Conductive Rubber Cord Stretch Sensor + Extras (3m long)

The Conductive Rubber Cord (2mm, 3m) is made from carbon-impregnated rubber with about 350 Ω per inch resistance when relaxed, increasing as it’s stretched. It includes two alligator clips and a 10 K Ω resistor for simple stretch or motion sensing experiments.

Measuring stretch forces isn’t easy – unless you have some conductive rubber cord! This cord is 2mm in diameter and 3 meters long, made of carbon-black impregnated rubber. Usually, this material is used for EMF gasketing, but it’s also very fun to play with.

In a ‘relaxed’ state, the resistance is about 350 ohms per inch. As you pull on it, the resistance increases (the particles get further apart). As you stretch it out, the resistance increases. So let’s say you have a 6′ piece – that’s about 2.1 Kohms. Stretch it to 10′ long and now it is 10’/6’*2.1K = 3.5 Kohms. You can stretch the rubber about 50-70% longer than the resting length, so a 6′ piece shouldn’t be stretched more than 10′. Once the force is released, the rubber will shrink back, although it’s not very ‘fast’ and it takes a minute or two to revert to its original length. It’s not a true linear sensor, and the resistance may vary from batch to batch, so we consider it a way to measure stretching motion, but it isn’t really precise.

This stuff is fun, so we give you a full three meters, two alligator clips (to connect to the cord), and a 10K resistor. Together, you can use these to make a simple voltage divider. Then use our handy Thermistor tutorial to measure the analog voltage and convert that back to resistance.

We also carry a 1-meter-long option.