Anyone onto a cheap source of board standoffs?

[Toney]

I am running out - I have had the same little baggie of them for ages.
They  are so overpriced at my local shop that I only use them sparingly (go double sided tape!)

Does anyone know of a decent online shop that supplies them? Ebay?
I'm talking about the white nylon adhesive type.
Every time I look at them, I think they must cost 1/5 of nothing to produce.

Toney.

[big bustle]

i started looking for the same

cheapest i found on ebay was $85 for 100 or $5 for 10. small bear still seems to be the cheapest.

[will_raymo2000]

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fasteners-Production-Equipment/Fasteners-Fixings/Fixings-PCB-Pillars

something like those?

[big bustle]

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fasteners-Production-Equipment/Fasteners-Fixings/Fixings-PCB-Pillars

something like those?

yep

i'm in the US. i assume with shipping these would be more than smallbears

[Meanderthal]

 Automotive vacuum tubing or fuel line glued down with epoxy, as long as you keep it and the screws good and short it's not too floppy.

[big bustle]

Automotive vacuum tubing or fuel line glued down with epoxy, as long as you keep it and the screws good and short it's not too floppy.

got a picture of this in action?

[MoltenVoltage]

I often cut apart the plastic sleeves that chips get shipped in then drill holes through them.

Doesn't get much cheaper than that!

[tempus]

I've used wooden dowel (wood screw in the top through the board and one in the bottom through the box) or a bunch of washers stacked up to space the board from the box.

[ACS]

Haha, so long as we're on to the cheap solutions:

10mm countersunk machine screw, turned upside down and epoxied (or JB welded) in place.  Thread one small nut on, to give you the right height, place the board then screw another nut in on top

Cheap and easy... just the way I like it...

[MoltenVoltage]

The standoff-free standoff!

[humptydumpty]

i was thinking of something along those lines also, only the reversed way, but yours seems to make more sense, in that its easier

[big bustle]

my concern with most of these other solutions is it won't look pro.

am i off here?

the standoffs seem to inspire more confidence than the jb weld/epoxy solutions.

yeah sure i know they work just as well but the customer probably doesn't know that.

[slacker]

No they won't look pro, but who cares for DIY.
If you're selling stuff then you might as well just buy the proper thing, it's not going to add much to the price of your product.

I've used a similar method to ACS except I drill a hole in the enclosure, thread a bolt through from the outside, stick a couple of nuts on to get enough clearance, slide the board on then use another nut to keep it in place. You could combine this with Meanderthal's pipe idea instead of using nuts.

[teletroy]

I cut up the white plastic bic type pens- custom cut to size every time    Besides if I don't cut them, I'd probably just bite on them.

[MoltenVoltage]

my concern with most of these other solutions is it won't look pro.

am i off here?

the standoffs seem to inspire more confidence than the jb weld/epoxy solutions.

yeah sure i know they work just as well but the customer probably doesn't know that.

I was speaking strictly of prototypes.  Retail products deserve proper standoffs.

The bic pen idea is great!

[Meanderthal]

Automotive vacuum tubing or fuel line glued down with epoxy, as long as you keep it and the screws good and short it's not too floppy.

got a picture of this in action?

How bout a tutorial:

http://www.curiousinventor.com/blog/83