Fish Paper???

[Zero Cool]

I am looking for a source. or even just a proper name for sheets of insulating material often found in amplifiers and the like. I have heard it called "Fish Paper" before but not sure if that is correct. typically the sheets are red or orange-ish in color and flexible. generally thick almost like the back of a notebook but obviously a different material and stronger and im sure a better dielectric.

what the heck do you call this stuff? and where would a person buy it in the US?

OR...flipping the coin to the other side. what would YOU use to say insulate the bottom of a PCB from the bottom of a chassis? or say provide a bit if insulation from a heatsink etc.


Zc

[wrenchone]

I don't like fish paper, as it's too hygroscopic unless it's impregnated with something like varnish. A sheet of drawing mylar would work just fine to insulate a printed circuit board from a chassis. If you want to get creatively cheap, a piece hacked out of the straight side of a plastic gallon jug would also work very well - polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, doesn't matter, all would work ok, and count as creative and productive recycling..

[Wavebourn]

Like a lacquered fabric?
I know Russian name. Ëàêîòêàíè | Èçîëÿöèîííûå ìàòåðèàëû

I personally use Kapton film under PCBs; I have plenty of it.

[Zero Cool]

Wavebourn - yeah something like that! I need something that had a bit of dielectric to it. The boards I am working with sit 1/8" above the heatsink and about 1/8" away from the top/bottom of the chassis and have 320V from rail to rail. they are tour duty amplifiers and they have a tendency to arc under some conditions.

[EchoWars]

Originally Posted by wrenchone

If you want to get creatively cheap, a piece hacked out of the straight side of a plastic gallon jug would also work very well.

Excellent!

[udderslate]

For baking cookies in the oven , they use parchment paper .
Also consider silicone baking mats .
Another cheap thought , is a plastic notebook divider .

[Zero Cool]

Ohhhh Silicone baking mats! now that's a creative idea! I like that!


I wonder where Amplifier Mfgs get this stuff??

[soundchaser001]

Here;

http://www.mcmaster.com/#fishpaper-sheets/=5k2ygu

In the past it was used in transformer construction to cover and protect the lead wire attachments. I have also seen it used to prevent windings from arcing to the lamination stack for VDE rated (4500VRMS) transformers.

Matt

[brianco]

There was a mottled greyish 'paper' around some years ago which had some sort of sulphide/sulphate impregnation which was very very good; it was originally used in the computer industry. It also had good dielectric properties. The down side of most plastics is that they have poor dielectric quality and are prone to stray capacitance problems; polyethylene is probably the very best.

[Speedskater]

Exactly as soundchaser wrote!
From my 1970 electronics dictionary:

Fishpaper
A tough fiber used in sheet form for insulating transformer windings from the core, field coils from the field poles, or conductors from the armature.