Here is a picture that may help in understanding my dilemma. The main PCB covers the entire area inside the box and I really don't want AC running around or over the other circuits.
Again, I would be MUCH more worried about having a switch mode power supply inside than having AC running somewhere. Adding a switch mode power supply in an attempt to
reduce noise is absolute lunacy.
And I still don’t see why you can’t run the AC along the edge of the case, and clearly others don’t understand your objection to it, either. Nobody is suggesting running it diagonally across the PCB…
If the PCB is split down the middle with one channel to each side, then you could also run the AC down the middle.