Illuminated Circuit Boards Offer an Eye-Catching Flair
Glowing Circuit Boards? Yeah, it's a thing, and [Botmatrix] proved it when they teamed up with PCBWay for a fun project. Turns out, making glowing PCBs is doable, and they look pretty rad. (Check out the video below.)
Specifically, PCBWay has designed a nifty glow-in-the-dark silkscreen material to adorn the printed circuit boards. Now, as a commercial board house, PCBWay hasn't exactly laid out the details on how they pulled this off, but let's face it, it's probably just a dash of glow-in-the-dark powder mixed into their regular silkscreen ink. We can only guess, but hey, who am I to judge?
In [Botmatrix]'s video, they put these babies through some tests, measuring the boards' glow intensity over time using sensors. Fun stuff, right?
Now, you might think it's just a fancy visual trick. Well, there's a chance you'd be right, but [Botmatrix] points out that it could have some practical applications too. For example, glow-in-the-dark silkscreen could highlight specific test points on a board, instantly illuminated with a UV flashlight. It's a bit of a niche case, but it's undeniably cool. Plus, it'd be a blast for creating visually reactive conference badges or other eye-catching applications where the PCB stands out.
[Botmatrix] claims these are the first commercially-available glow-in-the-dark printed PCBs. And you know what? We freaking love glow-in-the-dark stuff; we've even dabbled in making our own glowing concoctions before. (You can look it up if you're curious.)
With the introduction of glow-in-the-dark silkscreen material on PCBs, DIY projects can now include a unique touch, making gadgets stand out. Botmatrix's experimental glowing PCBs, showcasing the boards' glow intensity over time using sensors, demonstrate practical applications such as highlighting test points on a board. The concept of commercially-available glow-in-the-dark printed PCBs is intriguing, and technology enthusiasts like us find it exciting, being fond of glow-in-the-dark elements, even having tried DIY glowing projects in the past.
