maybe the dumbest question ever

[bogey]

hi chaps and chapesses(I'm sure there are some). just boxing my first build and was wondering.....does it matter if my electrolytic caps touch my enclosure?
thanks in advance:)

[boratto]

yep.. twist them 90º .

[rocket88]

That doesn't matter. Just make sure the leds of the transistor, case of metal transistors, bottom of the board, or power touch the enclosure and you should be good to go. Transistors are the ones you need to worry about because then can short and fry, especially germanium transistors.

[Frank_NH]

I glue a piece of 2mm foam sheet from the craft store to the lid of the enclosure to help prevent problems like this:

Foamies

Works great and since it's foam, it can conform to any circuit parts which touch it.  Works great!

[rocket88]

that's a great idea frank, i usually just put a dab of liquid electrical tape on the top of components i'm worried will short, and i do mean a little dab like to just cover the top of the transistor that could touch. i just hope no one things i'm trying to hide anything about my circuits in my builds, like some builders....

[Vince]

I use something like this. It sticks like glue and you can't tell it's there.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Clear-Matt-Transparent-Self-Adhesive-Vinyl-Sticky-Back-Plastic-Laminate-Robo-/190712587133?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item2c675b237d

[Silver Blues]

I have this odd black insulating paper that I put underneath the lid if I'm worried about touching. I have no idea what it's called or where to find it but it works.

[induction]

The case of electrolytics are isolated, so they won't short with the case. Nonetheless, I try to avoid any components contacting the case for mechanical stability. If the pedal gets kicked or dropped, components that are touching the case could get snapped leads, or could move into a position where they cause a short. If a component is touching the enclosure lid (the part you screw down to close the enclosure), then tightening the screws can flex the board or put enough tension on the leads to break the connection.

[bogey]

thanks to everyone,the cap in question is running down the side of a toggle switch so the lid won't touch it. the fact that the casings are isolated makes me feel much better just in case it moves in future(I have some clearance but not much).I also have some double sided sticky foam pads that I got from poundland or somewhere,i'll use them to stick my board to the pots and now i'll also stick some on the lid.

[Frank_NH]

By the way, I also use the 6mm foam sheets for mounting the circuit board to a thin piece of perfboard, which in turn is fixed to top of the pots in the enclosure.  With this mounting approach, I can make the wiring neater and less prone to shorting.  I'll try to take some pictures to illustrate.  The circuit board can be mounted to the foam using acid-free double-sided tape.  The bottom of the veroboard (which has all the solder and clipped leads) presses right into the foam and with the tape makes for a very secure mount (but you can remove it if need be using some glue solvent if you ever want to).

6mm foam sheets

Yet another use of the 6mm foamies is for IC storage.  The fragile IC leads press right into the foam, and you can put the foam in your favorite storage bins and label them for the future (how many TL072s do I have anyway???? ).