A Simple Pressure Mat
A pressure mat is a simple switch, two conductors that when contacted with one another complete a circuit. It is that simple, so here it is.
What You Need
3 pieces of poster board.
1 role of aluminum foil.
10+ feet of speaker wire.
1 can of Super 77 spray on adhesive.
Step 1
Take two of the pieces of poster board and spay them on one side with the Super 77 spray on adhesive. Then apply the aluminum foil to the sprayed side and smooth out the bubbles. These to completed sides will act as your conductors.
Be sure to smooth out the bubbles as much as possible.
Step 2
Now take the third piece of poster board and cut .5 inch strips out of it about ever 2 inches. This piece will act as a separator between the two conductor sides. If possible it works even better to cut out small half inch squares in a grid patters. This guarantees that the mat will never switch on and not back of when triggered.
I cut these line to wide and had to go back and grid off the grooves with electrical tape.
Step 3
Now strip off about 2-4 inches of insulation off the end of your wire. Tape one wire on one side of the third piece of poster board, and the other wire on the other side. Now spread out the wire and tape it down as pictured.
You do not have to tape down each wire, I only did this to make sure that the wire will never slide around the separator an short out the mat.
Step 4
Now just tape the mat together around the outside edge, make sure that the middle piece is your separator.
OPTIONAL: This mat is now a switch and can replace a switch on just about anything. This mat is only good for circuits operating off Direct Current. AC can become a fire hazard, not to mention the chance of electrical shock. I placed a DC Plug on my mat and use it to trigger my sound effects
OPTIONAL: After completing and testing a mat I cover them in a layer of duct tape to make them more durable and less vulnerable to cuts.
