How to Make a Stylus

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Socoder -> Off Topic -> How to Make a Stylus
Tue, 03 Apr 2012, 13:01
JL235	I built an iPad stylus today works great!
Tue, 03 Apr 2012, 13:01
spinal	built out of what exactly?
Tue, 03 Apr 2012, 16:02
JL235	Stylus = [ pen, thin cotton, wire wool, kitchen fool, gaffa tape, wire, glue, very thin copper wire ].join(); First I made the tip, which is essentially wire wool wrapped in a layer of kitchen foil. I originally tried just foil folded up, but it was far too rigid to be used as a stylus. Wire wool allows it t have a little flex in it. This is because the stylus has to be at least half a centimetre wide, like a finger. I gaffa taped that to the pens nib, and then added a layer of thin cotton. I found thin cotton will conduct electricity if your finger pressed right against it. Not sure this is because it's thin, or because some metal is exposed, or what. But this layer allows the stylus to be non-abrasive. I then gaffa taped that onto the stylus nib. Next I took out the inside, and put a wire in there. One end was curled like a spring, and to be shoved into the nib. The other end had the thin copper wrapped around it, and was bent to ensure they didn't come apart. The wire was also pretty thick, so it doesn't flop about inside. I took the back off the pen, right at the top, so it's a completely hollow tube. I then threaded my wire through there, and attached the nib. So now it is only open on the top, with the copper sticking out. Because the copper is so thin, I could then push the top back on without breaking it. I also ensured the inside wire was longer then the length of the pen, so there is a little pressure forcing it down into the nib. At this point you will have copper feeding through the top to attach to wire, which is then touching the metal nib, which is touching the wire wool, which is touching the aluminium, which is pressing against the thin cotton. So if you touch the wire whilst pressing it on your iPad, it'll draw! Make sure you test the nib as your building it, at each stage. I then had the cooper running loose down one edge, and is then gaffa taped to the nib. You can just see it in the photo if your look carefully. If you still have some of the underlying aluminium or nib exposed, then stick the copper to that. Then the copper has two connections to the nib. I also got the copper from Inside a hard disk; the head has a coil of copper and you can just pull sections off. You could also try stripping old telephone cable, or anything similar. Finally I wrapped the nib in aluminium to give it a professional space age finish, with some glue to stick it down. I also massaged the nib so it's at a slant. How does it perform? When it works, it functions perfectly, and I can draw much better with that then with my own finger. However the nib does have to be perfectly down to work, and so there is a bit of a knack to holding it at the right angle. But because of the massaging, this angle is my natural angle (most of the time). The pen is also a mystery pen we found in the house. We don't know who it belonged to, or how it got into our house, but it's for "Gadget Cat from the Future", a manga from Japan.
Tue, 03 Apr 2012, 18:10
steve_ancell	I did read somewhere years ago that cotton is slightly conductive, just don't expect to light up bulbs with it though. LOL
Wed, 04 Apr 2012, 00:21
spinal	Thats quite a bit of trouble to go to. I just ordered one of these, apparently it works well, using a soft metal brush instead of those horrible rubber stylus's. -=-=- Check out my excellent homepage!
Wed, 04 Apr 2012, 10:43
JL235	Yeah, but mine looks cool.
Wed, 04 Apr 2012, 18:47
dna	You did a great job. I'll have to remember that technique if I get a Tablet PC or similar. -=-=- DNA
Wed, 04 Apr 2012, 19:14
JL235	I'm actually thinking of building a new tip. On lighters you get a metal strip that protects the flame bit, where it comes out. They are easy to pull off, and I find the end is perfectly rounded for use as a tip. It's also much slimmer then most stylus tips. I am presuming this is partly because it's all metal, and so conducts electricity perfectly. Because it's rounded, I could also use it at multiple angles. The other side also just happens to be the right shape to jam a pen in there, so if I gaffa tape it on, and add a strip of copper along the edge of the pen for hand detection, it should work great! The only downside is that a metal end will have very low friction, and wont have any bounce. This will give a less natural feel then using a conventional pen or paper. You can also hear it tapping the screen every time you draw. So once rounded with a pair of pliers, I might surround it with some cotton, to give it a better surface. As an alternative, some pens have rounded metal at the end of their lid. I might try and find a pen with one, pull it off, and see how well this works. That might work even better then a lighter-flame-cover.
Thu, 05 Apr 2012, 01:00
steve_ancell	JL235 I'm actually thinking of building a new tip. On lighters you get a metal strip that protects the flame bit, where it comes out. They are easy to pull off If you're reffering to those wind-proof/pipe lighters, that metal strip is actually a catalyst and is thinner than a piece of paper so there's not much of the material, you would need to pull a few of those lighters aprt to get any good amount of that material. Have fun!
Thu, 05 Apr 2012, 19:28
JL235	I don't think we are talking about the same strip of metal. The one I'm thinking of is more then. If enough enough, and pretty sturdy.
Fri, 06 Apr 2012, 02:05
spinal	Do you not worry about scratching that expensive screen at all? -=-=- Check out my excellent homepage!
Fri, 06 Apr 2012, 08:13
JL235	No, not when the stylus is covered by thin cotton. There is nothing rough about the tip, and I'd go as far as to say its probably safer then a conventional stylus. Conventional ones on the iPad use a rubber tip, and it would be much easier for something to get trapped under that, and be scraped across the screen. Rubber squeegees do this on cars when they are hand washed, covering the bonnet with micro-scratches. And after owning the iPad for over two weeks, and using my new stylus heavily for the last few days, the screen is still entirely scratch free. The screen is also much cleaner now that I'm using a stylus.
Fri, 06 Apr 2012, 11:15
Jayenkai	Wootsocks! A job well done, then!
Fri, 06 Apr 2012, 19:32
steve_ancell	Now all you need is a way to mass produce them and sell them on eBay.