Computer Tricks and Secrets

Short answer: a touchscreen stylus works by conducting the tiny electrical charge from your hand to the screen, so you can build a simple one at home from a cotton bud, aluminium foil and an empty pen in about five minutes. It is a fun trick, though for real drawing or note-taking a cheap proper stylus is far better. Here is how to make one and how it actually works. Why a homemade stylus works at all Phone and tablet screens are "capacitive", they detect the small electrical charge your body carries, not pressure. That is why a gloved finger or a plain plastic pen does not register. To fake a finger, a DIY stylus needs two things: a soft conductive tip that touches the screen, and a conductive path from that tip to your hand. Method 1: the cotton bud stylus (5 minutes) Take an empty ballpoint pen (remove the ink tube) or any hollow tube. Push a cotton bud into the tip so the cotton pokes out slightly. Wrap aluminium foil around the pen body and up over part of the...