Hackster 2022 PCB Badge

I'm designing a PCB for Hackster's entry into the year 2022. I asked our team what values we should embody, and SUSTAINABILITY was at the top of the list. That's one of my top priorities, too, but how do we show that while – admittedly – creating more electronics?

I decided to focus on one part of the process: keeping things out of the landfill. For that reason, the board's physical shape is designed to have multiple uses. Even if the prototype is wrong, or it stops working, this board will still function as jewelry, a decorative clip (such as for conference lanyards), a reading light, and perhaps even a razor blade holder to break down cardboard boxes for recycling! In the end, the more we can keep out of the landfill, the better. :)

Plus, the board will link you back to this project – where I'll be gathering a bunch of resources on how to safely dispose of E-waste, how to recycle, and more. (See below!)

Design

I created this board in KiCad, from a template I made for simple little blinky lights with a battery and switch, plus large, soldering-friendly 1206 surface-mount components. I wanted it to be lightweight, so I stuck with a CR1225 battery, which also leaves plenty of room for text and decorations. I've also gotten them fabricated at half-height (.8mm) to lower the weight.

As I mentioned above, the physical board is meant to have a variety of uses as well as the finished circuit. We'll see how it goes!

I'll be publishing a tutorial soon about my process for creating art for KiCad on my iPad, using Procreate with an Apple Pencil 2. With that process, I designed an outer border from circuit symbols.

The final version will hopefully be in Hackster's actual branding colors – though the first protoype is green/gold because that was fastest to produce.

Assembly

Here's a video of me unboxing and assembling the first prototypes:

Next steps

For my next version, I'd like to do a fully opaque PCB; I hadn't anticipated how much the half-height, green board would show the LED light shining through, and in this case, it kind of messes with the aesthetic.

Of course, I'll also be looking for a vendor to do some in the proper Hackster blue!

Sustainability links!

How to safely dispose of puffy LiPo batteries

Christina Cyr: Can a smartphone be sustainably manufactured?

Pulp It! – 3D-printed molds for recycling cardboard into useful desktop items

Towards sustainable PCBs:

• Biodegradable circuit boards (Jiva Materials)
• Ceramic circuit boards? (Applied Science)

Short link to this project: bit.ly/hackster22