Hardening off a pedal build

[andluth38]

Hello everyone!

I hope this is in the right place.  I have made a couple of pedals from PedalPCB boards and like them a lot.  I wanted to know what are the best practices for installing them in their boxes so that they are sturdy and and hold up to some abuse.  I have PCB soldered pots if that helps.  If there is a thread or videos on this that would be great!

Thanks in advance

[slashandburn]

Welcome Andluth!

I'll kick this off by suggesting locking washers. Those have made the biggest difference in the ruggedness and durability of my own builds. You'll probably want a few different diameters, off the top of my head 7 and/or 8 mm for Pots. 9 and/or 10mm for Jack sockets and 12mm for the stomp switch. The lock washer just prevents these components working themselves loose and having the opportunity to spin around and cause shorts or breaks.

I think most Stomp switches come with these little godsends but sadly most jack's, pots and toggles don't. 

edit: appologies if I've misunderstood and you're looking for advice on drilling the enclosure. A lot of premade PCBs come with templates you can print off, cut out and stick to the enclosure as a drilling guide. If the pots are board mounted you'll want to be really accurate, I'd recommend double checking all your measurements before committing to drilling. Start with small pilot holes and measure again before stepping up to larger diameters.