Hot Glue on pcbs?

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mrclunk

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Can hot glue cause any issues on audio pcbs/signals?
I'm building a big tape machine switch over relay box and will be using a lot of ribbon cables, one end soldered to some strip boards.

I was planning on hot glueing  in the cable entry to boards to make it more robust.
Does this have potential to cause problems if it in contact with the conductors / traces?
thanks
 
no but sometimes it gets warm enough inside a closed chassis to melt hot glue, I think there are other more temperature stable adhesives.

Note: I have used hot melt myself on some DIY projects.

JR
 
Have seen hot glue that got in a 6L6 tube socket and made it fail when heated.  Worked fine when cold. 
 
In other words, for your application it is not a problem.  Hot glue is non-conductive and not chemically reactive so it will not short out or eat traces.  Some folks prefer to use silicone sealant, but you have to get the kind without acetic acid (smells like vinegar).
 
mrclunk said:
I was planning on hot glueing  in the cable entry to boards to make it more robust.
Does this have potential to cause problems if it in contact with the conductors / traces?
thanks

I've seen a lot of commercial units with hot glue in cable entry points.
Be sure to clean the pcb and cables with alcohol to get rig of any debris before applying the hot glue, otherwise it will not stick and come out easily.

Like others pointed out don't use hot glue near to any part that might get hot, any heatsink, transistors, tubes and tube sockets, etc
 
You might want to investigate the actual composition of the hot melt glue you use.
I've had experience in instrumentation products where it has been used to secure USB connections etc. But after opening up the equipment after being in use for some time it would often have lost its adhesion to the connector / cable etc. The temperature would have been around 34 degrees Celsius as it was a temperature stabilised  instrument.
 
For reference I used to work where wire soldered direct to pcb was the standard method for some products (reliability critical / minimum possible points of failure). Silicone type mastic was the standard to fix / protect these.
 
Thanks guy.
Sorry i didn't reply earlier, didn't have notifications on...

I think E6000 is banned in Europe?
Seems to be a new formula called E6000 plus, any one tried it?

This looks good if you're uk based.
non - corrosive  to zinc / copper.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/silicone-sealants/0494118/
https://cpc.farnell.com/servisol/200003100-75ml/silicone-sealant-75ml-tube-servisol/dp/SASILADREDCAP

EDIT: fixed link, i think?

 
mrclunk said:
This looks good if you're uk based.
non - corrosive  to zinc / copper.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/silicone-sealants/0494118/
https://cpc.farnell.com/servisol/200003100-75ml/silicone-sealant-75ml-tube-servisol

The cpc link seems not to work ?
 
That's good adhesive if you've got bottomless pockets! - 75ml at £6+ is gonna be expensive!!
Pain in the ass if you have to rework and pay once again for that silicone gold!
You mention stripboards - have you enough space to drill adjacent holes to cable points/breakouts and anchor them using cable ties?
I've done this where direct soldered connections are necessary.
You can protect the delicate cables by sleeving them individually or in groups and you can also get the adhesive backed sqishy-rubbery pads to protect them even further.
 
Speedskater said:
How about 'Shoe Goo' in the distant past we used it in in-house test equipment.

Interesting.  Stays flexible when cured, but if I recall the smell correctly it may have some nasty stuff in it until then.  Testing to be sure it does not damage wire insulation, PCB traces, and other components might be necessary.
 

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