Circuit Boards as Art! 🎨 [Questionable Use Case #4]
Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) reimagined as functional (or not actually functional) art! Awesome examples and quick how-to writeup for KiCad.
Several posts ago, I announced my Coaster Transistor Diagram PCB (Printed Circuit Board) on Kickstarter, which is still funding for a while longer if you want to check it out. Or Czech it out if you live here.
On the one hand, these PCBs look pretty neat, and make a handy transistor reference. On the other, does making something as utilitarian as a PCB into a diagram, or even art, kind of defeat the point? After all, at least in this case, there is no circuitry involved. Maybe these should simply be called PBs–Printed Boards.
Right 😇 wrong 👹 or somewhere in-between, I am not alone in this pursuit. In fact, after asking for examples of this art form on BSKY for my PCB coaster article, I was so overwhelmed with the responses and decided to write this dedicated post!
I also share my process for making (rudimentary) PCB art toward the end of the article. Feel free to skip to that part if you’re excited, or skip past that part if you just want to see the pretty pictures. I will not be offended either way.
PCB art of note
While I do think my Coaster PCB is cool, it’s admittedly more in the realm of diagram, versus actual art that you’d see at the Museum of Modern Art… or even a local art show.1 When I asked for examples of actual PCB art on BSKY, however, I was absolutely blown away. Below are some of my favorites, sourced from that original thread:
Anool’s: MAP6 LED Bee
Anool actually introduced me to Kicad 5+ years ago, so I think it’s only fitting that his MAP6 bee is the first on the list. What’s cool about it is that it meshes actual circuitry with art in such a way that it’s hard to tell that he was working within the color/material constraints of a PCB at all. Also, the bent wire legs are a nice touch.
Jason Coon: Kraken64 & Chamaeleon64
These devices (Kraken64, Chamaeleon64) use three PCB layers. The colors of the animal on the top change via 64 addressable LEDs that shine through from the middle PCB underneath. The video clips of these on the thread and on the linked pages are incredible.
Sinchronous Electronics: Wave
This wave PCB by Sinchronous Electronics is adapted from art by Alain Bousquet. Alain’s art is indeed very similar to what’s on the actual PCB, which makes me wonder if he has actual experience making circuit boards. It’s a beautifully understated piece. Perhaps it’s even worthy to be called “real” art in the critical sense.
Full color PCB art?
Multiple PCB companies, including PCBWay, JLCPCB, and I assume others, now offer silkscreen printing (i.e. the generally white label layer can be any number of colors). While most PCBs are restricted to a single colored silkscreen, this new process has no such restrictions. I have not personally tried it, but I believe this service adds significant cost to a PCB.
If you want to make PCB art for PCB art’s sake, full color silkscreens sort of miss the point in my opinion. The fun of PCB art is manipulating the PCB process in a creative way. If you can just print pictures in the same way your color printer does,2 then you might as well just get your thing printed by… a company that specifically prints things.
Of course, that’s just, like, your opinion man.
How do you actually make these coasters (KiCad)?
I’m glad you asked. Again, feel free to skip forward if you didn’t actually ask or care. I won’t be offended.
Step 1 - Make or get your art
In the case of my PCB coasters, I wanted symbols for NPN and PNP BJT transistors. While these are easy enough to find, I wasn’t sure about the style and licensing. I therefore made my own using the vector graphics program Affinity Designer 2, and saved them as transparent PNG files. I released them as public domain, so others can use the images as needed.
Step 2 - Import your art
This step is outlined here in the context of KiCad for QR codes, and the basic procedure is the same for any sort of art. Other PCB design packages should have similar functionality, but I’ve yet to confirm this.
Select import as a footprint, and front silkscreen for the white ink layer, or front solder mask to show the conductive layer under the traditionally green solder mask layer. Hit Export to Clipboard.
Step 3 - Apply to PCB
Open up your PCB in the editor, paste your art, and move it into place. To flip sides, select your footprint and press e to open the edit dialog. Those are the basics for KiCad. You’ll also need to design the actual PCB, but that’s way out of scope for this article!
More PCB art - collage!
There were a number of other great responses to that thread, and lots more around the Internet if you care to search. Here are a few more clipped into a collage.
PCBs: More Potential to Combine Art and Engineering?
Throughout my career, I’ve come to view aesthetics–art even–as something that should be considered in every machine or device that you build. This was put to me by another engineer who (paraphrasing here) said that if your machine looks like... garbage, people will assume it works like garbage. This goes for (in a factory setting) both the people that have to use your machine, and the executives walking around judging your art in a few seconds.
This can be doubly important when trying to sell a product, since your customers are under no obligation whatsoever to buy or use your thing, and will make a judgement about it in a short time period. Make things work well, make them beautiful, make sure people know about them, and you’re bound for success!
Given the inexpensive nature of custom PCB manufacturing, and the fact that minimum order quantities are so small, I wonder if these techniques could be reasonably applied to other useful things.
Could PCBs form pieces for small-run board games? Custom labels for industrial buttons? Enclosures for sound equipment… Actually I think that last one has already been done👆
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Addendum/Footnotes:
A local art show, craft show, or similar could be a fantastic venue for selling PCB art. If you try to sell something at a more technically themed conference, your device may be neat, but there are also 100 other neat things for people to look at. Custom PCBs at a local craft show… people’s minds will be blown! “Ooooh, my grandson likes computers!” 💰
Your printer. I have a Brother Laser printer from 2015 which is still fantastic, and that I’ve only had to replace the cartridge on maybe twice? Color is fun, but cheap, reliable black & white is the way to go IMO.