We have a riddle for you: What is everywhere around you and you never see?
If you said printed circuit boards (PCBs), you’re right!
Printed circuit boards have irrevocably changed computing and electronics. They’re the quintessential technology that brought computers weighing 30 tons and the size of a room, like the first computer ENIAC, down to pocket-size and a few ounces.
Not to mention that we all have a supercomputer in our pockets, with the potential to answer any and every question we have, because of PCBs.
But that’s not all that they can do. So what are some PCB uses today? Keep reading to find out.
PCB Uses: Where, When, and Why?
PCB uses are as numerous as the stars. Every industry is affected by them on some level in our day to day activity. You might have wondered just when PCBs came on the scene since they have likely been in everything electronic you’ve ever touched.
While the concept of PCBs has been around since the mid-1920s, it wasn’t until Paul Eisler patented the idea for a music-sheet typewriter concept for company Technograph. His idea never caught on until the USA used it in proximity-fuses to shoot down German V-1 flying bombs.
Just a few examples of places you’ll find a PCB today are:
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Consumer electronics
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Industrial applications
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Medical devices
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Automotive applications
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Military and defense
They’re in boats, planes, phones, and of course our computers. Every industry is affected by them on some level in our day to day activity.
Even fighter jets and night vision goggles use PCB. It’s estimated that 30% of all bare-board PCBs go to defense applications. A bare-board is one without any components, and basically naked.
With the rise of the IoT, or the internet of things, PCBs will continue to get smaller, thinner, more flexible, and more invisible. Always there, serving us as a silent hero, but never in the forefront getting the credit.
With so many devices and industries covered by PCBs, what happens when an electronic device is thrown away? Hopefully, it gets sorted to a recycling facility. It isn’t always the case that it gets properly dealt with.
If you do want to take care of it ecologically, you can use this link to find out more about how to discard it responsibly.
Connecting the Dots With PCBs
Whether you’re a rally car navigator plotting a course with GPS or a toddler playing with Elmo, we all benefit from the world of PCBs.
Though this is a short discussion on PCB uses, we’re sure you get the idea. PCBs are here to stay, they’re in everything, and the number of things is growing. The “things” are even starting to communicate because of PCBs now!
In the early days, a computer for basic addition filled an entire room. Now we have a phone in our pocket that has all the information we could ever want. Imagine where the next technology will take us in the future!
Speaking of answering questions, our other articles may answer dozens of questions you may have over a broad range of subjects. Why wait? Check them out now!
