PCB board straightness

lawnspic · Post by **lawnspic** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:30 am

I have a few PCB boards and noticed they seem a little contorted and the four PCB dont lay flat when the board is horizontal. If i bolt it down to a wood board would i run the risk of lifting a trace, or is it flexible to some extent.

One reason i ask is that my Raystom PCB is like this and even the daughter board on top it a little bent. Thanks

dpful · Post by **dpful** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:58 am

If it was mine, I'd screw it down. I guess, if anything came loose, it would theoretically pop up, but having a board screwed down limits all the movement that would otherwise happen for sure, which is really what makes stuff crack in the first place.

trivial · Post by **trivial** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:23 am

In my experience flattening an arc like this won't disturb traces. Look closely at the screw holes and make sure you won't cut into anything while driving, even if the hole moves relative to its mount point in the process.

Be advised that surface-mount devices can be more delicately attached to their traces than those traces are attached to the circuit board. I've seen pad grids pull up plenty of traces, but many more traces will stay down.

Products with SMD jacks are truly disposable. Fuckin' Sirius. You just don't expect that. I guess it's all part of product/service synergy. Prizey ghost in the cheapass machine.

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:25 am

Handling of PCB's is much better when screwed to a board. Just make sure to use plastic PCB feet. Especially older (double) boards benefit getting a solid wood surface as support. You can also make little pieces of styrofoam and wedge between double boards to help them fight gravity. Also, try to store your boards vertically.

Emph