Force Sensing Resistor 1.5’’ Square is a passive component that acts as a variable resistor, with resistance decreasing in response to increasing applied force, which makes it easy to add a touch interface to your project or create a robot with much more sophisticated tactile senses than are possible with simple lever switches. The polymer thick film (PTF) device is optimized for use in human touch control of electronic devices and can sense an applied force anywhere in the active area ranging from a few dozen grams to a few kilograms (0.2 N to 20 N).
In the tests, the resistance exceeded 1 MΩ with no applied pressure and dropped to a clearly detectable and very stable 50 kΩ with a 20 g weight placed on it. Pushing on the pad as hard as possible dropped the resistance to around 200Ω. The resistance is very stable when the pressure is fixed, and the readings are very repeatable (there are no problems with hysteresis). This resistance range is well suited to work directly with the internal pull-ups of many microcontrollers such as AVRs and PICs. Force Sensing Resistor 1.5’’ Square was responsive enough and sensitive enough to distinctly pick up light, rapid finger taps.
The 1.72″-square pad of Force Sensing Resistor 1.5’’ Square is flexible, light (1.2 g), and extremely thin (0.02″), and it has a circular active sensing area with a diameter of 1.56″x1.56″. Force Sensing Resistor 1.5’’ Square has a masked adhesive backing for easy mounting, and the 1.7″ flexible male leads give you a convenient way to integrate the part into your project. The two male pins (called “solder tabs”) have a 0.1″ spacing, which means they are compatible with most solderless breadboards.
Pololu Web Site: https://www.pololu.com/product/1645