Clay PCB Tutorial

(feministhackerspaces.cargo.site)

70 points | by j0r0b0 an hour ago ago

34 comments

  • fxtentacle 21 minutes ago

    I truly don’t understand what the hope to gain from self-classifying this is “feminist”.

    “FEMINIST HACKING: BUILDING CIRCUITS AS AN ARTISTIC PRACTICE – an international art-based research project financed by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)”

    Doesn’t that kind of invite the worst type of trolls? They seem to imply that feminist = artistically produced, as opposed to professionally produced PCBs. So masculine = professional? But clearly that wasn’t their intention?

    • 3form 4 minutes ago

      What are you asking about exactly? About classifying the project as feminist or the perceived feminist = artistic implication?

      You start with this:

      >I truly don’t understand what the hope to gain from self-classifying this is “feminist”.

      To which I say - why not? Is this the problem?

    • JCTheDenthog 10 minutes ago

      And it's taxpayer funded, to boot. I definitely wouldn't be happy as an Austrian if I knew my taxes were going to something like this (meanwhile hobbyists elsewhere do projects like this on their own dime).

      • oulipo2 8 minutes ago

        Why? This is a creative endeavour, which is exactly how tech progresses. The fact that you're not able to understand the links between "tech stuff" and "societal stuff" should ring alarm bells in your head...

    • mlyle 9 minutes ago

      This is going to really confuse future archaeologists.

    • beepbooptheory 6 minutes ago

      The opposite of feminist is not masculine. You are conflating feminist with feminine which does indicate why your are maybe confused here. Feminism is not about being partisan like this, and you are operating through a strawman of so-called "second wave feminism" which is like over half a century old and defunct to everyone but guys who get angry at stuff like this.

      Consider how calling yourself "atheist" or "rationalist" comes with some broad commitments and political tendencies, but not necessarily. We say we "rationalist" to indicate perhaps a broad attitude to culture as it stands, but not one thing or the other. Its like the same thing here!

    • oulipo2 9 minutes ago

      Well if you were a creative/researcher-type of person, the mere fact that you don't understand what she hopes to gain would push you to read about it. You'd discover the very real links between tech and gender inequalities (or the reinforcement of other minority inequalities) and you'd have learn something

  • VegaKH 19 minutes ago

    "We are investigating alternative hardware..."

    The way she writes like this is serious research is throwing me.

    • oulipo2 8 minutes ago

      Serious research always start by looking like play. Read Feynmann if you want to know more

  • skybrian an hour ago

    Interesting experiment, but on the other hand, maybe 3D printing would have less emissions than an open fire?

    I’ve not tried this, but it sounds like a good way to get fast turnaround for very simple circuits:

    https://bsky.app/profile/castpixel.bsky.social/post/3mf52azn...

    • lrasinen 18 minutes ago

      They're not great for anything that might produce heat. Seeing a MOSFET slowly starting to imitate the Tower of Pisa after dissipating a measly 1 W for a few moments was a sight to behold.

      For about two seconds before I cut the power.

    • amelius 7 minutes ago

      That link sounds interesting but I can't open it :(

    • jedimastert 9 minutes ago

      Emissions from burning wood (and charcoal) can considered net-zero by some because all of the CO2 being released was initially trapped out of the air by the plant, not releasing "new" carbon that was initially trapped underground

    • WarmWash 32 minutes ago

      It's an art project

  • chasil 28 minutes ago

    I am wondering what of this could be used in high-volume industrial processes.

    "We had the privilege of spending two days with this skilled craftsman, learning how to identify and collect the clay, and how to model and fire it using old, dry branches collected from the forest ground."

    • kennywinker 10 minutes ago

      You can buy clay industrially, if you don’t care where it’s from.

      But I think the point of this project is to do small-scale production, not develop new techniques for mass manufacturing

  • fallat an hour ago

    I feel like foregoing the whole PCB would be better, and just wirewrap, or "free-air" solder.

    • amelius 31 minutes ago

      How would you handle LQFP or BGA packages?

      • svens_ 11 minutes ago

        What do you think the minimum pad clearance is for the clay?

        You can dead bug an LQFP if you absolutely have to…

      • Brian_K_White 13 minutes ago

        How does this idiotic ash tray of clay and paint handle bga?

        Point to point is easily as functional or better than this.

  • amelius an hour ago

    Ceramics are already used a lot in electronics. Ceramic capacitors are the most well known. But you can find it in resistors, inductors and even PCBs. See for example:

    https://www.bstceramicpcb.com/ceramic-pcb/thick-film-ceramic...

    • kube-system an hour ago

      The article acknowledges this, and says they chose clay over ceramics for electricity consumption. Although I am not sure why they then chose an open wood fire, which is likely far more polluting than even non-renewable grid power

      • balamatom an hour ago

        >Although I am not sure why they then chose an open wood fire, which is likely far more polluting than even non-renewable grid power

        Likely not if you factor in the energy expenditure of gathering some firewood vs. energy expenditure of putting up a power grid.

        inb4 "but it's already there" lmao

        • kube-system an hour ago

          Well, the atmega fab was already there and that isn’t quite clean either :)

          But there are many clean ways to generate electricity and electric kilns are quite efficient compared to heating over an open flame.

          I like the artistic element of this exercise, just thought that line of reasoning was a bit off.

          • kennywinker 8 minutes ago

            The chips were pulled from dead arduinos, not bought fresh off the production line

        • poulpy123 an hour ago

          You need a grid infrastructure to build and ship the rest of the electronics as well as to use the board.

          It's a fun dit/artistic project but the political discourse used to describe it is absurd

  • jevndev 7 minutes ago

    > […] ATmega328P chip, which is commonly used in the famous Arduino Uno board (orArduina board, as some feminists call it)

    Please. I can’t tell if this is satire or not. Either way it detracts any credibility from what the author is trying to say.

  • josh-wrale an hour ago

    I'm thinking of finer grained applications. Would CNC before firing work? Perhaps finer grained printed stamp plus air-drying clay?

    • kennywinker 4 minutes ago

      i don’t think air dry clay would work very well - it has none of the thermal properties that real clay has, and would probably burn up on soldering?

  • deadeye 28 minutes ago

    Interesting project but I can't tell, is the language used supposed to be satire?

    • nicole_express 17 minutes ago

      The "Arduina" comment definitely made me think it might be at least a little satirical in nature

  • WarmWash an hour ago

    Truly stonepunk

  • Brian_K_White 23 minutes ago

    It's dumb and of litterally no value. Saved you a click.

    It's knitting a sweater for a tv remote.