Pick a spot for the FLORA main board to live on your shoes-- we chose the upper part of the high-tops-- and stitch the board in place with plain thread through two unused pads (D12 and SCL work nicely in this case).
Pick up one sensor thread tail and thread it through a needle, then pierce the needle through the side of the shoe, right near the sole. Repeat with the other piece of thread attached to the sensor, keeping the two threads a short distance from each other.
Pull the two threads taut, which will draw the sensor into the heel of the shoe. We positioned ours underneath the shoe's insole.
If your shoes are made of a hard-to-sew-through material, it really helps to use pliers to manipulate the sewing needle.
If your shoes are made of a hard-to-sew-through material, it really helps to use pliers to manipulate the sewing needle.
If you can get your hands on one, a stitching awl can be helpful for sewing through tough materials like leather and vinyl.
Stitch the threads separately up to the FLORA main board, hiding the thread in the shoe material if desired.
Referring to the circuit diagram, stitch one of these threads to GND on FLORA, and the other to D9 (which we will be using as an analog input).
Knot the thread on the inside, seal your knots with fray check, and snip off excess thread.
Referring to the circuit diagram, stitch one of these threads to GND on FLORA, and the other to D9 (which we will be using as an analog input).
Knot the thread on the inside, seal your knots with fray check, and snip off excess thread.
Now you can test your sensors! With a long USB cable plugged into the computer, put on one of the shoes and open the serial monitor. Notice how the sensor values change as you step! Repeat for the other shoe.
