The Choice Is Clear

Turning an otherwise opaque product transparent isn’t always a good idea. Remember Crystal Pepsi? It was not the choice of a new generation. However, when it comes to electronics, things tend to go much better. The classic Apple iMac G3, for instance, looked great in a transparent Bondi Blue. Engineers, in particular, appreciate being able to see what makes their hardware tick without grabbing a screwdriver.

Electronics engineer and YouTuber DIY GUY Chris wanted to bring transparency to the Arduino ecosystem, so he designed and built a transparent Arduino UNO clone. It is fully compatible with a real UNO, but you can see where every single trace on the clear PCB goes without straining your eyes or reaching for a magnifying glass.

The board is built around the familiar ATmega328P microcontroller — the same chip that powers the standard Arduino UNO — ensuring full compatibility with existing sketches and development tools. Alongside it sits a CH340 USB-to-serial converter, enabling communication with a computer for programming and debugging. But Chris didn’t stop at merely replicating the original design. He added a creative twist: an NE555 timer IC dedicated to driving a softly fading power LED, giving the board a unique visual signature even when idle.

A 3x3 array of addressable NeoPixel LEDs is also integrated directly into the board, offering onboard visual feedback and a built-in platform for experimenting with light patterns. These additions give the board some fun upgrades compared to a stock Arduino.

Instead of using a traditional rigid fiberglass board, Chris opted for a clear flexible substrate. To preserve its see-through quality, he avoided the common practice of adding copper pours for ground planes. The result is a skeletal network of fine copper traces suspended in transparent material, making the circuitry fully visible.

After Chris designed the schematic and layout, the board was manufactured using specialized flexible PCB processes. Assembly required careful surface-mount soldering: solder paste was applied with a custom stencil, components were placed by hand, and the board was reflowed on a hot plate under close inspection.

Because the flexible PCB lacks rigidity, Chris mounted it onto a custom 3D-printed transparent frame made with SLA resin. This gave the finished device a solid, glass-like appearance while protecting the delicate circuitry. Final touches included soldering header pins for compatibility with standard Arduino shields.

Once assembled, the board needed a bootloader burned onto the microcontroller before it could function like a typical Arduino. After that, it passed its tests with flying colors, running the classic Blink sketch and more complex LED animations.

If you’d like to add something unique to your collection of development boards, be sure to check out the video to learn how you can make your own transparent Arduino UNO clone.