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Kit Mounting - K O'Connor - 06-05-2025
Hi Guys
Some of the kits will be mounted in a specific way, where others have a very usual way, and others can be mounted various ways.
The first group includes:
Power Scaling kits
QS kits
VCK
The second group includes:
PSU kits but not RBX
MICRO
PA50H1
The third group includes:
preamp kits
PA66
PX66
PAF
TREM which can be zip-tied to a wire harness
Card guides are typically used in computers where there are standardised board slots where the accessory cards are of a prescribed shape with edge connection "fingers" that fit into a connectors on the backplane card. usually the metal front of the card is mechanically secured to the computer case once in position.
In audio, such a scheme is never used.
The trickiest is mounting the preamp PCBs, PAF and the PA66 variants, which can be mounted parallel to the chassis or perpendicular to it. Parallel mounting uses spacers, bolts and lock nuts, or a spacer and two bolts per hole position. For the internal and external mounting of the PCB as shown in the info sheet supplied with the kits, these hardware approaches are used.
If you are mounting the preamp board in a 1U chassis, then an internal mounting requires the use of angle brackets. If you mount the board on the rear panel, then it can follow the internal/external info sheet.
As far as typical hardware goes, you can get standard 4-40 threaded spacers with 1/4" hex or round shape - hex is easier for tightening, and use 4-40 machine screws. The spacers are standard Keystone parts that you can obtain from Digikey or Mouser. If you want the tube to stick out maximally, then a 0.375" (2202) to 0.5" (2203) spacer will suffice; if you want a modest stick-out, then a 1" (2205) spacer is good leaving enough of the tube out to be easily removed while providing good protection.
Have fun