Conductive Thread Overview. Back in 2004 when I first became fascinated with e-textiles, there were virtually no resources to purchase conductive thread commercially.
I was fortunate enough to be a graduate student at the time and convinced manufacturers out of my sheer curiosity to mail me samples of their spools of conductive thread. Now in 2009 there is a growing number of threads available commercially and if I have my way :-), soon your local craft and hobby stores will be carrying small affordable spools. $4 Solar Battery Charger. DIY Solar USB Charger - Altoids. If we use two rechargeable AAs that put out a total of 2.4Vs we're going to need a solar panel that is at least 3 - 4Vs just to meet basic levels of charging.
The higher the voltage of our solar cell (or cells) the less light we need to charge up our batteries. Now we're also trying to fit this into an Altoids Tin, so we're limited in space. I have found some great 4V solar cells that perfectly fit into Altoids Tins.