Fountain pen and digitalisation

NFC tag in fountain pen

When cataloguing their fountain pens, many collectors use small pieces of paper, labels, to register important data. This is being replaced by the development of the tompens, using digital labels, NFC tags.

I have experimented with several NFC methods, with many failures. The main problem is placing the data recorder in the pen so that it does not disturb its operation. Most NFC chips manufactured for data capture are not suitable for incorporation into fountain pens. They either do not fit or the mobile receiver does not sense the signal. Finally, I managed to find an NFC chip with a suitable antenna that I could safely incorporate into my first fountain pen, an Esterbrook Purse pen body.

The data entered is displayed immediately after turning on the NFC when the phone is touched to the pen. The chip data can also be password protected, left in a rewritable state that can be overwritten or locked at any time, meaning it cannot be changed at a later date.
The data recorded can be information about the pen, a short poem, a message, a prayer, a secret code, a mantra or anything else.
The future has begun, as the slogan used to say. If you would like a personal digital label in your fountain pen, let us know.