Image: Luke Weston on Twitter
The rest of the world doesn’t understand Australia’s obsession with Vegemite Toast.
They mock our dedication to the salty spread that could survive a nuclear blast.
But no more. The people shall now know of its power. A hero has emerged from the bowels of the internet to prove that Vegemite is not only a source of B-vitamins for vitality – it can power an RGB LED. On a piece of toast.
Electronic Engineer Luke Weston has created a literal breadboard where Vegemite has been used to create working circuits.
Holy shit @profanegeometry it works pic.twitter.com/fV86WBnD7f
— Luke Weston (@lukeweston) December 8, 2018
Each line of Vegemite connects to a 9v battery and a different lead on the LED, which changes colour depending on which is powered.
Here’s a bit more of an explainer from our new God:
You can’t see it very well in the photo but that RGB LED has 4 wires – the second one in from left is the cathode.
— Luke Weston (@lukeweston) December 8, 2018
Right… originally I put 330 ohms in there but light output was negligible.
— Luke Weston (@lukeweston) December 9, 2018
So why did this work?
Vegemite has a high salt content, which means that is can be conductive. It also has a high viscosity, which makes it relatively easy to trace makeshift circuits. In this case it was done with a syringe.
As for the toast, since it’s been cooked the majority of the water has evaporated, making it a pretty great insulator under the circumstances.
So while you probably don’t want to use Vegemite to power your whole house (or maybe you do, I’m not an electrical engineer) – you have to appreciate this Aussie MacGuyver’s ability to Frankenstein some bread to life.