What do you call something...

[Doug3004]

...that has no name?

I want to buy plain circuit board... That is--with no holes, and no copper on it. I need it to mount some PC keyboard-style buttons to, that require odd hole spacing. But I want to be able to solder on the switch wires, and so I don't want copper-clad board, even if it's just clad on one side. And I don't want to etch the copper off a piece of copper-clad....

I don't want perfboard, or breadboard, or bussboard, or veroboard, or copper-clad board.

I started looking on aliexpress but have tried in google and can't turn anything up. I find 10,000 places selling little perfboards, and 10,000 places offering custom PCB services.

If I look up 'phenoic board' most places, I get this red glossy-finish epoxy board that would work (the thinnest is usually 2mm, and you can get it up to 15 - 20+ mm thick) but they want like $25 a square foot for the 2mm thick. I don't need that much, nor do I want to pay that much. And it is a higher-grade material usually sourced from composite manufacturers, it's not the same lower-grade stuff that PCB's are made of.

I know I've seen this stuff for sale but I can't recall where....?

 

[Robert_fay]

Unclad non-perf board.

Try this one

 

[kellys_eye]

Plastic.

Wood.

Fibre glass.

Phenolic resin board.

'anything' - as long as it's stiff, non-conductive.

 

[AnalogKid]

Glastic

Basically, sheets of fiberglas impregnated with resin, just like FR-4 pc board material. Glastic is both a brand name for a specific company's product line, and a generic name for similar products (like "Kleenex" for tissues).

ak

 

[Doug3004]

...'anything' - as long as it's stiff, non-conductive.

Well yea but,,, when I searched anywhere for "composite sheet 2mm", the most-common kind of composite sheet I'm seeing is carbon-fiber panels.

...Basically, sheets of fiberglas impregnated with resin, just like FR-4 pc board material. ...

After a couple hours of looking on aliexpress, I did find a couple places selling it. One place calls it FR4 board, and another calls it "3240 sheet". They also have pieces smaller than a square foot.

After pondering all this for a bit I may just decide to try making a square punch and get some regular plastic (polycarbonate) and try making some 14mm square holes instead, to hold the switches by the body. Fiberglass sheet would not punch as nicely, and I bought the (Gateron brand) "PCB-mount " switches but the footprint doesn't lay out on a .1" grid.

 

[(*steve*)]

One place calls it FR4 board, and another calls it "3240 sheet"

There are many different types of material used. Added to that, some are incorrectly labelled on sites like eBay and Ali express.

 

[WHONOES]

Try searching "Fibreglass sheet" on ebay. I got loads of hits.

 

[davenn]

Well yea but,,, when I searched anywhere for "composite sheet 2mm", the most-common kind of composite sheet I'm seeing is carbon-fiber panels.

did you not click on the image/link that @Robert_fay gave you in post #2 ??
it takes you to the digi-key site

 

[Doug3004]

did you not click on the image/link that @Robert_fay gave you in post #2 ??
it takes you to the digi-key site

Yea I did, but there's two problems there:
1--it is a square foot, and I kinda I didn't want that much. And also-
2--it is fiberglass. For this use I'd much rather have cotton or paper phenolic because it won't destroy my saws and drill bits. And that fiberglass board is the only single item that DigiKey has for unclad board.

The red "phenolic sheet" I mentioned earlier is usually cotton fiber:
https://www.interstateplastics.com/...PHENC~~SH.php?thickness=0.250&dim2=12&dim3=12

If I try the hole-stamping method, then I won't use any kind of resin board at all because it's too brittle. Making a square-hole punch with sharp edges is kind of a pain in the rear however. :>|

 

[LukeDupont]

You could by thin, 1/4" wood, find a chisel with exactly the right dimensions as your squares, and mortise out the holes by hand -- if they aren't *too* close together. Wood splits along the grain and may not be sturdy enough if there are too many too close, though. Just a thought!

 

[Mamba Yang]

Does that call 94HB? But it seems that it should be etched by a board maker.​

 

[Minder]

What I use is Lamacoid, at any engraver, I draw up the panel in DWG format and send it to my guy and he cuts out all the shapes you need.
Also comes in a choice of many colours if needed.
If you need legends/labels, I get the reverse engraved type so that the surface is completely flat where the legends are.
M.

 

[Minder]

There is also 2mm Plexiglass Acrylic on Ebay in different colours.
M.