EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Electronics => Beginners => Topic started by: Chris Wilson on August 27, 2013, 12:22:14 pm
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I want to make spacers out of thin plastic tube to space LED's off a PCB. The PCB will mount behind a metal front panel on short hexagonal stand offs. The LED's will be spaced off the PCB with their leads left about 20 mm long. I want to slip hard plastic tube over the leads, so when the inevitable happens, and someone presses on an LED where it protrudes through a front panel hole, it won't easily cripple the leads and it regress back inside the cabinet. I thought of Biro ink tubing, but am I missing a better and cleaner source? Thanks.
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very thin hard plastic tubing - surely an oxymoron.
I've used plastic pcb spacers on LED's before (very cheap from Rapid), but not at 20mm, you could always look to something like 4mm air-tubing, thats pretty stiff but will have a large radius bend in it (which probably won't hurt at 20mm).
I would consider light-pipes over SM LED's though. My favourite source: www.toby.co.uk (http://www.toby.co.uk)
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you can also place a length of clean (no copper cladding - or etched off) FR4 vertically between the LED leads
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Why not go with a premade solution? It means you don't have to cut lots of tube to *exactly* the same length...
http://www.toby.co.uk/content/catalogue/products.aspx?series=LED-xx (http://www.toby.co.uk/content/catalogue/products.aspx?series=LED-xx)
Cheers,
Andy
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You could try some teflon (PTFE) tube, it's fairly rigid and likely what the ink tubes, you mentioned, are made of.
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The pre made spacers or light tubes look tempting, I have to say, plus with me being in the UK their source is convenient, too. I'll do some measurements.... :) Thanks!
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I simple drill the holes for the LED's so they can be press fit and then apply a tiny swab of Alphacynacrylate (superglue) (just a tiny drop on the rear of the front panel holding the LEDs)and they stay strongly in place.