[sdiy] Am I crazy?

[Andre Majorel]

On 2009-01-28 21:54 -0800, Michael Bechard wrote:

> Trying (unsuccessfully) to get to sleep tonight, my thoughts
> tumbling around my desire for a cheap, easy way to make a synth
> patch matrix, I stumbled across this ridiculously kindergarden
> idea. Please shoot this idea full of holes.
> 
> Materials: Foam-core board, conductive tape, thumbtacks
> 
> Directions: Place the tape in horizontal strips on one side,
> vertical strips on the other, all over the board. Horizontal
> strips are connected to inputs, verticals to outputs. Press
> thumbtack through board at intersections to make a connection.

For good electrical contact, the pieces need to be pressed
together. In this case, pressure exists initially as the thumbtack
pierces through the copper tape. But copper is not elastic so the
pressure drops as soon as the hole is made. Especially for the
back tape for which there is no counter-pressure from the
foam-core board.

The back tape will also want to come off the board as you press
the thumbtack into it.

Maybe a second foam-core board behind the back strips would help.

In any case, it's not very reusable. You'll be lucky to get one
hundred cycles per node, methinks.

-- 
André Majorel <URL:http://www.teaser.fr/~amajorel/>