Is there a liquid conductor out there, or that I can make?

[sergioq]

So I have been working on a project that involves using ball bearing tilt switches. Which are fine. But in programmer's language I have to many IFs to in my equation that I need to solder together so many tilt switches at so many angles I that am getting dizzy, and am sure I will miss an angle.

i.e. I'm not just looking for tilting forward at 15 degrees on one axis. I have to take into consideration every degree in a 350 degree 3D area. So you get the idea you many tilt switches I would need.

All this would be easily solved if I could use a liquid switch and gravity. Obviously mercury is toxic and expensive.

I started with citric juices...too weak. Someone mentioned adding salt to vinegar. Am thinking maybe that would work, but would it stay in solution?

And then I realized maybe I should ask here before I keep experimenting.

Anyone know of any liquid conductor that's readily available, not expensive, and that conducts as well as mercury (or as close to it) etc. etc.

Thanks ahead,

Sergio
ps: this is a very low voltage project....6V. So the less power I lose, the better.

 

[(*steve*)]

A ball bearing, whilst not liquid, could be used to short out a pair of adjacent contacts.

Another option id some sort of pendulum that has one connection at the fulcrum and rests against connections along the side of a cylinder that it nominally hangs in the middle of.

The problems with liquids is that they may be corrosive or leak. Mercury is ideal because of the shape of the meniscus (meaning it won't be pulled uphill), and also because it doesn't "wet" surfaces.

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

Have you considered a three-axis G sensor? If you're monitoring the position of a single object, you'll only need one of them, and some processing to detect the angles you're interested in. Check out some links:

www.digikey.com/product-search/en?FV=fff4001e%2Cfff80113%2C3600015%2C142c00a5%2C142c0333%2C142c06fc&ColumnSort=1000011&stock=1&quantity=1
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/28526/28526PAR-ND/2696579
http://www.digikey.com/product-sear...56400bf&ColumnSort=1000011&stock=1&quantity=1
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/MXR9500MZ-B/1267-1002-ND/3719465

 

[sergioq]

Being new to this I assumed
"Shorting out a circuit" would be a bad thing. Causing a battery to over heat? Etc? Maybe I should google this?

Thanks for the reply.

Sergio

 

[(*steve*)]

The action of a switch is to short out conductors. Unless those conductors are connected to opposite terminals of a battery you won't short a battery out.

 

[sergioq]

Then I am using wrong terminology.

There's completing a circuit ON

Breaking a circuit (no connection) OFF

shorting a circuit means something else in my mind

 

[davenn]

Then I am using wrong terminology.

There's completing a circuit ON

Breaking a circuit (no connection) OFF

shorting a circuit means something else in my mind

"shorting out " a pair of contacts as in Steve's context is a perfectly OK definition as that is the definition of a switch

but definitely check out Kris's links and also check out " rotation sensors"

Dave

 

[sergioq]

Ok, giving up on the liquid part,

Will try another shot with the ball bearing switches...

But have another idea, as I read somewhere....so will start a new thread on pendulums.

 

[shrtrnd]

Sounds like you're gone, but in keeping with the topic of this post I thought I'd give an answer to anyone else who looks-up this information.
GC Electronics has made a brush-on conductive coating for many years. It may not work in the application of this post, it's designed primarily to repair damaged/missing traces on PCB boards.
They used to make (but I don't see it presently listed) a Nickel Coat (I still have bottles of that, so there might still be some available), and
'Silver Print II' Their part number 22-023 for a 1/2 ounce bottle, or 22-024 for the 1 ounce bottle.
It's pure silver suspended in a varnish that you brush-on.
Just an answer to the post for anyone looking-up this topic.