Unconventional Switch: The Chopstick Chop-Switch

By Electronics Team 10: Gary Hazelgren & Briah Bellamy

    For our unconventional switch, we wanted to use a concept with an object that could test other objects of their conductivity rather than just using one's own for power. Instead of pulling out the old electronic conductivity (EC) meter, what if we could, for example, use chopsticks to test it? Our design uses two chopsticks with wrapped on one end in aluminum foil, one 9V battery, one breadboard, one green LED, one 100 Ohm resistor, four male-to-female alligator clips.

    The chopsticks function practically like an analog EC meter, using their touch to measure how conductive various materials are: The LED light will light up if an object the chopstick touches is conductive enough for an electrical current to go through, and will stay off otherwise, making it an interesting way to learn the electrical properties of different things!