What material do you use for your boards?

[Randall]

Phenolic, fiberboard, glass/epoxy, formica? Some other? Please express your preference and why, as well as where to get it. I just learned the hard way about partially conductive fiberboard and the troubles it can cause.

[Joe L]

McMaster-Carr

Just pick the type with the color, thickness you want and make sure it's labeled as a good insulator. I use the 1/8" thickness.

[loudthud]

I got some .062 cutoffs about 4x12 inches on ebay. Took awhile to find some with no copper. For circuit board use you want FR4 grade 94VO UL rated. I should probably order some 3/32 to fit the big bag of eyelets I got cheap.

[Mick Bailey]

FR4. Given up on fibreboard, as well as Tufnol and Paxolin, Too variable. Fender now also uses it in the eyelet-board amp reissues.

I also use some older stock G10.

[Randall]

Help me out here, I don't know what FR4 is.

[loudthud]

AFAIK FR4 is a special grade of G10 the UL recognizes as Fire Retardant. 94VO is the specification. Confusing? Most UL specs are.

[Joe L]

I see my link to McMaster-Carr didn't work as I intended. Let me try that again.

Got to McMaster-Carr and search for "garolite". Choose the link for "Flame-Retardant Multipurpose Garolite (G-10/FR4)". You will find a bunch of choices on the left for color, thickness etc.

This is real good stuff and the company is quick to ship and prices are good. I found them in the earlier days of the internet - '97. I started with the green FR4/G10 then ordered a bigger sheet of the cheaper red swirl seen here:



This amp was an experiment on cheap! I used steel pop rivets from the hardware store. They worked fine except for requiring too much heat to make the solder flow.

The amps I've built using it are still working fine and look exactly the same today.

The black FR4/G10 looks absolutely killer in a Fender style amp!

[Randall]

Thanks Joe. Not inexpensive, but I guess if it works... I'll need to get a 12" x 24" piece to fashion a 14.5" Fender AB763 board. How do you cut it? Also wondering what thickness for typical eyelets?

Nice looking red board you have there, and tasty playing as well!

[nashvillebill]

I cut mine with a radial arm saw with the ordinary carbide blade. For the relatively few cuts it took, it worked fine, good smooth cut.

I used 1/8 inch Garolite. I used the Keystone #46 eyelets from Mouser, set in with an eyelet press.

[Randall]

Any opinions on whether the colored G10/FR4 types have ever been an issue, especially blacK? On another forum I saw avoid black because some people have had problems with it.

[big_teee]

Any opinions on whether the colored G10/FR4 types have ever been an issue, especially blacK? On another forum I saw avoid black because some people have had problems with it.

I've used this before.
Boards and Board Making Parts
Depending on color.
The Natural is 45cents an inch, and it is 3-1/8 inch wide.
TubeDepot will cut it for you buy the inch.
T

[Mick Bailey]

Not had a problem with black. The material I've got is very lightly pigmented. I did some insulation tests before using it and its resistance is much higher than I can measure.

I would imagine if board been manufactured for another industry rather than for electronic use then it could contain carbon to a degree that could make it slightly conductive. Some suppliers will provide a sample and you can test it before buying more. The greenish unpigmented material would be the safest bet.

FR4/G10 easily cuts by hand with a fine bi-metal hacksaw used at a shallow angle. You don't want to be breathing the dust when either cutting or drilling as the fine fibres are very irritating.

I use 2mm and 3mm as I have eyelets and turrets for both.

[defaced]

I use black as well, also purchased from McMaster. I cut mine using a table saw with a carbide tipped blade. I wear a dust mask. If you have access to a wet saw like what's used to cut tile, that'd be a great dust free way of cutting it. It's pretty easy material to work with overall. I've never had a problem with it in a circuit either.

[big_teee]

The old ham radio test to test to see how conductive it is?
Stick the item in the micro wave.
I did that when using things for insulators with Radio.
You stick a cup of water in the micro, and lay your test item beside it.
The more conductive it is, the hotter it will be.
T

[J M Fahey]

I always use Pertinax/Paxolin/Phenolic because it's good enough, easily worked and easy on tools.

Fiberglass/epoxy is and looks great, but is absolute murder on tools.

HSS drills, the most common ones to be found in a regular hardware store, dull in less than 100 holes, Glass dust is murder, and for PCB work you really require dedicated carbide tipped ones .... which give *less* than 100 holes before cracking, unless you use the dedicated very high speed, very low vibration PCB drilling machine.

Phenolic material must be heated , heat gun or propane torch, and then shears cut it like butter.

When working outside my shop, I risc it and snap it along the line, using this plastic-cutting Olfa knife