Post by @MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de

2026-05-04 10:01 UTC

Good Idea: Clay as a PCB substrate https://feministhackerspaces.cargo.site/Clay-PCB-Tutorial A circuit board is just a substrate that holds conductive traces and components. It does not have to be fiberglass reinforced with brominated flame retardants, sourced through a supply chain running through conflict zones and toxic processing facilities. The Feminist Hardware project at mz* Baltazar&#39;s Laboratory in Vienna is experimenting with natural clay and terracotta as alternatives: Locally sourced, fired, and traced with conductive paste. The repository includes actual reproducible tutorials, not just theory. Electrical performance will not replace industrial PCBs, but the goal is to demonstrate that basic electronics do not require a global extraction economy, and to build a practical reference for what genuinely local, low-impact hardware production could look like. Repo: https://github.com/FeministHardware/Making-PCBs-from-natural-clay Thanks to our friends @klimadeswandels #Open #Hardware #Sustainability #Hacking #Manufacturing #Degrowth #solarpunk

Replies (13)

@wordmark@mas.to 2026-05-04 10:07

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de can we build a #bms like that? 😁

Open ##2335632
@penguinrebellion@tldr.nettime.org 2026-05-04 10:13

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de We'd really love to boost this, but there's no alt text for the images.

Open ##2335634
@skaphle@social.tchncs.de 2026-05-04 10:13

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de Alt Text: Hexagonal brown clay pieces with grooves filled with white lines. First picture one piece on grass, second picture a graphic explaining the functions, third an assortment of many clay pieces and fourth clay pieces between ash of a fire.

Open ##2335636
@jeffbronks@c.im 2026-05-07 07:30

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de IBM were using ceramic PCBs in supercomputers the 1980s/90s. Nothing electrically inferior about them. Probably depends on the purity of the clay.

Open ##2335638
@aderieg@post.lurk.org 2026-05-10 10:56

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de This is still one of my favorite projects.

Open ##2389129
@tempusfelix@wehavecookies.social 2026-05-10 12:16

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de Many years ago when I was a student I did a project using ceramic tiles as a substrate for screen printed conductive inks. They performed so much better than fibreglass for a number of reasons but as always cost and weight were issues people couldn’t be bothered to address. I’m glad they’re coming back.

Open ##2389130
@triple@typo.social 2026-05-10 12:18

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de i find it an amazing project, asking the right questions and done in the right way but it shouldn't make us forget thar clay and email are yet another extraction economy, although maybe less harmful than the one behind electronics.

Open ##2389131
@xinit@mastodon.coffee 2026-05-10 12:55

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de Now I want my PC to be made out of raku tiles for display. @spacehobo@teh.entar.net

Open ##2389132
@robchapman@ohai.social 2026-05-10 14:00

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de Clay PCBs, how fabulous 😍

Open ##2389133
@whvholst@eupolicy.social 2026-05-10 14:07

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de Anyone tried this with hardboard? #lowCO2foortprint

Open ##2389136
@zolaris@mastodon.illumos.cafe 2026-05-10 20:42

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de what kind of material have been used for the traces / solderpads?

Open ##2389137
@SnoopJ@hachyderm.io 2026-05-10 21:36

cc @MLE_online@social.afront.org on this, feels relevant to your interests

Open ##2389138
@zolaris@mastodon.illumos.cafe 2026-05-11 04:11

@MinistryOfGoodIdeas@ieji.de I would better go with this way: https://mecrisp-stellaris-folkdoc.sourceforge.io/turret-pins.html#pcb-with-mcu

Open ##2389139