Food For Thought

Pablo Picasso is regarded as the most prolific painter of all time. The Guinness Book of World records estimates he produced roughly 13,500 paintings over the course of his 75 year career. That averages out to be roughly one painting produced every 2 days! I dont think anyone has ever tracked the number of PCBs created by a single engineer but I think I could produce unique Glow Glyph PCBs using my own set of techniques and tools at a Picasso-like rate. By my estimates I think its feasible to produce 10x unique Glow Glyph PCBs per week, granted these will be simple designs but so too were many of Picassos works, simples lines and shapes that evoked expression and moods. At such a rate by this time next year the collection of Glow Glyphs would top 500x unique designs! Such designs might include multiple languages, new fonts, unique shapes and symbols, tiles and tessellations, filigree and ornaments, and more! Perhaps the title of Picasso of PCBs might be appropriate

Now the only way I could become the Picasso of PCBs is if I radically change the typical workflow needed to generate a new PCB design which can usually take significant time, generating schematics, placing components, routing traces and so on takes a lot of time. So my mission is develop a new methodology for PCB design that will fundamentally change the way designs are constructed. I think Im already well on my way with the custom software Ive made to build the Glow Glyphs so Im confident I can expand on these fundamentals to make further optimizations and achieve a rate of production that far exceeds the normal pace.

I realize to some this may sound esoteric, making glowing LED circuits in fun artsy shapes is a far cry from the well-respected craft of digital and analog circuit design, however LED circuits are all around us, they are often the first circuit a student will learn, and with the LED lighting industry gaining momentum I think there is room for innovative lighting designs that can realize new forms and applications and truly take advantage of the size and power advantages of the last 50 years of photonic development. If you can imagine the possibilities then I invite you to join me as I look towards building a new set of tools and techniques that will blend art, design and technology.

Glow Glyph Features & Benefits

Low cost

The Glow Glyphs are made using modern PCB (printed circuit board) fabrication techniques, which means the price for each Glyph is extremely low. Since the price is low its easy for you to express yourself and create your own special glowing messages

Reusable

Like any great construction toy, building up and tearing down designs is part of the experience. Glow Glyphs are just like your favorite building blocks, they can be reused and reassembled in many different ways so a single set of Glow Glyphs can be the source for countless custom signs and displays.

Thin and lightweight

Not all displays need to be big to be seen and appreciated, Glow Glyphs are bright and bold when theyre lit up, but compact and ultraportable when theyre disassembled. So if you need a light-up sign thats easy to carry around and easy to set up and take down then Glow Glyphs are a great option. They are thin and low-profile (less than a couple of millimeters in thickness) which means you can stash them in a bag or backpack. And since theyre lightweight, theyre easy to mount and hang without much more than some thumbtacks or adhesive putty.

Great style

We all know that candles and incandescent bulbs create the best light sources, theyre light is just so warm and velvety that it makes everything around them look classy and charming. But most of us have seen white LEDs that dont look like candles or Edison-style bulbs and so theres a bit of bad taste in our mouths when we hear the mention of so-called white LEDs. This is why Ive been careful to use the latest white LED technology that emits a very incandescent-like warm white color (at a color temperature of 3000K). Theres no harsh blue notes that you might get from other white LEDs, so you can rest easy knowing that your custom Glow Glyph sign will have the vintage old-timey look that were all chasing in this modern world.

Lead free

No fingers should have to come in contact with leaded-solder so thats why Glow Glyphs are assembled with lead-free solder.

Adjustable brightness

If youve ever been in a movie theater and someone in front of you flips out their phone, you know how distracting and annoying it can be to have to deal with the glaring brightness differential. This is why the Glow Glyphs include a switch to adjust their brightness, they should be eye-catching without being distracting and so its critical to provide this adjustment so the Glow Glyphs will look great in any setting.

On the other hand maybe Clark Griswold is your role model and you want to create an LED display thatll scorch the eye sockets of everyone in a 20-foot radius. No problem. If you want to turn up the juice, you can use power adapter accessories to turn your Glow Glyphs into a fog-piercing headlamp that will make any sea-faring vessel think youve created a personalized lighthouse using the name of your pet goldfish.

Easy to use

Theres no wrong way to connect a Glow Glyph. Theres a single push-on connector that will fit onto any Glyph and enable it to connect to any another Glyph. If the Glyph is upside-down or reversed it doesnt matter, it will still light up. Its that easy!

Also, dont worry if you dont know electronics, you dont need to. You dont need to know how to solder, and you dont even need to know how to wire up anything (though its never too late to learn!) If you ever played with a construction toy or completed an arts-and-crafts project, youre more than capable of creating your own great-looking LED sign using the Glow Glyphs. All you need is a little imagination!

Modern font

This isnt a font in your Grandmas vintage recipe book. The font was carefully chosen for its bold and modern style, and to look good even if the LEDs are turned off. So even if youre out of juice you can still draw in those wandering eyes and express yourself with the great-looking font on the Glow Glyphs.

Battery powered

LED technology has become so efficient at turning electricity into light that you can create a custom Glow Glyph fashion accessory you can wear around neck with a battery the size of a button. This blows my mind every time! No wires, no mess, just easy simple LED accoutrements for any outfit using a simple coin cell battery.

Of course, if youre not OCD about a couple wires popping out then then all it takes is a pair of AAs or AAAs to keep your Glow Glyphs glowing longer and brighter. Be sure to check out the accessories for some great power options.

Arduino compatible

Theyre LEDs, so theyre simple, right? Theres no witchcraft here, just amazing highly-engineered glowing crystals that emit light when a voltage is applied. Just like with any other LED the Glow Glyphs are Arduino compatible and ripe for blinking, fading, sequencing and all other manner of crazy flashy blinkenlight fodder. Theres a prototyping adapter accessory that makes it easy to connect up your favorite micro-controller or single-board computer (Raspberry Pi anyone?).

So many characters!

For anything you want to say theres a set of Glow Glyphs to make it shine. Spin the wheel and pick any letter, theyre all there, A through Z, plus all your favorite numbers. Not even Wheel-of-Fortune had numbers, so take that Pat Sajak! How about hashtags? No problem. Dollar signs? Yep theyre here too. And for those crazy enough to want to make a glowing email address we even have the venerable @ symbol!