Enclosure layout... without POTS to mount to.

R

Rpschultz13

Active member
I'm working on a guitar tuner pedal using ESP32 (built in OLED). The OLED (in Red below) will protrude through the top, but there are no pots to mount to. So I'm wondering if there are other ways fasten a circuit board to an enclosure. Off the cuff I was going to drill some holes in the (green) circuit board and use 15mm stand offs to bolt it to the top. Unfortunately then the 3mm screws are sticking out the top.

Ideas? Suggestions?

1722203881778.png
 
Get some thing more decorative than screws with Phillips heads;
find bolts with hex or knurled bits...


1-DSCF4710_700x700.jpg
 
Rpschultz13 said:
These 3mm threaded adhesive backed standoffs are nice from Amplified Parts... but expensive ($0.95 ea)
Click to expand...
Cute! Very nice. Here's the manufacturer webpage:

ADHESIVE STANDOFF - AST series | PRODUCTS | TAKACHI - Manufacturer of electronics enclosures and industrial enclosures

TAKACHI is a manufacturer of electronics enclosures and industrial enclosures.We provide over 22,000 items : Plastic enclosure, Handheld enclosure, Aluminium enclosure, Diecast aluminium box, IP67 waterproof enclosure, Junction box, 19
www.takachi-enclosure.com www.takachi-enclosure.com
Maybe someone else has them for less.

Adhesive mounts stick best to clean, fairly smooth surfaces of metal or paint - less so to dirty, rough, or chalky surfaces (e.g., a poorly bonded primer). So pick the right surface and wipe it clean w/ alcohol (and let it dry) prior to sticking them in place. I've had good results with them for typical stompbox PCBs, since I'm not throwing them against walls or such.

EDIT: if you or a friend has a 3D printer, you could easily make those Takachi standoffs - after printing the base, then use your soldering iton to insert threaded inserts made for thermoplastic - just print the right size hole for the chosen insert. I use these all the time for projects:
www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com
The resulting plastic mount could then be glued to your enclosure with silicone glue or HTV. If you design/print some small "lines" or "pits" into the underside of your 3D printed mount, the glue will adhere even better.
 
Last edited:
Any ideas on how to mount this one?

1722299520385.png

I have and like the plastic adhesive stand offs @darwin999 linked but there’s no mounting wholes. I suppose I could drill one …
 
Good news- the ones Darwin999 linked do not require mounting holes. You line the mounts up in such a way that when you put in the PCB in, it passes that edge sticking out and clicks into place. Then it rests on that lip where it gets narrower.
 
As @jcpst noted, there are also adhesive mounts that require no holes, they hold by the PCB edge - e.g.,

Standoff - Snap In, PCB, Adhesive Backing | Antique Electronic Supply

Adhesive backed snap-in standoff. The high-strength 3M adhesive tape allows the standoff to be securely mounted, providing an easy option for mounting PCBs in enclosures. 1.6mm PCBs lock into place using the simple snap mechanisms and can be easily removed if required. These standoffs are also...
www.tubesandmore.com www.tubesandmore.com
 
darwin999 said:
As @jcpst noted, there are also adhesive mounts that require no holes, they hold by the PCB edge - e.g.,

Standoff - Snap In, PCB, Adhesive Backing | Antique Electronic Supply

Adhesive backed snap-in standoff. The high-strength 3M adhesive tape allows the standoff to be securely mounted, providing an easy option for mounting PCBs in enclosures. 1.6mm PCBs lock into place using the simple snap mechanisms and can be easily removed if required. These standoffs are also...
www.tubesandmore.com www.tubesandmore.com
Click to expand...

Awesome!
 
darwin999 said:
Cute! Thanks for pointing those out! Very useful idea.
Although I may look for another vendor for those, they seem expensive especially with shipping...

Note added: or make/drill my own, cut from a larger PCB...
Click to expand...

Tidy and useful. They are expensive for what they are. Same with the AES PCB clips haha. If you find a cheaper source for either please link it here :)
 
Rpschultz13 said:
These 3mm threaded adhesive backed standoffs are nice from Amplified Parts... but expensive ($0.95 ea)
Click to expand...
1722960613819.png 1722960593983.png

I found another source for standoffs in the US, after more searching:
www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com
The black corner threaded standoffs seem to be expensive everywhere, so Amplified Parts' price actually looks better in retrospect.
But the white center threaded standoffs are less.

I also saw that Banzai Music sells them in Germany.
 
darwin999 said:
Cute! Very nice. Here's the manufacturer webpage:

ADHESIVE STANDOFF - AST series | PRODUCTS | TAKACHI - Manufacturer of electronics enclosures and industrial enclosures

TAKACHI is a manufacturer of electronics enclosures and industrial enclosures.We provide over 22,000 items : Plastic enclosure, Handheld enclosure, Aluminium enclosure, Diecast aluminium box, IP67 waterproof enclosure, Junction box, 19
www.takachi-enclosure.com www.takachi-enclosure.com
Maybe someone else has them for less.

Adhesive mounts stick best to clean, fairly smooth surfaces of metal or paint - less so to dirty, rough, or chalky surfaces (e.g., a poorly bonded primer). So pick the right surface and wipe it clean w/ alcohol (and let it dry) prior to sticking them in place. I've had good results with them for typical stompbox PCBs, since I'm not throwing them against walls or such.

EDIT: if you or a friend has a 3D printer, you could easily make those Takachi standoffs - after printing the base, then use your soldering iton to insert threaded inserts made for thermoplastic - just print the right size hole for the chosen insert. I use these all the time for projects:
www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com
The resulting plastic mount could then be glued to your enclosure with silicone glue or HTV. If you design/print some small "lines" or "pits" into the underside of your 3D printed mount, the glue will adhere even better.
Click to expand...
With typical filament used in printers, I’d argue against using heat set inserts. After having many failures after product left us, due to fractures where the bosses eventually cracked around the heat set inserts, (and this was after my typically making the bosses larger than I would have for say, machined ABS), we started epoxying them in. Pain to do, in production, but no more failures.
 
As for @Rpschultz13 original question...

I would design a PCB that fills the entire space of the enclosure and use a pair of standoffs on opposite sides of the PCB (on each corner) that are flush with the top and bottom of the enclosure so it is securely suspended. A couple of the 1590A projects here are designed this way.

No external hardware, no adhesive to break loose later. The PCB can't move when the lid is on the enclosure, and easily drops right out as a complete assembly when the lid is off.
 
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