Unsplash | Umberto

DIYer Makes Illuminated World Map Out Of Upcycled Circuit Boards

There are many intricate wall murals you can buy from your home, but none quite as unique as the ones you make for yourself.

Upcycling and reusing old material is a great way to create never-before-seen pieces of home decor. (Not to mention, it's a great way to save money and reduce waste!)

Shining a light through an old circuit board gave Adam a unique mural idea.

Adam | Medium

Starting on their grand vision almost five years ago, creative DIYer Adam (or ThoroughWhenever on Reddit) began collecting unused circuit boards to use in a completely original wall mural design.

Inspired by the beautiful colors produced by shining lights through circuit boards, Adam came up with the unique idea to create an illuminated world map mural.

The mural frame was made out of three large MDF panels.

Adam | Medium

To achieve their grand vision, Adam decided the best way to go about it would be to create a panel of sorts; layering the lit-up circuit boards between large MDF boards.

Planning out their design and partitioning it into three panels, they then cut the shapes of the world map into the MDF boards.

Adam spent hours and hours getting the layout "just so".

Adam | Medium

With help from their dad in the design logistics, (and donations from friends, computer shops, and recycling stations) each panel is made up of two layers of strategically placed circuit boards.

Hiding seams and highlighting the "prettiest" parts, hours, and hours of arranging and re-arranging went into positioning the circuit boards.

Finally, after 5 years of sporadic work, the mural was complete.

Adam | Medium

Finally finished, the front MDF panels were painted white and secured with sturdy metal bolts. Framed in with custom-fit metal frames, the murals are turned off and on by flipping a switch on the back.

What do you think of Adam's circuit board map? Could you imagine making something like this for your home? Let us know in the comments below!