Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
A mobile phone that biodegrades into a sunflower and a printed circuit board made out of lasagne?!
These are just two of the innovative examples of green mobile phone technology revealed in a new Science Museum exhibition opening in London on March 29 2006.
mobile phone that biodegrades into a sunflower
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Printed Circuit Shoes
These little beauties are a must have for any PCB fanatic!
They come in several designs, but these are our favourite four, any techie can appreciate the sleek printed circuit inspired designs on them!
All of these AND MORE are available from zazzle.com
Be sure to check them out!
For more like this, just try searching something like ‘circuits’ or ‘printed circuits’ perhaps.
We hope you enjoyed our little PCB-related find.
You’ve got to love the internet and its endless amount of . . . Well, Stuff.
From all of us here at PCB Train, see you next time.
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
What is a PCB?
The clue is in the title! Printed Circuit Board, it’s a circuit board, that has been printed using one of a number of methods… But what purpose do they serve?
Trusted online knowledge database ‘EHow‘ says -
“In the early days of electronics, when vacuum tubes were king, all of the various components that made up an electronic device were connected together by soldering them either to each other or to terminal strips and tube sockets. Today, printed circuit boards have made connecting components simpler and cheaper.”
Followed by a short list of places you can find PCBs in everday life -
“Today, just about every electronic appliance in your home contains a printed circuit board of some type: computers, printers, televisions, stereos, musical instrument amplifiers and synthesizers, digital clocks, microwave ovens, telephone answering machines and even cell phones.”
That list is entirely expected considering PCBs are primarily circuitry. But what if i was to say to you that you could play instruments with PCBs?
“Oh an electronic keyboard” you would correctly assume… But how about a guitar?
“Oh, i see electric guitars use PCBs”… You would be right, they would be used in the guitar and the amplifier…
But what about an acoustic guitar?
“How on earth could a PCB be involved?!” – I hear you ask.
Well, online store ‘Etsy‘ has helped expose a brilliant designer known as ‘The Blue Kraken‘, who has found a fantastic use for unused PCBs….
A well fashioned PCB guitar pick
The guitar picks come in a range of colours and styles
That’s how you can play an instrument with a PCB!
To continue… If i was to ask – “How can you look fashionable with PCBs?”
The Blue Kraken store has an answer for that too!
A lovely bronze PCB pendant
Well crafted earrings
Just to show how intricate ‘The Blue Kraken’s designs can get, we present these last two necklaces to show that PCBs are more than just circuits!
An intricate PCB necklace
PCB necklace with layered design
We hope you enjoyed our post on multi-purpose circuit boards, until next time…
The PCB Train Team
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
Talented sculptor ‘Steven Rodrig‘ has taken our business here at PCB Train, and turned it into an intricate little hobby!
Mr.Rodrig, working for an OEM company is exposed to PCB’s often at his workplace, and with his prior knowledge of ‘Structural Mechanics’ led him to this interesting practice; modeling small sculptures from spare or used PCB’s!
Here are a few of his works below!
Old PCB modeled into a Dragonfly
Take a moment to appreciate the sheer intricacy of these sculptures! Countless hours of planning and practice must have gone into getting these to look so neat and tidy.
A PCB model of an insect... A Printed Circuit Bug!
A nice result from days of intricate crafting, soldering and shaping PCB’s.
Used PCB crafted into a nice garden scene
As shown above, Steven’s PCB sculpting abilities stretch far beyond single objects or creatures, he can make full scenes from unused PCB’s!
Finally, for our favorite piece…
A beautifully crafted underwater scene made of old PCB
The above sculpture is one of our favorites here at PCB Train, the hard work invested in this really pays off with the high detail. Especially on the sea bed, with loose wiring as seaweed and many other components acting as debris. We that his recent increase in exposure on the internet, Mr.Rodrig will be inspired to continue his works and maybe even increase the scale of his future sculptures!
From all of us here at PCB Train, farewell!