Touch Me! Open Universal Input Sleeve {OUIS}
What are we making?
Why do you need the sleeve? This sleeve provides inputs for your electronic projects. It can be used for touch input, adding touch capabilities to any project.
Project featured on Adafruit. 🩷
Important – before you begin sewing, if you are using a sewing machine – test on a scrap piece of neoprene first! Neoprene can be a little difficult to sew.
Set your stitch length and tension to suit the fabric.
NOTE: The Circuit Playground can be pre-programmed for you.
Make sure there is the correct spacing between conductive fabrics. Remember – if the pieces touch at all they will conduct – so they will become 1 large piece. So it is VERY important the pieces of conductive fabric do not touch.
Conductive Fabric Sleeve {OUIS} Kit
I love fabric!
I really love conductive fabric, so if you’ve never used conductive fabric, I hope you sew and enjoy this Instructable.
Conductive fabric is fabric that conducts electricity. Typically there are metal strands woven into the fabric, or the metal strands might be woven with other fabrics, such as polyester. Making e-textiles, wearables, and soft circuits often use conductive fabrics for a variety of projects.
To make the OUIS system you’ll get as part of this kit, all the items you’ll need:
- Circuit Playground / ESP 32 / No Microcontroller
- Soft silicone wire
- Conductive fabric: Various mixed 8 pieces
- 1 x Thin silver mesh
- 3 x Soft metallic fabric, nickel, copper, and polyester
- 2 x Silver breathable mesh
- 2 x Stretchy silver
- Neoprene to make the sleeve (random color, silver, black, wine, grey)
- Instructions & code, you will need basic sewing skills to complete this project.
Love fabric? Love tech? The Open Universal Input Sleeve is a stylish and functional way to add touch input to your electronics projects! Using conductive fabric, this sleeve allows you to create wearable touch controls for music, gaming, assistive tech, or smart home applications. Whether you’re using an ESP32 or Arduino, this project brings gesture-based interaction to your creations.
The kit includes conductive fabric strips, neoprene fabric, wiring, and optional circuit boards, giving you everything you need to get started. Perfect for e-textiles, wearables, and DIY electronics, this sleeve is infinitely customizable—add more inputs, Bluetooth connectivity, or unique patterns to make it your own!
Sew it, customize it, and share your creation!
$23.00 – $57.00
In this project, we are creating an Open Universal Input Sleeve. This adds touch input capabilities quickly and stylishly to your projects!