Securing Veroboard to Enclosure

Frequent question about boxes and accessories: painting, etching, clearcoating, lettering, glueing, and so on.
Post Reply
User avatar
kdmay
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 56
Joined: 12 Oct 2009, 01:55

Post by kdmay »

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere, a quick search didn't answer my question.

I've just started building pedals using vero board. How do you professionally mount the vero board to the enclosure? At the moment I am using two cut sponges, one in the enclosure and one in the lid, to lightly hold the board in place. I put some paper on the under side of the vero to ensure no shorting issues.

But this is a very crude method, I am sure there is a better solution or off the shelf product. I have something in mind like some pins that go through the 4 corner holes of the vero, then you solder these to the chassis, but can't find anything. Obviously here you'd need to make sure you're not accidentally grounding everything, but this would be easy to manage.

Anyway, if you use vero, what do you do?!

Cheers

User avatar
Dr Tony Balls
Diode Debunker
Information
Posts: 843
Joined: 07 May 2009, 14:29
my favorite amplifier: Sunn Model T
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 172 times

Post by Dr Tony Balls »

I put a little piece of foam underneath it and use solid core wire for the off-board components. By the time you have everything wired up, the wire provides a little structure that hold everything into place.

User avatar
kdmay
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 56
Joined: 12 Oct 2009, 01:55

Post by kdmay »

Thanks guys - any pictures so I have a visual!!

User avatar
McElroy0717
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 115
Joined: 15 Mar 2009, 17:19
Has thanked: 11 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Post by McElroy0717 »

I use heavy duty Velcro and usually mount to the back of the pots. Works well for me and D*A*M :D

User avatar
RnFR
Old Solderhand
Information
Posts: 4879
Joined: 09 Jan 2008, 06:02
my favorite amplifier: Traynor YBA-III, Fender Super Six
Completed builds: custom fuzz.
Location: Inner Earth
Has thanked: 139 times
Been thanked: 133 times
Contact:

Post by RnFR »

i think pcb standoffs are probably the best way to go, and i try to use them as much as i can. although, i have used both 3M tape and velcro before. it sounds like standoffs are what you are looking for, but you might have to drill more holes into the box as they sometimes mount with screws. sometimes you can get ones that are made of nylon, and they have a flat sticky backing that you just use like a sticker.

this is your basic metal standoff-

http://img.directindustry.com/images_di ... -66928.jpg

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/104698351/ ... _Parts.jpg

these are what the nylon ones look like-

http://img.directindustry.com/images_di ... 169937.jpg


also, with the metal ones, you can connect your ground point on the board to them and have it connect to the chassis this way.
"You've converted me to Cubic thinking. Where do I sign up for the newsletter? I need to learn more about how I can break free from ONEism Death Math." - Soulsonic

Blog-APOCALYPSE AUDIO

User avatar
Duckman
Opamp Operator
Information
Posts: 1492
Joined: 20 May 2009, 01:45
Has thanked: 320 times
Been thanked: 134 times

Post by Duckman »

Check frequencycentral's work!!

IMO he's the #1 "veroboardist" on the forum and use a very clever sistem to fit things in place!

Check it one... clean wire from the input, output and 9v jacks

https://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb2 ... 0006-9.jpg

User avatar
Duckman
Opamp Operator
Information
Posts: 1492
Joined: 20 May 2009, 01:45
Has thanked: 320 times
Been thanked: 134 times

Post by Duckman »

Hey, kdmay... still interested? Here is!

https://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic ... 32&start=0

User avatar
bootle
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 136
Joined: 23 Dec 2009, 03:05
Has thanked: 12 times
Been thanked: 18 times

Post by bootle »

I just use the white plastic mini-standoffs, like these:
http://www.musikding.de/product_info.ph ... -15mm.html

When I'm cutting the vero, I leave 3 columns of holes on either side of the circuit and slowly drill a small hole through one of the holes in the middle column (of the spare 3) on each side.
If I can't afford the extra room this takes up, I might try find a conveniently placed trace cut to put a hole through.
The mini standoffs require a 3.2 mm hole, but my 3mm drill bit does the job.
I'll sometimes glue a bit of foam between the legs of each one too for good measure. Probably overkill, but at least it might protect the copper from ageing too fast.
I've heard torchy mention he gives the copper side of his vero's a light spray of clear coat too which sounds like a good idea, though I haven't tried it.
The spongey bases of the standoffs probably offers some protection against shock/vibration too.

User avatar
greigoroth
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 97
Joined: 09 Dec 2010, 10:59
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 12 times

Post by greigoroth »

Sorry for the necro bump here, but I got some help from the esteemed RnFR and I decided to post it here for the benefit of future generations of NOOBZ. Background: I get the mounting is good. I get that you should use standoffs.... I don't get it. Call me mechanically challenged (there's a reason why I dropped out of Mech Eng and ended up with a BA...)

ME: Say I bought this model of standoff http://www.banzaimusic.com/Brass-Standoff-XT-08.html I understand that I drill a hole in the enclosure, the flat side sits flush with the enclosure and I put a machine screw (are they called that in English?) though it from the outside of the enclosure. Then I have the thinner, threaded side going through the hole in the pcb. Do I then just find a small washer and nut and screw that on? Should I use a nylon washer?
edit: and what do you do with those standoffs that don't have the thinner, threaded bit sticking out?

RnFR: yes. with the other ones you just use a screw on either side. you can also use unthreaded spacers and a long bolt and nut. nylon works. or lock washers and some loctite or nail polish. if its all metal you can use it as a ground point.

So if anyone else is looking at standoffs going "wow, they look awesome, maybe if I just throw them in there with the pcb everything will stick" you now know the truth of the matter.

User avatar
DrNomis
Old Solderhand
Information
Posts: 6807
Joined: 16 Jul 2009, 04:56
my favorite amplifier: Self-Built Valve Amp Head :)
Completed builds: Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face,Tone Bender Professional Mk 3,Tone Bender 3-Knob,Baja BK Butler Tube Driver,Baja Real Tube Overdrive,Roger Mayer Octavia,EH Soul Preacher,Tech 21 XXL Distortion,MFOS Weird Sound Generator.
Location: Darwin,Northern Territory Australia
Has thanked: 98 times
Been thanked: 278 times

Post by DrNomis »

greigoroth wrote:Sorry for the necro bump here, but I got some help from the esteemed RnFR and I decided to post it here for the benefit of future generations of NOOBZ. Background: I get the mounting is good. I get that you should use standoffs.... I don't get it. Call me mechanically challenged (there's a reason why I dropped out of Mech Eng and ended up with a BA...)

ME: Say I bought this model of standoff http://www.banzaimusic.com/Brass-Standoff-XT-08.html I understand that I drill a hole in the enclosure, the flat side sits flush with the enclosure and I put a machine screw (are they called that in English?) though it from the outside of the enclosure. Then I have the thinner, threaded side going through the hole in the pcb. Do I then just find a small washer and nut and screw that on? Should I use a nylon washer?
edit: and what do you do with those standoffs that don't have the thinner, threaded bit sticking out?

RnFR: yes. with the other ones you just use a screw on either side. you can also use unthreaded spacers and a long bolt and nut. nylon works. or lock washers and some loctite or nail polish. if its all metal you can use it as a ground point.

So if anyone else is looking at standoffs going "wow, they look awesome, maybe if I just throw them in there with the pcb everything will stick" you now know the truth of the matter.

Well, I'm not sure what other people use but I generally just use a small M3 nut to hold the PCB on the standoff, these can either be metal or nylon types, if there's a chance that something like a +V supply is going to be inadvertently shorted to the enclosure, and the enclosure is at circuit-ground potential, then you should use a nylon screw,standoff, and nut to insulate the +V supply from the enclosure, note that nylon screws, standoffs, and nuts have a habit of stripping the threads if overtightened....found this out from first-hand experience, those nylon standoffs with the adhesive foam bases are pretty cool, though you do need to be careful with the drilling of the mounting hole, very easy to make it too tight or loose.... :thumbsup
Genius is not all about 99% perspiration, and 1% inspiration - sometimes the solution is staring you right in the face.-Frequencycentral.

Post Reply