>-----Original Message-----
>From: pic microcontroller discussion list [mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]

>Can you take the approach of not letting the PCB flex (significantly) in
>the
>first place?

Well, I'm not sure... It largely depends on what degree of flex is
admissible. I could build a little aluminum chassis for the board, but I
can't have a whole lot of weight invested in a stiffener. The board will
probably be about 2" by 3.5" or so, so I'm not sure of the necessity or
advantage of using a stiffener. What do you think?

>Do you have the luxury of SMT components only on one side of the PCB?
>If so, do you have the luxury of securely mounting the PCB to a fairly
>thick
>metal plate?
>(With some insulator material or SilPad (if heat-sinking is needed) between
>the PCB and metal plate.)

That's an idea... I can be pretty flexible with layout, especially since
this won't be a commercial product where ease of construction is an issue. I
might consider this, especially as it will prevent the board cracking if it
hits a rock or other obstruction on landing.

>It sounds like you want to keep weight down for obvious reasons, so maybe
>this approach would be bad for your application.

It's possible that even some 1/8" aluminum sheet would be sufficient. A 3x4"
rectangle wouldn't weight much, especially if I cut a few holes in it with
some flanges to enhance stiffness.

Thanks!

- Robert

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList
mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu