BGabriel80
New member
Can I cut a part of the pcb if it has no tracing to fit the power jack in?
Stupid question re pcbs
- Thread starter BGabriel80
- Start date
they dont really "cut" very easy btw.
File - maybe a little, just be careful of the "dust" (dont breath it)
Make SURE there are really no traces for you you damage- they can be pretty small, and covered by the solder mask. I think most of these are double sided tracks, but there's usually one that runs around the perimeter and might be easy to miss
File - maybe a little, just be careful of the "dust" (dont breath it)
Make SURE there are really no traces for you you damage- they can be pretty small, and covered by the solder mask. I think most of these are double sided tracks, but there's usually one that runs around the perimeter and might be easy to miss
Feral Feline
Well-known member
I've cut, filed and drilled PCBs for various reasons, but only after ascertaining where the traces are exactly.
As Fig mentioned, you have to be willing to lose the board. So far, I've lost none because when in doubt I don't touch it. As Icipher3 noted, the dust is toxic, but a mask will only protect your lungs, throat, mouth, nostrils — stray debris can get flicked up or even picked up on an air current, so also protect your eyes.
As Icipher3 mentioned, sometimes a trace runs right along the edge of the PCB, so sanding down the sides to fit in a smaller enclosure is a no-go.
Drilling a hole to cut one trace might damage another trace close to it or if it's a two-layer (or more) board, again a no-go.
I've cut corners to fit a PCB in a 1590A, doing so exposed some ground-plane, no big deal as it helped ground the enclosure
; adapting a 4PDT to a 3PDT board I again exposed ground-plane copper; it wasn't close to the extra row of lugs, but to make sure it didn't short I put some nail-polish on it, sealed the copper and Bob's my uncle.
Shine a bright light through the board, then flip it and shine the light again, from the other side — can you see all traces clearly? Some solder masks won't let you see where the traces are. In 2-layer+ boards, sometimes traces are hidden by the ground plane in the layer below or above...
Again, when in doubt, don't route.
It's a last resort, I'd opt for a different type of power jack before I'd consider cutting into a board.
As Fig mentioned, you have to be willing to lose the board. So far, I've lost none because when in doubt I don't touch it. As Icipher3 noted, the dust is toxic, but a mask will only protect your lungs, throat, mouth, nostrils — stray debris can get flicked up or even picked up on an air current, so also protect your eyes.
As Icipher3 mentioned, sometimes a trace runs right along the edge of the PCB, so sanding down the sides to fit in a smaller enclosure is a no-go.
Drilling a hole to cut one trace might damage another trace close to it or if it's a two-layer (or more) board, again a no-go.
I've cut corners to fit a PCB in a 1590A, doing so exposed some ground-plane, no big deal as it helped ground the enclosure
; adapting a 4PDT to a 3PDT board I again exposed ground-plane copper; it wasn't close to the extra row of lugs, but to make sure it didn't short I put some nail-polish on it, sealed the copper and Bob's my uncle.Shine a bright light through the board, then flip it and shine the light again, from the other side — can you see all traces clearly? Some solder masks won't let you see where the traces are. In 2-layer+ boards, sometimes traces are hidden by the ground plane in the layer below or above...
Again, when in doubt, don't route.
It's a last resort, I'd opt for a different type of power jack before I'd consider cutting into a board.
BGabriel80
New member
Following all your advice I did not cut the board. Instead, I cut the plastic ring on the power jack, it fit! Thanks guys.
Feral Feline
Well-known member
I do a LOT of cutting of power-jack rings! 
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