Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: MOTM

I was working on some other project involving conductive fabrics when
I realized that the strap that fit inside your shoe for an
electrostatic discharge ground system was in fact a conductive
element with a resistive property. I grabbed a Desco brand ESD heel
cuff from the lab and measured the resistance of the entire 22"
length of conductive strap- 75 kilohms! At the 1/2 point- 37.5
kilohms!!! I made numerous measurements people, this is a linear
resistive element.

Here's my plan:
I'm going to adhere the strap to a piece of sheet rubber. One end of
the strap with be clamped to a piece of wire-one lead- and a 1/2"
wide piece of copper tape will provide the other lead. The tape will
be placed in an approximately 1/8" deep groove in a piece of wood and
the rubber sheet will be stretched over it, strap side facing the
copper tape. This will give me a useful 75 kilohm adjustable
resistor. This can be used in front of a DC amplifier to provide a 0-
5 volt control level.

I'll be trying to get ahold of this manufacturer for the name of the
supplier of this strap material. In the meantime, if you've got ESD
heel cuffs at work, check the conductance of those straps (they call
them "tabs" in the ESD biz) and see what you find!

Chub the relatively giddy