[sdiy] Peratech force sensors (was Wireless World Chatterbox pdfs?)

[Steve Lenham]

Mike wrote:

> Maplin have some wierd "Quantum Tunnelling Compound Pills" See:
>
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=44202&doy=13m2#overview
>
> Which might be useful.the makers web site is here:
>
> http://www.peratech.co.uk/pills.htm
>
> I'm going to try them for custom switch work.
>
> They might work for that accordion too, thinking about it.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Mike

Somebody mentioned the Peratech stuff on SDIY a while back. It looked 
intriguing, so I followed it up with a particular view to aftertouch 
sensing. Unfortunately, Peratech have changed their "commercial model", and 
now prefer to be an IP-licensing company - they will sell you the info to 
make your own sensors, but no longer actually make anything themselves. The 
parts at Maplin are old stock - I doubt if there will be more once they are 
all gone.

(Mike - if you have the volume to approach them for custom switches, could 
you be persuaded to slightly overproduce?)

A bracing blast of commercial reality for us...anybody got their own 
polymerisation plant? ;-)

For those interested in this sort of thing, capacitive sensing looks almost 
as promising. Try QProx, Cypress PSoc and Analog Devices.

Cheers,

Steve L.