Weighing down a PCB holder

Bricksnbeatles

Bricksnbeatles

Member known well
I’ve got one of these adjustable PCB holders on my workbench, but I’ve always complained that it’s way too light so it moves around too easily. I took the plastic caps off the three hollow metal bars, and plan on filling it with something to give it heft, but I’m not too sure what to go with. Originally thought lead pellets, steel balls, or iron shavings would be ideal since they’re quite hefty and I thought cheap, but apparently all three are pretty pricy these days. Sand? Pennies? Cement? Any of y’all fill your PCB holders to keep them hefty and solid?
MaterialLb/in^3
Sand.055
Cement.087
Lead.409
Plaster.031
Steel.283
 
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Yeah, highly unlikely to tip that beast of a Panavise.


I have problems with the smaller PCB holder, the little chrome-rod jobby with articulating jaws. The base is not heavy-enough/ s p r e a d - o u t - e n o u g h .



The little blue rotisserie-style contraption is stable enough for me on its own, but I can totally see how it might not be stable for others.



Here's what I'd do:
Buy some lead fishing weights from scrap, yardsale, upcycling whatever... (buying new, yeah, expensive)

Melt 'em down to liquid state

Take off the plastic caps, stick the PCB-holder tube upright flush against a slab of metal or ceramic

Pour the molten fishing weights down the tube and fill it up to the brim...


Repeat for the other tubes.
 
Screw it........to a board, with little cups attached for holding thingys while you work and maybe a small gooseneck LED. [accesories each sold separately] (y)

If that board were say...a repurposed wooden-locking-lazy-susan...(like from a broken swivel stool).you'd have the Cadillac
 
Go big or go home... Check out this list of elements sorted by density & choose away.

Obviously the high transuranics like Dubnium & Hassium are the best bang for volume, but you might run in to some issues in terms of decay. As long as you're quick with your iron & have good health insurance, you'll be fine for whatever amount of time you have left to live. For transition metals, Osmium will do the job, but being that the oxidation products are mildly fatal, make sure you seal that fucker up good.

If you're looking for something more stable, you can't go wrong with Rhenium or Platinum, although the cost may still be an issue. As odd as it sounds, Uranium is a great option. If you go with (US Army-approved) depleted uranium and avoid dust, you'll be safe & steady with even the most awkward of PCB geometries. Tungsten is a bit cheaper, but just doesn't have that "wow" factor...

For ease of installation, elemental Mercury can be poured directly into the frame members. As long as they're not Aluminum, just don't get it on Aluminum. Any Aluminum...

Maybe Lead is the way to go after all?
 
bowanderror said:
Go big or go home... Check out this list of elements sorted by density & choose away.

Obviously the high transuranics like Dubnium & Hassium are the best bang for volume, but you might run in to some issues in terms of decay. As long as you're quick with your iron & have good health insurance, you'll be fine for whatever amount of time you have left to live. For transition metals, Osmium will do the job, but being that the oxidation products are mildly fatal, make sure you seal that fucker up good.

If you're looking for something more stable, you can't go wrong with Rhenium or Platinum, although the cost may still be an issue. As odd as it sounds, Uranium is a great option. If you go with (US Army-approved) depleted uranium and avoid dust, you'll be safe & steady with even the most awkward of PCB geometries. Tungsten is a bit cheaper, but just doesn't have that "wow" factor...

For ease of installation, elemental Mercury can be poured directly into the frame members. As long as they're not Aluminum, just don't get it on Aluminum. Any Aluminum...

Maybe Lead is the way to go after all?
Click to expand...
Rhodium has always been my go-to heavy metal, but your ideas are solid too
 
Replace it altogether with blue tack ;)

Seriously I can't imagine using one of those holders. My whole thing when soldering is coming in from the correct side of the components to avoid leads sticking out and empty pads so I constantly rotate the board around. The only time blue tack doesn't work is with tall electrolytic caps. I barely use my quad hands anymore.
 
+1 for bluetack directly on the bench top. Most ergonomic setup I have found.

For the pcb holder have you maybe just a piece of plywood attached to the bottom? Just thinking of other options and it’s something most would just have sitting around.
 
Would a couple pieces of cut down 2x4 wood weigh enough to help? I've never used one of those. I populate my components by height and solder them in before I move up to the next height. I lay the pcb flat on the bench and never really felt like I needed sticky tack or anything. Maybe I'm making it harder on myself than I need to 🙃
 
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