Help: Making Project boxes
in [Basics]
|
Prev: neg ldo problems
Next: PC oscilloscope for Linux
From: John Larkin on 26 Feb 2010 22:23 On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:40:46 -0800 (PST), George Herold <ggherold(a)gmail.com> wrote: >On Feb 26, 8:14�pm, John Larkin ><jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: >> On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7 >> >> <Search...(a)mail.con2.com> wrote: >> >I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make >> >them. >> >> >I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes >> >and for obvious reasons this will not work. >> >> Why is that obvious? Tons of people put pcb's into metal boxes. >> >> John > >Yeah metal is great! It shields, it conducts heat, it's strong...what >else could a man want? > >George H. Horseradish. John
From: Bob Masta on 27 Feb 2010 08:26 On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7 <Searcher7(a)mail.con2.com> wrote: >I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make >them. > >I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes >and for obvious reasons this will not work. Sounds like you just need some standoffs, so the bottom of the PCB doesn't touch the case. You can lay out the PCB to have a pad at each corner with a hole in it for a #6 machine screw (or whatever). If you want the circuit to be isolated from the case, then each pad should be isolated from the circuit. Or, if you want the case to be grounded, you connect one or more corner pads to ground. (I usually lay out boards so the ground is surrounding the central circuit area, where possible, so this is easy.) If the PCB is really small (ie lightweight), you might be able to hang it between the connectors that are mounted on the outside of the case. If the connectors have ground tabs, you can make little "posts" out of stiff (cut-off component lead) wire that you solder to the PCB, then install the PCB by soldering the posts to the connector grounds. >That leaves plastic and wood. Has anyone here ever had to make project >boxes? And if some I'd appreciate some pointers. I've used small plastic boxes as cases, but these were one-offs using boxes I just happened to have. Seems there aren't that many products that come in useful plastic boxes anymore, so I haven't done this in years. Maybe an old VHS case? I've done plenty of cases from wood "back in the day". This was more for major projects like audio amps or benchtop equipment, with power supplies and a moderate amount of circuitry inside, so probably bigger than what you are looking for. The basic approach I used was to make the case as 2 "C" units, sorta like the old metal "Bud" boxes. The top C (top and sides of the case) would be made out of wood that could be nicely finished. The bottom C would consist of a bottom upon which the circuit would be mounted, plus front and rear panels for switches and connectors. These latter could be made from sheet aluminum or thin Masonite, etc. The front and rear panels could be screwed to the edges of the bottom board, or the bottom board could have a groove to hold them in place... usually with a matching groove on the top and sides of the case. Then big screws could attach the sides to the bottom, so the end result looked like a typical piece of stereo gear. Best regards, Bob Masta DAQARTA v5.00 Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis www.daqarta.com Scope, Spectrum, Spectrogram, Sound Level Meter Frequency Counter, FREE Signal Generator Pitch Track, Pitch-to-MIDI DaqMusic - FREE MUSIC, Forever! (Some assembly required) Science (and fun!) with your sound card!
From: George Herold on 1 Mar 2010 21:47 On Feb 26, 10:23 pm, John Larkin <jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: > On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:40:46 -0800 (PST), George Herold > > > > > > <ggher...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >On Feb 26, 8:14 pm, John Larkin > ><jjlar...(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote: > >> On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7 > > >> <Search...(a)mail.con2.com> wrote: > >> >I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make > >> >them. > > >> >I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes > >> >and for obvious reasons this will not work. > > >> Why is that obvious? Tons of people put pcb's into metal boxes. > > >> John > > >Yeah metal is great! It shields, it conducts heat, it's strong...what > >else could a man want? > > >George H. > > Horseradish. > > John- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - Hee Hee... big Grin. And I thought my job was to entertain you. Way before chicken wings the essential 'bar food' in Buffalo was/is Beef-on-Weck. Which is slow cooked roast beef on a Kimmel wick roll (Hard roll with salt and caraway seeds) that you slather with horseradish. Notin' better for clearing out the sinuses in winter. George H.
From: default on 2 Mar 2010 10:43 On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7 <Searcher7(a)mail.con2.com> wrote: >I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make >them. > >I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes >and for obvious reasons this will not work. > >That leaves plastic and wood. Has anyone here ever had to make project >boxes? And if some I'd appreciate some pointers. > >Thanks. > >Darren Harris >Staten Island, New York. How to article for abs plastic from abs sheet: http://talkingelectronics.com/projects/Boxes/BJones-BoxArticle.html I use wood for the stuff where size and sealing aren't critical. I have one of the cheap 10" Makita bench top table saws, it can't be beat for small projects - high precision with minimal effort. An old tungsten carbide blade will cut aluminum with no problems too - a small vise to use as a bending brake, and you can make aluminum boxes, panels, mounting hardware, etc. Whitney Jensen/Roper hand punch is inexpensive and works well - plus the essential hand nibbler, and minor sheet metal projects are a snap. --
From: Bleep on 2 Mar 2010 16:22
>> >> <Search...(a)mail.con2.com> wrote: >> >> >I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make >> >> >them. >> >> >> >I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxe > s >> >> >and for obvious reasons this will not work. I saw where other people had suggested you just use "offests'when usinig metal boxes, and your question came to my mind this morning when I finished off a box of cinnamon mints. Mybe this is a dopey idea,btmaybe not, so here goes: Many mints come isvery sturdy boxes;, some are metal and some are plastic; the Walgreens cinnamon drops come in a really small tin that's roughly 1.5"X2.5" and roughly 5/8"high. If you and/or friends/family like mints anyway, maybe some of the mint boxes would suit your purpose...? Also, if you don't need anything that's super- sturdy, there are plastic snap-boxes used for collectable/trading cards that might work out for you? Another idea is to check your local taples and Office Depot as well as Michael's or HobbyLobby or other craft shop nd see what sizes of wpre-made wood boxes they have. Also, maybe these sites will help you out: http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25 &i=1&f=p Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas... |