If we discuss electronic devices, then you can get diverse types of aspects out there. The motherboards are becoming the most significant component here. Everybody has to make certain that the condition of the board is ideal.
It’s the main component of managing all the functions and all types of devices. In case the motherboard is gonna be affected, then nobody can evade the problems. A few people desire to know why motherboards are green.
In case you’re gonna check out such things cautiously, then you might discover that all types of PC motherboards or other electronic circuit board types are associated with the green color only. Because of that, a few people desire to know what’s so special about the green color.
Why’s Motherboard Green In Color?
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Green Was Cost-Effective:
Green was one of the 1st conventional choices, which was randomly made by one of the early creators and has remained a reasonably low-priced choice to produce. Colors also have different prices, so brands back then comprising IBM were trying to save cash by utilizing the big-scale production and were not choosing a color based on aesthetics; instead, they chose the low-priced protective coating, which is obviously green.
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Green Was Contemplated A Pleasing Color:
The color green, frequently recognized as a solder mask in the industry, became well-liked on printed circuit boards (comprising motherboards) back in the 1960s when surface mount parts started to dominate. Such parts were not punctured through the motherboard but instead were actually connected to it.
The parts were denser and smaller, requiring some resin to keep the color from spreading. However, when they began utilizing resin, it resulted in a terrible brown color that was pretty hideous. As a solution, they chose to append some other color pigments and from there were capable of producing the solder mask that resembled the lovely green color.
What Other Colors Can Boards Be?
While green is an industry standard, different other colors have started to make their way into the market, with a few brands deciding to make use of diverse colors for signifying the premium motherboards over the standard ones or picking a color for differentiating their product from the others. The color choices comprise red, purple, lime, blue, yellow, orange, and black, among the others. However, a few colors can be linked with diverse rationales.
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Red:
Red provides high contrast between a board and its parts. The visibility and contrast for inspection of parts on the red color, while great, is still not contemplated to be as fine as green, the industry standard, and the accepted color for contrast.
The red boards have been utilized in the past by creators for indicating a test motherboard not accessible for retail sale. This practice, however, doesn’t hold this distinction today as boards are purposely created in red color for consumer sales.
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Black:
A black motherboard is also an extremely difficult color to use. The black color makes seeing the part traces and connections extremely hard and needs magnification and a particular light angle for good viewing. Throughout production, the black color also exhibits problems with heat absorption and the simplicity of cleaning.
A black motherboard frequently has to get through a separate cleaning step to ensure all the dirt has been eliminated. Like the white boards, the contrast between the background and the silk-screening labels is clear and simply discernable.
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White:
When compared to different other colors, white color is the least practical for a motherboard. The white color provides extremely little contrast for inspection of the parts and is extremely difficult to clean as well. The silk-screened labels, however, work efficiently on the white background. The white boards tend to be the priciest because not a lot of brands are manufacturing white motherboards.
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Blue:
A Blue solder mask doesn’t offer the same contrast capability as green and red, making the usage of the magnification a must when inspecting motherboard traces. The blue color does provide an extremely definite contrast between the screen-printed labels and the blue solder mask. If the board is label-heavy, the blue color might be pleasing. Also, the blue color is striking, and a few brands pick this color for distinction from different other products.
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Additional Colors:
Other colors, like lime, orange, and purple, have also been utilized for varying success degrees. Such out-of-the-box colors are frequently picked for aesthetic reasons by the people themselves and not by the brand. Motherboards in such colors are limited in accessibility.
One added note on yellow; the yellow color actually offers a superior contrast value just like the green and red boards but has failed to see extensive usage in the market. It might be because this color tends to be dirty and not as visually striking as green and red motherboards.
Does The Motherboard Color Really Matter?
No, the motherboard’s color doesn’t matter. The solder mask’s color will not make your board perform better or faster. The motherboard’s color today is only for aesthetics. A few PC designers make use of flashy-colored boards for making their see-through PC towers better-looking than the other towers.
Can You Choose Your Own Motherboard Color?
Yes, if you’re willing to invest some cash, you can customize the motherboard’s color. The PCB (printed circuit board) brands might provide you with the option of color for a specially created board. This choice, however, can be extremely expensive.
If you’re searching for an aesthetically pleasant color for matching the color scheme of the particular device, it’s better to search for boards that are printed already in the particular color you want and check if the specs provided on such motherboards meet your requirements or can be adjusted for fitting your requirements.
What’s A Solder Mask?
A solder mask, also recognized as the green solder oil, solder stop, or solder resist, is a lacquer-like thin layer of polymer resin applied on top of your motherboard for protecting and isolating the copper parts.
Resin is typically selected as the solder mask medium because of the qualities it offers, like temperature resistance, insulating effectiveness, solders resistance, and humidity resistance. The solder mask has to be installed properly to prevent the solder mask openings from being misplaced, too large, or too small.
Why Does A Motherboard Require A Solder Mask?
A solder mask is needed on a board for insulating and protecting the board from soldering in spots that don’t require or ought not to have the solder mask on them. It’s used on top of the board and is also utilized for preventing a physical breakage of the circuit, for protecting the copper traces from oxidation, and for preventing the short circuits.
The solder mask averts the solder bridges from forming between the close-by solder pads. Oxidation is the procedure of oxygen merging with some other element, in this situation, copper. This combo triggers corrosion which can damage your board. A solder bridge takes place during the soldering procedure when two separate parts are connected by the excess soldering material.
It forms a conductive trail between the two parts, causing malfunction. The solder mask actually acts like a resistant barrier keeping your soldering material remote to the proper section, decreasing the probability of solder bridges.
Are Green Motherboards Still Accessible?
Yes, but they are a little difficult to locate these days. Most of the motherboard companies have moved towards the colored board that’s lovely to the eyes and has diverse contrast. You’ll locate the ones with a mix of gray and white colors, whereas the ones with black and red colors are also common.
How Can You Clean A Green Motherboard?
It relies on the board. If it’s a used motherboard, then the initial thing you need to do is take out all the parts from it so that you can properly check each and every part as only cleaning its surface without checking may cause malfunctioning of other parts as well.
In case the board is new but does not look very clean, then use a cotton cloth. First, dip it into some rubbing alcohol or neutral cleaner. Then take another dry cloth and clean from top to bottom. You ought to not make use of too much force; otherwise, you may damage a few sensitive components such as resistors and capacitors present on the boards.
Conclusion:
The main cause why motherboards were initially created with the color green was actually because of the cost-effectiveness. Today the black color with contrast on the board is more favored as they’ve a highly aesthetic. Hopefully, you have found this guide helpful.
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