Enclosure box sizes and PCBs - Suppliers suck with dimensions

[philbx1]

Hi all,

Another annoyance post here.

I'm in the process of creating a relay board and now have most of it done, except
for one (I thought) minor detail - the enclosure.

I already have about 7 different enclosure box sizes in the cupboard but none actually fit what
I want, so then it's off to the internet, to a major fail.

Online sales like (Australia) Jaycar & Dick Smith give the enclosure dimensions, whether
they are external or internal they don't say, also mounting hole dimensions are not provided.

I'd thought that this would be pretty much standard stuff to show these dimensions, but
found out just how mistaken I was a few minutes ago.

So, now I 'll have to wait until Monday and hope that some salesperson can actually measure
things accurately, and I'm guessing that's not going to be easy.

I guess my project is on hold for a while now due to lack of info.

FYI, my current board is  77l x 60w x 35h

[deephaven]

Farnell often have data on their boxes, for example: http://au.element14.com/hammond/001102/case-black-abs-85x60x22mm/dp/1244219
Click on the PDF link on that page. It even shows a 3D rotatable image.

[red_mamba]

Next time try to fit the board into the enclosure
It will save you a lot of time.

And I can confirm that hammond enclosures have excellent documentation.
The 3D models help a lot to model the board into the enclosure.

[Hypernova]

Unless you have the means to make your own, always design the board around the case instead of the other way around. Heck make use of altium's 3d modeling feature and do a virtual fit before you even order the stuff.

[philbx1]

Farnell often have data on their boxes, for example

Hey, thanks for the great suggestion.

Didn't have much luck there, although I did have some from Google which l me to
Altronics, who (apart from Farnell) name the manufacturers so
I could at least find some dimensions.

At least you offered better advice than suggesting I should start with
the box first & then do the PCB.

[Jon Chandler]

At least you offered better advice than suggesting I should start with
the box first & then do the PCB.

I think anybody who has done a few projects will tell you this is the best advice you're going to get on this subject!

Most enclosures have mounting bosses - if you want to mount the board using the option (and to avoid screws sticking through the side), you need to know the size before you start the board.  Some advanced planning makes using nicer enclosures possible.

[Bored@Work]

At least you offered better advice than suggesting I should start with
the box first & then do the PCB.

Those who ignore good advice are bound to repeat their mistakes. Have fun repeating your mistakes.