Attach PCB in enclosure (answered)

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I’m working on a combo pedal, and installing it into an aluminium rack mount enclosure. With the POTs mounted into the face, I don’t have anything but bare metal to set the PCBs on, and no way to attach them.

Is there a double-stick foam tape that would work for this? or would conductivity / static of the adhesive be an issue?

I could lay down plastic standoffs but I’m not sure how I would attach the boards to the standoffs with board real estate being at a premium.

Any other options?

The boards in question are the Mini-Me and the Guitar/Bass Driver.

[Barry]

See the combo build guide on the Guides Page for ideas.

If you missed it use the big red button below the Forum home page or also on our main home page.

Many of us use the method MXR used for 20 years meaning the Wiring holds the boards into place. There are other alternatives such as our pcb secure mounts etc…

[Anonymous]

I went through the combo guide and didn’t see anything other than having the wiring hold the board in, as I mentioned above, this is a large rack mount enclosure and having wiring hold the boards is not an option.

I did not see the pcb secure mounts, this is something guitarpcb carries? Ill look through the catalog and see if I can find those to see if they will work for my application.

[Cybercow]

Louie – I like using nylon stand-offs like these at Amazon . . . .

Nylon Stand-Offs

[Barry]

Now that I finally found time for a detailed answer…

I figure I would cover all the bases for others reading as well.

The Combo Guide contains information on using the WIRE method in detail which is what most of us use as a DIY community especially for combos. Have a look at the 100’s of customer builds for ideas in our Slideshow Section located in the Main Menu Bar. Other options include using Pot Condoms in case you have bare metal pots to set the boards on (yes you can indeed use double side tape to secure the boards to the pots).

Many of our boards (including the Mini-Me) can be fitted with 16mm Right Angle board mounted pots eliminating any issue or need for another type of solution (except in your rack situation) since the Pots will hold the board in place.

Even the ones with smaller pads (including the Bass OD) will accommodate 9mm on-board Pots as well. That said hand wiring allows for many boards to fit into a single enclosure. You can find out more about the 9mm Pot solution in our GuitarPCB Tips section on the Guides Page.

Since it is rack mount I think 3M double sided tape which is non-conductive would work and…

I also sell PCB Secure Mounts in the SHOP for yet another option. It has pictures and examples. This is how we cover most bases while providing the smallest size boards to fit into the two most popular enclosure sizes.

Every Colored Text above is a direct link. I hope that helps.

[Author]

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