What Do You Use to Secure Parts to Board?

[Rob in Montana]

I've done mods to my amp, preamp and source components over time so they have some larger and heavier than stock components mounted on the boards. Didn't have to worry about this before, but now am looking at moving overseas and having all my equipment shipped. I'm concerned that if my stuff gets tossed around, I'll be looking at all those loose heavy bits tearing up my equipment from the inside out.

What do you use to secure larger film caps or other things to the board in a situation where you know the amp or whatever is going to be shipped? I am talking about a situation where zip tying is not practical.

In the past I've used hot melt glue and its very secure, but if you ever need to take it apart, it really rips up anything its sticking to. I've also used silicone RTV but it stays pretty Jello-ish and not sure its gonna hold. Have also used plasticene clay which also has damping advantage, but its a real mess, esp if you need to get back into things later.

Any tips for you guys can offer?

 

[rayma]

What do you use to secure larger film caps or other things to the board
in a situation where you know the amp or whatever is going to be shipped?

You're best off removing any oversized or heavy added parts, and packing them separately
for shipping. They will likely wreck the pcb, and rattle around inside and break more stuff.

 

[Rob in Montana]

Woah!--

Maybe I gave the wrong impression. Nothing's THAT heavy--not like big chokes or anything, and I havent substituted Coke can sized film caps for 100uf electros for instance.

Prob the heaviest thing would be Mundorf 1.0 and 0.1uf coupling caps in place of the square red box Wima's. In many cases I'm talking about using Silmics instead of the little factory electrolytics. They dont fit in the same spaces as they're twice the diameter, so are elevated off the board to allow soldering the leads and so seem fragile.

I've got too many changed components to take it all apart.

 

[avtech]

Can't you just immobilise the parts using bits of foam like you would if packing items into a box? Then simply remove it when you get to the other side?

 

[AllenB]

The term I think you are looking for is a standoff. There are standoffs for chassis and PCB, brass with screws, insulating, cable tie lugs, plastic with wire catches, stick on etc.

 

[Rob in Montana]

Yep I think I could try the foam trick if I can't find a more permanent solution.

Not sure about standoffs. Only standoffs I'm familiar with are the nylon or brass posts that are designed to hold a PCB. The stick-on ones I can find are not long enough and the base is too large to get close enough to a cap sitting vertical to tie it off somehow.

Stick-on cable tie lugs might be useful where parts are laying down and there's space underneath for the lug but dont think I have any like that. And most of the parts I'm talking about are too small to use zip ties on.

Where I have caps laying down I'm thinking that double stick tape may be a way to go? For the ones standing up--not sure....

 

[jean-paul]

Dow Corning 744 RTV. That is the stuff that is being used in the industry. Although very strong it can be cut when the part must be replaced. For me this is the best solution to secure electrolytic caps etc.

 

[Rob in Montana]

Thanks Jean-Paul

Great!

Did not know there was anything in accepted use by industry for such a purpose.

The Dow stuff is hard to source for a reasonable cost. But I already found and ordered some similar neutral cure silicone made for electronic use and it should be here in a few days.

I think its just what I'm looking for. Thanks again.