Best way to secure the circuit in the enclosure

[Geiri]

Soo.. ideas or tips? What do you reckon is the best of both (reliability / simplicity) ways to secure the circuit in the enclosure to make sure the wires don't snap?

Aaaaand discuss! Photos are very welcome!

[IvIark]

I use sticky backed velcro, one on the back of the board, the other half on the back of the pots. Velcro is strong enough to attach your legs to the bungee cord so there's no problem using it to secure a small circuit board.

If the board has too many rows to sit on the back of the pots and needed mounting upside down, then I'd insulate the lid of the box with electricians tape so the copper side of the vero can't short out against it, and then just let the natural mechanical resistance of the cables on the other side hold it in place. I've never had a problem with that because the board literally has nowhere to go.

[IvIark]

Oh, and I got 10 feet of the stickyback velcro for next to nothing from a sewing supplies place on eBay

[Dave]

+100, my builds have been more reliable and have felt more solid since i started using velcro, works perfect for me.
Thanks
Dave

[Madferret]

I usually use single core wire now and try to mould it to the edge of the enclosure or bundle it and use a zip-tie to protect the wires. As for the board I usually just put some insulation tape on the backs of the pots and the wire holds it in place. I'm definitely going to give your velcro idea a go though Mark, having done a couple of bungy jumps I can attest to it's strength, although I don't know mind telling you that the first time when they started wrapping a towel around my legs and secured it with velco I did begin to wonder if maybe I'd made the right decision.

[Heath]

Suitcase method.  Cram everything in, squeeze it closed, put screws in and tighten down.

Just kidding... sort of.

[dodido]

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[otalgiafx]

I use liquid electrical tape on the circuit side and insulate the circuit from the lid using a foam inlay.
Ideally would like to start using the wires to hold it in place however I can't find a decent UK supplier of pre-bonded stranded 22 wire in the UK.

[Surgeon]

I use solid-core wire so already there's at least 3 wires holding the board in place. On top of this, I use double-sided sticky foam (they sell this for picture hanging and whatnot) on the back of the pots.
No problems so far. However, I really like the velcro idea.

[mirosol]

I've used meters and meters of this on the back of the pots:: http://www.tesa.com/consumer/powerbond/tesa_powerbond_outdoor,c.html
Once it settles, it's really good stuff. And it's not conducting, which is pretty important... :) With some sticky foams i've experimented with - the situation is not like that :) Debugged one circuit for an hour before i realized that the foam is conduting...

I've done some with velcro too and those two (velcro and Tesa outdoor) seem to be the best options when you can't solder the board to the pots, like with some well designed PCBs.
+m

[Goran]

Double sided tape, a couple of mm´s  thick, with good glue on it. There are types that will fasten the board really good, and there are some that don´t do it well too.

[Beaker]

I have used double sided tape pads, and sticky backed velcro pads with varying degrees of success. Sometimes there are too many "spikes" on the underside of a densely poulated board to get enough surface area contact, so the board peels back off the glue.

Then I hit on Blue (or White) Tack. One slab  at 79p from my local discount shop is enough to hold down the boards on dozens of pedals.

I also use it to do the following:

Hold the 9V battery on place to stop it rattling or shorting anything out.
Hold the board down on the bench when I am soldering.
Temporarily stick tall components together when soldering. This is a fantastic way to ensure Tagboard builds end up looking really neat and tidy, without ever having to bend the legs on components after soldering to straighten them, and in doing so, weaken them.