Where to get circuit board meterial?

[Wayne]

Didn't I see a picture of someone's build that was on turrets staked in lexan?

W

[mikeram]

What thickness do you guys usually go with?

Thanks, Mike

[mcrracer]

I use 1/16" because that is the size I need for the eyelets I am using. Works grat for me.

[gearhead]

I use 1/16" because that is the size I need for the eyelets I am using. Works grat for me.

As do I, but recoginze that you need mid-board stanchions for longer (preamp) boards.

[imaradiostar]

I've built with turrets in lexan...it melts and makes a mess and the turrets pull through the plastic. It works, but not as well as garolite.

jamie

[Andy Le Blanc]

The concern over which materials to fabricate a component board changes
with your market. You will never see a large investment here in the vintage amps
your replicating. They are (were) consumer electronics, no matter what your
personal delusions are. On the other hand, if your investing for your own
gratification, there are many top end materials that you can spend top dollar
for. I've wanted to try muscovite or phiogopite mica, virgin electrical PTFE,
but its the glass-mica ceramics that I wish I had the tools for. Ah, to dream.
I'm gonna try using an old clipboard for a project next.

[Structo]

I'm thinking of using a scrap of Formica that I have left over from my kitchen counter top.

It looks like green granite.

I haven't pulled it down from where I have it stored yet, it may be too thin to use.

[dartanion]

I have used GPO3 and G10/FR4 and prefer the later. I have never had any conductivity issues with either in any of the colors offered. I use the 1/8" thickness for bomb proof construction.

You should be able to cut the stuff with many different types of saws, however the dust and fumes are dangerous.

[Structo]

Might be a dumb question but, can you cut the 1/8" G10 with a utility knife and straight edge by scoring it repeatedly and breaking it?

[mcrracer]

1/16" is a little easier to cut but I still use a jigsaw. You may be working on a piece for quite a while with a utility knife. I wouldn't even think of trying that. My time is more valuable. !/16" seems fine for me as long as you're not going to stand or sit on it. A few caps and resistors are not too heavy for the 1/16" and if need be put a stand off in the middle.

[Structo]

Thanks!

[gearhead]

I have used GPO3 and G10/FR4 and prefer the later. I have never had any conductivity issues with either in any of the colors offered. I use the 1/8" thickness for bomb proof construction.

You should be able to cut the stuff with many different types of saws, however the dust and fumes are dangerous.

That's why I use a cheapy tile saw and cut it wet. No dust.

[andrew4566]

I'm thinking of using a scrap of Formica that I have left over from my kitchen counter top.

It looks like green granite.

I haven't pulled it down from where I have it stored yet, it may be too thin to use.

I have built many amps with formica scraps and they work very well with eyelets (I buy my eyelets from a crafts store 100 for $3). Kitchen/cabinet shops will give you scraps big enough often for free.

I have stayed away from designs with metalic looking patterns just in case they might be conductive.

Also some varieties have a bit of a curve to them which can be fixed by contact gluing two pieces back to back.

-Andy

[dartanion]

I have used GPO3 and G10/FR4 and prefer the later. I have never had any conductivity issues with either in any of the colors offered. I use the 1/8" thickness for bomb proof construction.

You should be able to cut the stuff with many different types of saws, however the dust and fumes are dangerous.

That's why I use a cheapy tile saw and cut it wet. No dust.

I've been using one of these now for about a year and it works great. Before then it was either my table saw or band saw. Band saw work pretty well and the dust collection works better than the table saw.

[Structo]

When using a dry saw, do your arms itch for weeks after cutting it?

Man when I was 18 I worked at a mobile home factory and was around pink insulation all day long.
After I quit there I could still feel the fiber glass on my arms for months.