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Zip-Tie Mounting for Removable PCB Attachment
I needed a way to attach a small board in a project where soldering it down to a proto board — the approach I'd used in my EUV lamp — wasn't an option, and where I wanted the board to stay serviceable, or at least removable. I settled on holding the board with zip ties through slots, and added a bit of shrink wrap for extra friction, which locked it firmly in place.
Description
The problem
Mounting these small boards has been an open question for me. In my EUV lamp build I simply soldered the board to the proto board, which is solid but permanent. For the project I was working on today that wasn't an option, so I asked around for how other people handle it.
The main constraint I set for myself was serviceability — or failing that, at least removability. Whatever held the board in place had to let me get it back out again later without destroying anything.
What I did
I went with zip ties, combined with slots for them to pass through. To finish it off I added a bit of shrink wrap, which gave the joint extra friction. With that in place the board is going nowhere — it's genuinely solid, while still being something I can undo later.
Things I picked up along the way
Other approaches came up in the discussion that I haven't tried myself. Rudd-O mentioned 3D-printed slotted rails, and epoxy as something he'd used in the past — though epoxy runs against my removability requirement. Stavros uses hot glue and pointed out that it's trivially and cleanly removable with a couple of drops of alcohol. That was news to me (and to Rudd-O), and it's something I want to test out on a future build.
Gallery
2 images
