What techniques are there to reduce the incidence of card rage (when you have to fit a card in a box)?
My plan that will probobly somehow be foiled is
1) use staked standoffs on PCB
2) insert transfer screws to do layout
Of course I tried to do this , but i forgot the order of assembly (another module had to be installed on top first), which means that I put in screws, installed the top module and then tighten the bottom thing on the screws that were kinda wedged under the top module. It might spin or it might not spin.I got lucky but by the end of the ordeal I was candidate for a zoo exhibit. I don't know what disassembly will look like down the line, perhaps it will be easier because I would not have just been finished with hours of painful deburring, painting, etc.
Other techniques
1) use nibbler to remove parts of the top flange so that screw drivers can fit (life saver, no mess, you can capture the segment you cut off even if the boards are installed without the post file or worse burr cleaning)
2) keep carbide drills on hands for all sizes to be able to mod card holes neatly with less rage
3) mini vacuum cleaner hose adapter
4) extra long aviation drill set. I need to get these, and a extra long countersink
5) really beefy right angle flathead screw driver, because you can use it to pry a heatsink up if you misdrill a hole by 0.5mm and you can't fit the screw. Like a lever. Just be careful.
6) nice new set of sharp files particularly round one in coarse, fine and diamond fine.
7) as much deburring supplies as you can afford (there is ALOT).
stainless steel KEPS nuts so you can ground through paint if you forgot
9) big ultrasonic box for cleaning stuff before painting. I am always surprised by how much crap ends up on the bottom of the ultrasonic even after something has been washed and rinsed etc. that is how you get good paint jobs
10) PID oven for baking before and after painting so your not at the mercy of condensation, temperature ,etc
There must be some handy chassis tools to make this a more civilized proceeding. I mean when it goes wrong because making an assembly plan for something you make on a weekend is just LAME (30$ an hour MINIMUM required!). Especially if its a mod for something that is already a major piece of shit and the time use of modifying it is borderline insane.
I feel like every chassis project I try to make it more professional and something ends up kicking my ass. I like steel boxes and grounds so no 3d printer.
THis is meant for making more advanced hammond box designs go smoother