PCB assembly frame / mounting jig / PCB holder

thingiverse

# Intro This is a PCB assembly frame which you can easily make yourself from leftover 3D printer parts. It has two sliding holder rails which can be easily moved by loosening the thumbscrews. The big advantage of this frame is that components are pushed against the PCB once you close the lid. The recommended usage is that you populate all components with the lowest height, close the lid, solder them. Continue with the next height components. Don't try to mix very small and very high components - the small components won't be pressed against the PCB. # Build Notes The provided STL files default to a base plate thickness of 3mm, to a foam thickness of 10mm which pushes down into the PCB holder assembly about 2mm. If you are in doubt, please use OpenSCAD and the source files to double-check if the result is what you expect. **Note that I do not provide support of any kind, and I do not accept bug reports on GitHub or Thingiverse. This project is provided as-is. If you feel uncomfortable making changes to the source files or to find out what's wrong, please don't use this project.** # Important Hint If you want to make sure that the whole assembly makes sense with whatever extrusions you have, you can use the `Preview.scad` file in the sources to check. # Ingredients ## What you need and probably have in stock: - 4 2020 extrusions, one pair of short ones and one pair of long ones. The sizes don't really matter, as long as you have 2x in one length and 2x in another length - 2 2020 extrusions which are a bit shorter than the width of the back plate - 4 2020 right-angle brackes - 28 M5 slot-in or T-nuts for your extrusions - 4 M3 slot-in or T-nuts for your extrusions - 12 M5 washers - 24 M5x10 hex screws - 2 M5x12 or longer hex screws - 2 M5x30 hex screws - 8 M5 nuts, preferably lock nuts - 2 M5 square nuts ## What you also need but might not have in stock: - 4 M3x15 thumbscrews - 1 plate. I used a leftover aluminium plate, but this could also work with any type of wood. It should fit inside the frame. - 1 LED strip from [Banggood](https://www.banggood.com/50CM-10W-DC12V-LED-Rigid-Strip-Light-36-SMD-7020-Aluminum-Alloy-Shell-Cabinet-Lamp-Bar-p-1038532.html?rmmds=detail-left-hotproducts__3&ID=515219520867&cur_warehouse=CN) . This is the cheapest source for the main PCB holder, it's only $4 US or so. Alternatively I have provided an untested PCB rail to print it yourself. - One sheet of foam which pushes the components against the PCB. I don't have a good source for this, but computer main boards are often packaged using this type of foam. It's important that the foam recovers its form after being deformed. - Double-sided adhesive tape ## Printed parts: - Print `Slider.stl` 4 times - Print `HingeBase.stl` 2 times, where one of them is mirrored - Print `HingeLid.stl` 2 times - Print `Hook.stl` 2 times - Print `HookBase.stl` 2 times ## Optional parts: - Hardware for the handles # Assembly - Insert the T-Slot nuts first (you can do this later if you have drop-in nuts) - Assemble the base frame. Make sure it's flat (by placing it on a table) - Cut the aluminium LED strip holder in two pieces matching the length of the sliding rail. Note that they need to be a bit shorter to fit the `Slider.stl` parts. - Drill 2 M5 holes in each cut LED strip holder - Assemble the two sliding rails. Note that you need 3 M5 washers for the LED strip holder for a M5x10 bolt to fit. You could also use shorter screws of course - Connect the two sliding rails to the frame, make sure they move if you loosen the thumbscrews - Drill holes into the base plate to fit the `HingeLid.stl` and `Hook.stl` parts and assemble the lid hinges - Cut the foam to size and use the double-sided tape to fix it in place - Assemble the `HingeBase.stl` parts onto the frame. Insert the long screws and attach the lid. - Mount the hook - Mount the `HookBase.stl` parts # Making Changes The sources are available from [GitHub](https://github.com/Drachenkaetzchen/PcbFrame).