Squishy circuits

Technology
Squishy circuits
squishy.jpg

Squishy Circuits is a project to teach kids about electricity and electronics by having them form circuits out of Play-Doh-like dough — with two varieties, conductive and insulating.

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Squishy Circuits were developed at the University of St. Thomas by undergraduate Samuel Johnson and Dr. AnnMarie Thomas. The purpose of their development is to facilitate electronics education to younger students. Research is being done to determine the most effective implementation of this learning tool in a middle school science curriculum. Our hope is that through the use of this tool, students will better understand electronics concepts, become more interested.

The simplest circuit to build consists of an LED, battery pack, and three small “tubes” of dough (Two conductive and one insulating). To build this circuit, separate the two conductive tubes with a tube of insulating dough. Now, insert each of the battery pack wires into a separate tube of conductive dough. Do the same with the leads from the LED but be sure that the short end of the LED is inserted into the same tube that holds the black, or negative, battery pack wire.

10 thoughts on “Squishy circuits

  1. StayatHomeElectronics says:

    That’s great that they also give you the recipes for the conductive and nonconductive doughs!

  2. NeuroPulse says:

    Can you make a transistor with this?

    If not, is it possible to make doughs that can make a transistor?

    1. rawley69 says:

      These are basically playdough wires. Transistors are a semi-conductor made with silicon that is doped to have either an abundance of positive or negative charge carriers.

      1. Robert Jones says:

        Was that a “yes” or a “no”? I suspect that “semiconductor” squishy material CAN be made by reducing the amount of salt in some conductive dough, or by using a different salt that has lower solubility or larger ions that have limited mobility compared to the Na+ and Cl- ions. Ammonium acetate is a neutral salt that might work since these ions are relatively larger. Experimenters??

  3. Dee says:

    What kind of LED is required for this project? Not all LED lights are created equal and some need much more current than others to light up. So for the project to work with a 6-9V battery pack, what is the mA requirement for the LED?

  4. long nguyen says:

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  5. Thai Nguyen says:

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    Adonis Stevenson, AFC

  6. nhan says:

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  7. nhan says:

    AND THE REST
    Former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, 35, ty le choi bong da truc tuyen says he would have stayed at the Reds had they offered him the right job…Some Manchester United players are unhappy with the club’s performance analyst, as they think they spend too much time reviewing videos…Many United players were also angered by manager Louis van Gaal’s treatment of Rafael. The 25-year-old Brazilian defender was sold to Lyon in August. (Telegraph)…Barcelona ty le cuoc truc tuyen bong da forward Neymar, 23, is to open contract talks with Barcelona over doubling his salary after being linked with a move to Old Trafford. ..Manchester United striker James Wilson, 19, will be sent out on loan next week, with 14 Championship clubs keen to sign him…Derby manager Paul Clement says his club are interested in signing the England Under-21 international, describing the move as “a possibility but not a certainty”…West Brom director of football Richard Garlick has called for the club to recruit lower-league players at a younger age to give them more time to become ca cuoc ty so bong da ready for the Premier League…Leicester City have taken full-back Dwight Tiendalli, 29, on trial after the Dutchman was released by Swansea on transfer deadline day…Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe says there is no animosity between the Cherries and Norwich following their reported pursuit of 27-year-old striker Lewis Grabban…Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores says striker Matej Vydra, 23, went out on loan because he did not adapt to the Spaniard’s style of play.

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My interests include writing, electronics, RPGs, scifi, hackers & hackerspaces, 3D printing, building sets & toys. @johnbaichtal nerdage.net

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