Help: Making Project boxes

[Searcher7]

I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

That leaves plastic and wood. Has anyone here ever had to make project
boxes? And if some I'd appreciate some pointers.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7
<Searcher7@mail.con2.com> wrote:

I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

Why is that obvious? Tons of people put pcb's into metal boxes.

John

 

[Tim Wescott]

John Larkin wrote:

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7
Searcher7@mail.con2.com> wrote:

I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

Why is that obvious? Tons of people put pcb's into metal boxes.

John

Obviously someone is missing something obvious.

--
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

 

[mickgeyver]

On Feb 26, 8:45 pm, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.now> wrote:

John Larkin wrote:
On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7
Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:

I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

Why is that obvious? Tons of people put pcb's into metal boxes.

John

Obviously someone is missing something obvious.

--
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consultingwww.wescottdesign.com

Use more PCBs to make your boxes. Kinda like 'birds of a feather....'

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:40:46 -0800 (PST), George Herold
<ggherold@gmail.com> wrote:

On Feb 26, 8:14 pm, John Larkin
jjlar...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:
On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7

Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:
I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

Why is that obvious? Tons of people put pcb's into metal boxes.

John

Yeah metal is great! It shields, it conducts heat, it's strong...what
else could a man want?

George H.

Horseradish.

John

 

[George Herold]

On Feb 26, 8:14 pm, John Larkin
<jjlar...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7

Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:
I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

Why is that obvious? Tons of people put pcb's into metal boxes.

John

Yeah metal is great! It shields, it conducts heat, it's strong...what
else could a man want?

George H.

 

[Bob Masta]

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST),
Searcher7 <Searcher7@mail.con2.com> wrote:

I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

Sounds like you just need some standoffs, so the
bottom of the PCB doesn't touch the case. You can
lay out the PCB to have a pad at each corner with
a hole in it for a #6 machine screw (or whatever).
If you want the circuit to be isolated from the
case, then each pad should be isolated from the
circuit. Or, if you want the case to be grounded,
you connect one or more corner pads to ground. (I
usually lay out boards so the ground is
surrounding the central circuit area, where
possible, so this is easy.)

If the PCB is really small (ie lightweight), you
might be able to hang it between the connectors
that are mounted on the outside of the case. If
the connectors have ground tabs, you can make
little "posts" out of stiff (cut-off component
lead) wire that you solder to the PCB, then
install the PCB by soldering the posts to the
connector grounds.

That leaves plastic and wood. Has anyone here ever had to make project
boxes? And if some I'd appreciate some pointers.

I've used small plastic boxes as cases, but these
were one-offs using boxes I just happened to have.
Seems there aren't that many products that come in
useful plastic boxes anymore, so I haven't done
this in years. Maybe an old VHS case?

I've done plenty of cases from wood "back in the
day". This was more for major projects like audio
amps or benchtop equipment, with power supplies
and a moderate amount of circuitry inside, so
probably bigger than what you are looking for.

The basic approach I used was to make the case as
2 "C" units, sorta like the old metal "Bud" boxes.
The top C (top and sides of the case) would be
made out of wood that could be nicely finished.
The bottom C would consist of a bottom upon which
the circuit would be mounted, plus front and rear
panels for switches and connectors. These latter
could be made from sheet aluminum or thin
Masonite, etc.

The front and rear panels could be screwed to the
edges of the bottom board, or the bottom board
could have a groove to hold them in place...
usually with a matching groove on the top and
sides of the case. Then big screws could attach
the sides to the bottom, so the end result looked
like a typical piece of stereo gear.

Best regards,


Bob Masta

DAQARTA v5.00
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
Scope, Spectrum, Spectrogram, Sound Level Meter
Frequency Counter, FREE Signal Generator
Pitch Track, Pitch-to-MIDI
DaqMusic - FREE MUSIC, Forever!
(Some assembly required)
Science (and fun!) with your sound card!

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

"Searcher7" <Searcher7@mail.con2.com> wrote in message
news:120f52f6-ce3b-42f2-9a3c-7a50028f35c1@15g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...

I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

That leaves plastic and wood. Has anyone here ever had to make project
boxes? And if some I'd appreciate some pointers.

As others have said, metal is a good choice because of shielding, and it is
simple enough to use standoffs to isolate the board.

I have used plastic instrument cases available from Jameco for about $5-$15
that are well-made, rugged, and easy to make holes for controls, meters,
etc.

If you are really strapped for cash, and really want plastic, you might
find some plastic food containers that could be used for project boxes.
Otherwise, you can often find things at flea markets, hamfests, or even in
the trash that can be gutted and reused for projects.

And you can make boxes from plastic sheet material. You may have to use the
right kind of glue, or use mechanical means to assemble them. You can find
suitable material for free, such as old CD cases.

And for some projects, you can use PVC pipe, which is very durable and
easily glued.

Good luck,

Paul

 

[George Herold]

On Feb 26, 10:23 pm, John Larkin
<jjlar...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:40:46 -0800 (PST), George Herold





ggher...@gmail.com> wrote:
On Feb 26, 8:14 pm, John Larkin
jjlar...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:
On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7

Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:
I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

Why is that obvious? Tons of people put pcb's into metal boxes.

John

Yeah metal is great!  It shields, it conducts heat, it's strong...what
else could a man want?

George H.

Horseradish.

John- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hee Hee... big Grin. And I thought my job was to entertain you.

Way before chicken wings the essential 'bar food' in Buffalo was/is
Beef-on-Weck. Which is slow cooked roast beef on a Kimmel wick roll
(Hard roll with salt and caraway seeds) that you slather with
horseradish. Notin' better for clearing out the sinuses in winter.

George H.

 

[default]

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:03 -0800 (PST), Searcher7
<Searcher7@mail.con2.com> wrote:

I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

That leaves plastic and wood. Has anyone here ever had to make project
boxes? And if some I'd appreciate some pointers.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

How to article for abs plastic from abs sheet:
http://talkingelectronics.com/projects/Boxes/BJones-BoxArticle.html

I use wood for the stuff where size and sealing aren't critical. I
have one of the cheap 10" Makita bench top table saws, it can't be
beat for small projects - high precision with minimal effort.

An old tungsten carbide blade will cut aluminum with no problems too -
a small vise to use as a bending brake, and you can make aluminum
boxes, panels, mounting hardware, etc. Whitney Jensen/Roper hand
punch is inexpensive and works well - plus the essential hand nibbler,
and minor sheet metal projects are a snap.

--

 

[Bleep]

Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:
I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxe
s
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

I saw where other people had suggested you just use "offests'when usinig
metal boxes, and your question came to my mind this morning when I finished
off a box of cinnamon mints. Mybe this is a dopey idea,btmaybe not, so here
goes:

Many mints come isvery sturdy boxes;, some are metal and some are plastic;
the Walgreens cinnamon drops come in a really small tin that's roughly
1.5"X2.5" and roughly 5/8"high.

If you and/or friends/family like mints anyway, maybe some of the mint boxes
would suit your purpose...? Also, if you don't need anything that's super-
sturdy, there are plastic snap-boxes used for collectable/trading cards that
might work out for you? Another idea is to check your local taples and
Office Depot as well as Michael's or HobbyLobby or other craft shop nd see
what sizes of wpre-made wood boxes they have.

Also, maybe these sites will help you out:

http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html

http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25
&i=1&f=p


Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas...

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

"Bleep" <bleep@bleep.in> wrote in message
news:deKdnQx2QZdSHBDWnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@earthlink.com...

Also, maybe these sites will help you out:

http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html

http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25&i=1&f=p

Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas...

Another possibility is to use one of the new blue plastic electrical boxes.
I've seen them as cheap as 20 cents each. They are certainly rugged enough,
but rather ugly.

Paul

 

[Searcher7]

On Mar 2, 7:24 pm, "Paul E. Schoen" <p...@peschoen.com> wrote:

"Bleep" <bl...@bleep.in> wrote in message

news:deKdnQx2QZdSHBDWnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@earthlink.com...



Also, maybe these sites will help you out:

http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html

http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25&i=1&f=p

Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas...

Another possibility is to use one of the new blue plastic electrical boxes.
I've seen them as cheap as 20 cents each. They are certainly rugged enough,
but rather ugly.

Paul

Thanks everyone. I'll have to decide which option to go with.

But first. Where do i get those "new blue plastic electrical boxes"?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[JeffM]

Searcher7 wrote:

Where do i get those "new blue plastic electrical boxes"?

Any place that sells DIYer electrical goods?

Gray and black are also common colors.
http://google.com/images?q=electrical-outlet-box

 

[Jasen Betts]

On 2010-02-27, Searcher7 <Searcher7@mail.con2.com> wrote:

I need some project boxes and was hoping to get advice on how to make
them.

I ruled out metal because small PCBs will be the contents of the boxes
and for obvious reasons this will not work.

That leaves plastic and wood. Has anyone here ever had to make project
boxes? And if some I'd appreciate some pointers.

I've used sheet-metal, wood, and plastic to fabricate project boxes.
basically whatever was on hand, also re-used existing vessels.
(jars, cans, cases etc...)

For metal boxes just include an insulating spacer between the circuit
and the case. wood, plastic, several layers of electricians tape,
or part of the PCB itself. it may be advantageous to have the box
connected the circuits internal ground node.

Pick a material which you are comfortable working with and can do work
of acceptable quality in.


--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---

 

[Searcher7]

On Mar 2, 8:24 pm, "Paul E. Schoen" <p...@peschoen.com> wrote:

"Bleep" <bl...@bleep.in> wrote in message

news:deKdnQx2QZdSHBDWnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@earthlink.com...



Also, maybe these sites will help you out:

http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html

http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25&i=1&f=p

Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas...

Another possibility is to use one of the new blue plastic electrical boxes.
I've seen them as cheap as 20 cents each. They are certainly rugged enough,
but rather ugly.

Paul

Thanks everyone. All those links came in handy.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Searcher7]

On Apr 10, 10:58 am, Searcher7 <Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:

On Mar 2, 8:24 pm, "Paul E. Schoen" <p...@peschoen.com> wrote:



"Bleep" <bl...@bleep.in> wrote in message

news:deKdnQx2QZdSHBDWnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@earthlink.com...

Also, maybe these sites will help you out:

http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html

http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25&i=1&f=p

Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas...

Another possibility is to use one of the new blue plastic electrical boxes.
I've seen them as cheap as 20 cents each. They are certainly rugged enough,
but rather ugly.

Paul

Thanks everyone. All those links came in handy.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Does anyone have any idea on how to secure 24 position straight header
pins to one of these project boxes?

With normal PCBs it would be solder that secures the pins, but this
obviously will not work with these plastic boxes. So after I find the
correct size drill to make the holes in the box for the pins I have to
use some sort of cement top keep the header in place.

http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/header24.jpg
http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/24inline.jpg

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/663-321.html

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Jasen Betts]

On 2010-04-25, Searcher7 <Searcher7@mail.con2.com> wrote:

On Apr 10, 10:58 am, Searcher7 <Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:
On Mar 2, 8:24 pm, "Paul E. Schoen" <p...@peschoen.com> wrote:



"Bleep" <bl...@bleep.in> wrote in message

news:deKdnQx2QZdSHBDWnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@earthlink.com...

Also, maybe these sites will help you out:

http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html

http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25&i=1&f=p

Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas...

Another possibility is to use one of the new blue plastic electrical boxes.
I've seen them as cheap as 20 cents each. They are certainly rugged enough,
but rather ugly.

Paul

Thanks everyone. All those links came in handy.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Does anyone have any idea on how to secure 24 position straight header
pins to one of these project boxes?

With normal PCBs it would be solder that secures the pins, but this
obviously will not work with these plastic boxes. So after I find the
correct size drill to make the holes in the box for the pins I have to
use some sort of cement top keep the header in place.

http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/header24.jpg
http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/24inline.jpg

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/663-321.html

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

the type of cement that's best used depends on what sort of plastic it is.


can you solder the header to a PCB and then bolt the PCB to the case?


another option could be drilling undersize holes for each pin and
forcing the pins in, but the website says that the case is conductive.

if you go this route expect in the ballpark of 1K resistance between adjacent pins.


--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---

 

[Searcher7]

On Apr 25, 4:00 am, Jasen Betts <ja...@xnet.co.nz> wrote:

On 2010-04-25, Searcher7 <Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:



On Apr 10, 10:58 am, Searcher7 <Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:
On Mar 2, 8:24 pm, "Paul E. Schoen" <p...@peschoen.com> wrote:

"Bleep" <bl...@bleep.in> wrote in message

news:deKdnQx2QZdSHBDWnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@earthlink.com...

Also, maybe these sites will help you out:

http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html

http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25&i=1&f=p

Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas...

Another possibility is to use one of the new blue plastic electrical boxes.
I've seen them as cheap as 20 cents each. They are certainly rugged enough,
but rather ugly.

Paul

Thanks everyone. All those links came in handy.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Does anyone have any idea on how to secure 24 position straight header
pins to one of these project boxes?

With normal PCBs it would be solder that secures the pins, but this
obviously will not work with these plastic boxes. So after I find the
correct size drill to make the holes in the box for the pins I have to
use some sort of cement top keep the header in place.

http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/header24.jpg
http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/24inline.jpg

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/663-321.html

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

the type of cement that's best used depends on what sort of plastic it is..

Do you know of a site that sells cements for this purpose?

can you solder the header to a PCB and then bolt the PCB to the case?

I thought about that, since the already existing PCB will already be
secured inside using stand-offs it makes this difficult.

another option could be drilling undersize holes for each pin and
forcing the pins in, but the website says that the case is conductive.

if you go this route expect in the ballpark of 1K resistance between adjacent pins.

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: n...@netfront.net ---

I was just thinking. Since I'll be using stand-offs, perhaps I don't
need a conductive box.(Even though PCBs with circuits etched in them
are considered "static sensitive devices"). So I'm back to square one
as far as finding a place to purchase these boxes. So far the
distributors I've checked have huge minimum or they don't have the
size I need.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Jasen Betts]

On 2010-04-26, Searcher7 <Searcher7@mail.con2.com> wrote:

On Apr 25, 4:00 am, Jasen Betts <ja...@xnet.co.nz> wrote:
On 2010-04-25, Searcher7 <Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:



On Apr 10, 10:58 am, Searcher7 <Search...@mail.con2.com> wrote:
On Mar 2, 8:24 pm, "Paul E. Schoen" <p...@peschoen.com> wrote:

"Bleep" <bl...@bleep.in> wrote in message

news:deKdnQx2QZdSHBDWnZ2dnUVZ_rmdnZ2d@earthlink.com...

Also, maybe these sites will help you out:

http://electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html

http://www.westnc.com/boxomni.html

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/?x=25&i=1&f=p

Well, hopefully one of those gives you some ideas...

Another possibility is to use one of the new blue plastic electrical boxes.
I've seen them as cheap as 20 cents each. They are certainly rugged enough,
but rather ugly.

Paul

Thanks everyone. All those links came in handy.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Does anyone have any idea on how to secure 24 position straight header
pins to one of these project boxes?

With normal PCBs it would be solder that secures the pins, but this
obviously will not work with these plastic boxes. So after I find the
correct size drill to make the holes in the box for the pins I have to
use some sort of cement top keep the header in place.

http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/header24.jpg
http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/24inline.jpg

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Storage_and_Handling|Containers|CON-06/663-321.html

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

the type of cement that's best used depends on what sort of plastic it is.

Do you know of a site that sells cements for this purpose?

no, but plumbers do a lot of solvent welding of plastic, but first you
need to know what type of plastic.

can you solder the header to a PCB and then bolt the PCB to the case?

I thought about that, since the already existing PCB will already be
secured inside using stand-offs it makes this difficult.

I was just thinking. Since I'll be using stand-offs, perhaps I don't
need a conductive box.(Even though PCBs with circuits etched in them
are considered "static sensitive devices").

how about a longer than usual header to compensate for the stand-offs?

static sensitivity depends on the circuitry inside the case (I'm
guessing EEPROMS, so it could be a proble)





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