this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2023
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Mildly Interesting

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I have no idea how the PCB got this effect.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Looks like the coating above the traces didn't quite stand up to the heat over the years.

But it looks nice, maybe we can make PCB art with that.

[–] umulu 1 points 1 year ago

That might be it. I was thinking it could the a spike in voltage that shorted the traces. But nothing else got damaged in the house, so it is less likely.

[–] jaamesbaxterr 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hot climate? Looks like it was baked in the sun for a year or so.

[–] umulu 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Portugal. Not that hot in my town.

And the bulb was inside the house the entire time. I was using it for my desk.

[–] DoomBot5 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Traces seem ok, maybe wicking enough heat away?

[–] DoomBot5 1 points 1 year ago

The traces can probably sustain higher heat than that paint. Besides, the hottest part is generally the LEDs themselves.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I was gonna say the led bulbs I’ve had exposure to get extremely hot. Might have baked the paint

[–] Hiru 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The only thing that failed is the LED at 12 o’clock.

[–] eating3645 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

How do you know when it fried?

[–] Hiru 4 points 1 year ago
(ง •̀_•́)ง
[–] umulu 1 points 1 year ago

Big black spot in the middle of the LED is the giveaway xd

[–] june 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That’s a pretty significant failure, Jesus.

[–] Nahaelem 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yea, looks like over-volting damage. Maybe the voltage regulator failed. Just my guess

[–] umulu 2 points 1 year ago

That's what I thought. Maybe due to voltage spike in the house. But it is definitely strange. Never seen something like this since I started studying/working with electronics for the past 8 years.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Triggers a weird kinda trypophobic response for me. Yech