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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: 3NF on September 26, 2002, 01:29:08 pm

Title: Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: 3NF on September 26, 2002, 01:29:08 pm
What do you guys recommend is the best way of mounting the IPAC controller to a piece of wood?

thanks :)
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: Lilwolf on September 26, 2002, 02:03:44 pm
Nails actually work.  I have my mk64 with a screw myself.  (in the original MB slot holder thing).  

Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: ErikRuud on September 26, 2002, 02:10:31 pm
Swinging a hammer near an IPac would make me nervous.

The ideal way, is to use some sort of spacer under the board so that it does not contact the wood.

I bought some 1/4" aluminum spacers at Ace Hardware and some 3/4" #6 pan head screws.  You coud also use palstic spacers, or even a stack of washers.

The biggest thing to keep in mind, is not to tigten the screws(or nails) to tight.  ou don't want to crack the circuit board.
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: SirPoonga on September 26, 2002, 02:14:00 pm
Do a search.  I answered this question a couple of weeks ago.

screws and nylon spacers
(copy and paste link)
http://free.hostdepartment.com/SirPoonga/images/ipacmount.jpg
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: dac on September 26, 2002, 02:42:10 pm
Another one i spent time on.
I couldn't find the right nylon spacers, the L shaped ones that are shown in some pictures on ultimarc's site so what I ended up doing was coutersinking #4 1&1/2" bolts/screws (bought from Home Depot) to an extra scrap piece of wood, using regular nylon spacers (available from most hardware stores, i couldn't get the right size from home depot, went to ace's hardware) and nylon washers to go between the ipac and the #4 nuts that came with the bolts.
then just used 1.25" screws to drill the extra piece of wood into the side of the cab... (from the inside of course)... prevented me from having to drill in from the outside, replug the hole, restain, etc...

hope this helps!
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: OzStick on September 26, 2002, 10:02:48 pm
What is the importance of using nylon spacers? I have seen a few posts on this subject and it seems to me that people go out of their way to find suitable spacers to use, so why bother?

Am I missing something here?

I would have thought that using a #4 screw at each corner of the I-PAC and mounting it directly to the timber of the cabinet would be fine.

Just a thought.....
ChrisW
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: JustMichael on September 26, 2002, 10:49:12 pm
Nylon spacers are nonconductive and so can't short out anything.
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: OSCAR on September 26, 2002, 11:17:18 pm
I use these pcb standoffs (http://www.oscarcontrols.com/tmp/standoffs.jpg).  You can get them through Wico for $1/set of (4).

Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: SirPoonga on September 27, 2002, 01:02:41 am

What is the importance of using nylon spacers? I have seen a few posts on this subject and it seems to me that people go out of their way to find suitable spacers to use, so why bother?

Am I missing something here?

I would have thought that using a #4 screw at each corner of the I-PAC and mounting it directly to the timber of the cabinet would be fine.

Just a thought.....
ChrisW


Look closely at my pic!  You see the solder points underneith stick out abit, you' be putting pressure on those.  after a long time if the soldering happen to be bad it will come apart.
On my first IPAC I did that.  one of the keyboard ports came off.
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: twist on September 27, 2002, 08:10:53 am
You could just easily cut out some scraps of wood, drill holes in the center of them, and screw the PCB through the scraps of wood. (That's what I did in my cp)
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: rampy on September 27, 2002, 10:19:23 am
Not that I'm recommending it... but for my sidewinder hack I used the button holes plugs that were created from drilling out my ... uh button holes...

I cut them in half and used them as a riser, on to a piece of scrap plywood.  I used a wood screw with a washer on top (there's no contacts near the pcb mounting holes in my case) and badaboom...

I did a half ass job (I didn't actually cut the button holes in half... I split 'em with a screwdriver and a hammer so it's 100% even... but does the job for now... I plan on using pretty white spacers when I eventually do get/use/mount an ipac, FWIW)

http://www.randomdrivel.com/ubercade/pages/mount_sidewinder_buttonhole.htm (http://www.randomdrivel.com/ubercade/pages/mount_sidewinder_buttonhole.htm)
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: Yarb on September 27, 2002, 01:21:49 pm
I'm using a type of screw receptacle often used in model airplanes to attach the engines to the firewall, it is hard to describe but I'll try. It looks like a washer with the threads to accept a screw about 1/4 inch deep in the hole; it also has 3 small spikes on the same side as the threads. You drill a small hole to accept the threaded cylinder and then hammer the spikes into the wood with a little glue to hold it better. I then threaded some motherboard standoffs into them to hold the IPAC. Makes a nice, permanent and professional mounting point without a lot of hassles

Yarb
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: ErikRuud on September 27, 2002, 01:29:28 pm
yarb,

Those are usually called T-Nuts, or some times blind nuts.

Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: twist on September 27, 2002, 10:23:21 pm

Not that I'm recommending it... but for my sidewinder hack I used the button holes plugs that were created from drilling out my ... uh button holes...

I cut them in half and used them as a riser, on to a piece of scrap plywood.  I used a wood screw with a washer on top (there's no contacts near the pcb mounting holes in my case) and badaboom...

I did a half ass job (I didn't actually cut the button holes in half... I split 'em with a screwdriver and a hammer so it's 100% even... but does the job for now... I plan on using pretty white spacers when I eventually do get/use/mount an ipac, FWIW)

http://www.randomdrivel.com/ubercade/pages/mount_sidewinder_buttonhole.htm (http://www.randomdrivel.com/ubercade/pages/mount_sidewinder_buttonhole.htm)


That is EXACTLY what I did!
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: Frostillicus on September 29, 2002, 10:05:33 pm
Why not use white nylon spacers?  I like my stuff to look clean and professional - pick up one bag of 2 ($0.53) nylon spacers from lowes/homedepot and just cut them in half.  Drilling pcb into the wood is just asking for trouble, and so is using any type of metal spacer.
Title: Re:Mounting IPAC To Wood
Post by: Chris on September 30, 2002, 08:31:49 pm

I use these pcb standoffs (http://www.oscarcontrols.com/tmp/standoffs.jpg).  You can get them through Wico for $1/set of (4).

Similar standoffs should be available at your local Radio Shack...

I had to mount a tiny amplifier board to the inside wall of my cabinet, and it had no screw holes... I ended up using plastic mirror clips to mount it.

--Chris