Why are circuit boards green? (PCB)

Have you ever wondered why printed circuit boards are green? If you’ve ever opened a computer or games console you’ve likely been greeted by the sight of one of these boards. I this video we’re going to have a look at why circuit boards are usually green.
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First let’s clear up a common misconception, circuit boards themselves aren’t actually green, the green colour is the solder mask. This is a hardened resin with coloured pigments that is applied to the boards which protects the copper circuits printed on the core to prevent short circuits and soldering errors. The actual core of a typical circuit board is usually a dull yellow or brown colour.
So why are the solder masks of most circuit boards green? Lets look at a couple of the main reasons. In the early days of printed circuit boards workers would manually need to do quality inspections of circuit boards using just their eyes. Studies from the time showed that Human eyes are more sensitive to green light than any other colour. the contrast between the circuit and empty spaces is also greater on a green board making it easier to spot errors on the board. Compare this to a yellow or white board for example and the contrast between circuit, its labels and empty space is much lower making it harder to spot errors.
Staring at tiny circuits all day can strain your eyes. Another reason solder masks were made green is that neurologists found that the wavelength of greenlight can have relaxing effects on the body and reduce fatigue. Reducing discomfort for the worker checking the boards and boosting the quality of their work.
A final potential reason for solder masks to be green is that glass epoxy is naturally a light green colour and is the primary material in solder masks. This led to them becoming the industry standard which means the were the most cost effective as they were mass produced. These days its possible to get printed circuit boards in virtually any colour or design you’d like but green remains the most common.
Which colour of printer circuit do you like best and why? Let me know in the comments and please do subscribe if you haven’t already, thanks for watching!
#pcb #printedcircuitboard #circuitboard #green

[@techindex1]

Which colour of circuit board do you prefer?

[@incredible_max]

I personally prefer black because it blends in easily with the surroundings and doesn't stand out when I don't want it to
Unfortunately I haven't found a black uv color yet so all my self made PCBs are green for now

[@techindex1]

Nice, yes black can look very sleek!

[@losingmyfavoritegame8752]

I like black, however my second favorite is the gold amber like on old ASUS motherboards. I like them because they were the first two new fancy colors I was introduced to when I started building computers.

[@techindex1]

Black is very sleek, not sure I’ve seen the gold amber ones but they sound very nice!