Networking: remote communication cranes II

This week I revisited the remote communication cranes and made two cranes that are linked wirelessly through two xbee radios. The on/off switch is embedded into the crease of the paper. This way, the paper turns on when the cranes are folded and it turns off when unfolded. I placed a second contact switch in the wings so that when one crane is flapped, the light on the other crane lights up.

Attempt 1:

In this version I used a stiff paper with iron-on conductive fabric. Unfortunately, the stiff paper was too brittle and kept tearing, while the conductive iron-on fabric was too thick so that the paper was very difficult to fold. The circuitry on the XBee was a bit messy too and the tethered LEDs ran the risk of accidentally shorting, as well simply breaking off from repeated bending.

Attempt 2:

This version was much improved: I used a much thinner and more fibrous paper, which folded very easily but did not tear. I also used a thinner conductive fabric tape for the traces. The XBee circuitry is all surface-mount so that everything is securely fastened directly to the board.

Talking!