To celebrate the 12th Anniversary of PCBWay, I designed a special interactive electronic badge that represents 12 years of innovation, creativity, and engineering excellence.This badge is not just a visual design—it is a fully functional electronic PCB badge that lights up using a microcontroller.

Concept Behind the Design

PCBWay has been supporting engineers, students, and makers around the world by transforming ideas into real hardware. As a creator and electronics enthusiast, PCBWay has helped me bring many of my projects to life through their high-quality PCB manufacturing services.

This badge is my way of celebrating 12 successful years of PCBWay and the global maker community that has grown alongside it. The badge features a circular PCB layout with the number “12” at the center, symbolizing the anniversary milestone. Surrounding the center are 12 LEDs, each representing one year of PCBWay’s innovation and progress. When powered on, the LEDs light up in a sequence, visually representing the journey of PCBWay over the past 12 years.

Hardware Design

The badge is built as a compact electronic PCB and includes the following main components:

Microcontroller: ATtiny13V

LEDs: 12 SMD LEDs arranged in a circular pattern

Programming Interface: ISP programming header

Power Source: Coin cell battery

The ATtiny13V microcontroller controls the LED animation and creates a dynamic lighting effect around the badge.

LED Animation

1. The firmware programmed inside the ATtiny13V controls the 12 LEDs and lights them sequentially around the circular layout.
2. This animation creates a visual effect that highlights the 12-year journey of PCBWay, symbolizing continuous growth and innovation.
3. The animation behavior can also be customized by modifying the firmware and uploading new code using an ISP programmer.

Programming the Badge

The ATtiny13V can be programmed using any standard ISP programmer such as:

• USBasp
• Arduino as ISP
• AVR ISP MkII

After connecting the programmer to the ISP header, the firmware can be uploaded using AVR tools or the Arduino IDE. This allows the LED patterns and animations to be customized depending on the desired visual effect.

Why This Design is Special

This badge represents more than just an anniversary—it celebrates the maker spirit that PCBWay has supported for over a decade.

Instead of creating a simple graphic badge, I designed a functional electronic badge that combines:

• Embedded programming
• LED animation
• Creative electronic art

The 12 LEDs symbolize the 12 successful years of PCBWay, while the glowing animation represents the bright future of the maker community.

Final Thoughts

PCBWay has played an important role in empowering creators to turn ideas into real hardware. This badge is my small tribute to the incredible journey of 12 years of innovation with PCBWay. I look forward to seeing many creative designs from the global maker community as we celebrate this exciting milestone together.