Thin Film Pressure Sensor - Round, 8mm OD

Although we all love to press buttons, especially if they’re those extra-clicky buttons that kick your finger back as they activate, sometimes projects call for more discrete methods of user interaction, allowing users to enjoy your project like magic, with the controls hidden away and simple gestures or carefully placed knocks activating various effects. This is when you need awesome discrete Buttons & Switches such as Thin Film Pressure Sensors like these, which are little 8mm Circles that can identify and measure force between 30g to 1.5kg. They are made in a similar way to how many Rain or Liquid Sensors are made, measuring the resistance between elements as the conductivity fluctuates, although instead of using liquids as the conducting element, the flexible PCB sandwich stretches, pushing the elements closer together or further apart, resulting in a change in resistance and being identified as pressure.

With such a teeny tiny size, these pressure sensors are made for discrete usage, and are excellent for use within e-Textiles and Wearable Tech’, with the 8mm outer diameter being small enough to hide behind a collar, a cuff or even on the underside of a chunky ring for really unique projects. However, because of the tiny size, it’s a good idea not to hide these too well, as touches or other pressure activations will need to be quite precise, and may require some kind of target so you don’t miss it all the time. Whichever way you want to use these though, it’s quite cool to know that they can handle anywhere between 30g and 1.5kg, opening up unique possibilities for using these both as static pressure Touch Sensors, but also as dynamic pressure sensors for weighing devices too.

Finally, if you can see a lot of potential in these tiny, handy sensors, but are looking for versions with different shapes, sizes or tolerances, don’t forget to check out the entire Thin Film Pressure Sensor Range that we have to offer.

Typical Applications for these Small Round Thin Film Pressure Sensors:

In a similar fashion to Piezo Sensors as well as many other discrete sensors, we particularly enjoy thin film pressure sensors because of the way that they can be hidden away beneath almost any soft materials, and this includes mousepads, soft bracelets, the hems in clothing and so many more unique locations in which typical buttons simply wouldn’t be convenient. This enables the creation of fun projects like e-textiles that change their patterns when you tug on your collar, discrete controls hidden beneath a mousepad or similar desktop surface, or even underneath the cushion of a chair to react when users take a seat. These are a few decent examples though, and when used with other modules like the Arduino LilyPad UNO or the ever-popular Electroluminescent Wire, these Thin Film Pressure Sensors can be used for so much more, while keeping the magic discretely hidden from all onlookers.

Additional Resources:

• If you really want to get in-depth with this sensor, as well as any other from this particular range, this DFRobot Thin Film Pressure Sensor Wiki is the place to get started, with formulas for measuring loads, sample code for Arduino, and handy insights from the experts who made them. (Code for this unit is SEN0297)

As self-proclaimed “Robo-holics”, DFRobot is a company comprised of over 100 staff members, of which 30% are engineers who love to build robots. It was started in 2008 with the goal of embracing and promoting open-source hardware, with a core focus on Arduino, Raspberry Pi and their very own LattePanda development boards. Since then, DFRobot have manufactured over 1300 unique modules, sensors and components that all work together and complement each other, allowing users like us to enjoy a full spectrum of cutting edge robotics and electronics without having to pay premium prices.

With the primary goal of developing and manufacturing great quality products, while making them accessible to as many people as possible, DFRobot are rapidly becoming one of the most common-place brands in the world of open-source robotics and electronics. With more than 1300 products developed in-house, and an impressive range of different categories and specialisations, there are few brands in the world who can compete in terms of quality, accessibility and genuine innovation.