Printed circuit boards like motherboards or other boards are often green. Even in the PS5, there is a green motherboard. But why are the devices all painted green?
If you dismantle an old computer or a mobile phone, you’ve surely spotted circuit boards or memory in a well-known shade of green. Because green printed circuit boards can be found in almost every electronic device. Even in the PS5, there is a green motherboard, as the technicians from Sony showed.
You can also find many green printed circuit boards on eBay. But why are printed circuit boards actually manufactured in green?
MeinMMO explains to you why manufacturers chose green and what considerations and ideas were behind it.
There are various reasons why circuit boards are green
Solder mask is applied to a printed circuit board as protection against mechanical damage and as a protection against corrosion. This solder mask is green and has been used in the industry for many decades. The so-called screen printing is used on the boards, which is better recognized with green paint.
Some suspect that the green color was chosen by the military. The military found that the green color was the most effective in adverse situations. The individual components can be more easily recognized and distinguished.
The color green has probably become the norm for printed circuit boards.
At that time, manufacturers did not only supply the military with printed circuit boards but also private customers, so they used the same color everywhere. Many people never saw the installed boards anyway.
In private settings, some also suspect that the manufacturer Intel may have coined the green color. Since many people associated the color green with Intel, they primarily bought green products and considered other colors like brown or black to be less valuable.
Another theory is that the green color is supposed to be more pleasant for the eyes. Optometrists had discovered that the frequency of green light put less strain on the eye. Additionally, the assembled parts can be more easily distinguished on the printed circuit board when it is green.
Today there are motherboards and circuit boards in numerous colors
Today there are various colors for motherboards. Gamers like to showcase their installed hardware and show what they have in their computers. Users often choose a motherboard with a color that matches the rest of their hardware. Some manufacturers also rely on unique color combinations to stand out from the competition.
Some users today are even willing to spend a lot of money on hardware. The manufacturer MSI has now presented a motherboard for which you have to pay over 1700 euros. With that money, you could already buy a well-equipped gaming PC. What you get for 1700 euros and what else is in the motherboard can be read on MeinMMO:
New motherboard costs 1,700 euros – But what can it actually do?
