Can you drill holes into a PCB without causing damage?

[snarfarlarkus]

I just got some keyboard feet and have no idea on how to mount the feet directly onto the pcb. I know they should be screwed into a case but I like the feel without a case. As of now I stuck them on with some ghetto blue tac and its actually working okay. Its just when I move the keyboard around the feet do slide off. Any ideas would be  much appreciated, thanks!

[tp4tissue]

I just got some keyboard feet and have no idea on how to mount the feet directly onto the pcb. I know they should be screwed into a case but I like the feel without a case. As of now I stuck them on with some ghetto blue tac and its actually working okay. Its just when I move the keyboard around the feet do slide off. Any ideas would be  much appreciated, thanks!

as long as it doesn't go through any traces or cut off a ground plane completely, you can drill through it.

[pomk]

Just don't breathe in the dust from the drilling process!

[snarfarlarkus]

I just got some keyboard feet and have no idea on how to mount the feet directly onto the pcb. I know they should be screwed into a case but I like the feel without a case. As of now I stuck them on with some ghetto blue tac and its actually working okay. Its just when I move the keyboard around the feet do slide off. Any ideas would be  much appreciated, thanks!

as long as it doesn't go through any traces or cut off a ground plane completely, you can drill through it.

So pretty much anywhere in the pcb that is free of those pcb lines? Scared I may drill into it and then the whole pcb is broken. Or even cracking it whilst drilling it...

[Puddsy]

Is it possible? Yes.

Is it a good idea? Absolutely not.

[Joey Quinn]

I just got some keyboard feet and have no idea on how to mount the feet directly onto the pcb. I know they should be screwed into a case but I like the feel without a case. As of now I stuck them on with some ghetto blue tac and its actually working okay. Its just when I move the keyboard around the feet do slide off. Any ideas would be  much appreciated, thanks!

Really sounds like you just want a plateless keyboard.

Is it possible? Yes.

Is it a good idea? Absolutely not.

This

[snarfarlarkus]

Is it possible? Yes.

Is it a good idea? Absolutely not.

Nope. I've tried a pcb mount board and it feels no where near a platemounted pcb board. I just dislike the acoustics of the keystrokes and bottom out with a case, caseless it just feels and sounds a lot nicer.

[tp4tissue]

Is it possible? Yes.

Is it a good idea? Absolutely not.

Not true Stache...   If OP needs to drill,  he has his reasons..


snarfarlarkus ,  the lines , definitly don't break any..

and make sure you know what a ground plane is,  it's fundamentally a Thick trace.  you can drill through it, as long as there's still some left around it..


make sure to look at both sides of the board if it's traced on both sides.

[snarfarlarkus]

Is it possible? Yes.

Is it a good idea? Absolutely not.

Not true Stache...   If OP needs to drill,  he has his reasons..


snarfarlarkus ,  the lines , definitly don't break any..

and make sure you know what a ground plane is,  it's fundamentally a Thick trace.  you can drill through it, as long as there's still some left around it..


make sure to look at both sides of the board if it's traced on both sides.

Thank you for understanding. I don't know what a ground plane is tbh. I'll just make sure to drill in an area that definitely has no lines or traces in it. Hopefully all is good

[devoi]

You could always show us a picture of both sides of the PCB and where you want to drill, if you want to have someone else check.

[fohat.digs]

You will want several feet, at least 6 I would say, preferably more. Without a metal plate a PCB is not intended to be structural, and even mere typing and moving around on the desk could be a way for stress cracks to start. Also, the new holes themselves will be likely spots for cracks to radiate out from.

Why not get some "furniture" type feet and use a non-permanent adhesive to simply glue them on?

[Puddsy]

If you want to use a PCB mount board, you're less likely to kill a board by buying PCB mount board in the first place.

[Joey Quinn]

Nope. I've tried a pcb mount board and it feels no where near a platemounted pcb board. I just dislike the acoustics of the keystrokes and bottom out with a case, caseless it just feels and sounds a lot nicer.

So you want a board with a plate but no case? You do know the keycap material, plate material, how hard you bottom out, and even the surface your keyboard is on all affect the sound it makes when you type.

Any way you go about this I don't think the board will last long, either the drilling or daily use without a case will lead to a dead pcb.

[digi]

I just got some keyboard feet and have no idea on how to mount the feet directly onto the pcb. I know they should be screwed into a case but I like the feel without a case. As of now I stuck them on with some ghetto blue tac and its actually working okay. Its just when I move the keyboard around the feet do slide off. Any ideas would be  much appreciated, thanks!

as long as it doesn't go through any traces or cut off a ground plane completely, you can drill through it.

TP's response is correct, drill holes as needed just drill straight and make sure you're not drilling into traces.

[kasakka]

You should instead look for ways to make the keyboard sound like you want. Putting some padding between case and keyboard can help as can a case made of different material. I have a metal case for mine and like how it sounds after putting some foam between the PCB and the case. Likewise things like stabilizers (real Cherry MX vs fake for example), O-rings, keycaps etc can alter the sound.