Hello out there,

I'm working on a project for which I have a electronics part mostly figured out already. It's a pair of wearable UV-reactive PVC wings which I'd like to light up using very small leds and of course a controller board for various effects. For power source I plan on using a decent flat LiPo battery.
However, as this is part of a cyber goth outfit, I'd like to get some colour in so I'm looking for a source for coloured PCBs now. So far I've found black and royal blue, but nothing like red or bright green. The only UV-reactive pcb material I've found so far, looses its glow after being reflow soldered, which when working with larger Xmega devices is a must.

Do you know a source for different coloured PCBs or have an idea how to create different coloured PCBs capable of reflow soldering?

Thank you very much in advance,

Saphira

 

The color you are talking about is most likely due to the solder resist that the PCB fabrication houses use. It is often an epoxy. Check out the different PCB houses. Red is quite common. But white, green, blue, purple, and so forth are also available.

Here is just one example: http://www.seeedstudio.com/service/index.php?r=pcb
Check out the colors it offers.

John

 

How about masking off the LEDs and painting the whole board once it is completed?

 

Have you heard of clear neon spray paint? It's invisible until it's under black light.
http://www.bewild.com/clear-neon-spray-paint.html

 

Hi and thanks for the fast replies.

I think I missed one important part - I still like to have the circuits visible, even under UV-light. Solder-resist or spraypainting afterwards wouldn't work. As for the leds - those are not part of the pcb, but directly attached to the wings, with the pcb being the center part of the backplate like thingy to which the wings and shoulderstraps are attached to.

 

pad2pad.com offers pcb fabrication and I beleive they also offer different color masks for a price.
I have used them many times and their prices are ok.

 

Hi and thanks for the fast replies.

I think I missed one important part - I still like to have the circuits visible, even under UV-light. Solder-resist or spraypainting afterwards wouldn't work. As for the leds - those are not part of the pcb, but directly attached to the wings, with the pcb being the center part of the backplate like thingy to which the wings and shoulderstraps are attached to.

The clear UV paint I linked to in my previous reply would allow the circuits to remain visible.