplayHTMLArticleforfree.cfm?JournalCode=LC&Year=2009&ManuscriptID=b905832j&Iss=Advance_Article