Putting arylic behind mobo to prevent shorts?

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phasmatis_nox

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 24, 2003
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After installing some motherboards recently, I got to thinking about how some are floppy enough that they could potentially bend down enough to touch the mobo tray and short. This might happend if you were plugging something in and didn't have anything under it to support it, like some do when installing processors. I'm pretty paranoid, but it's usually better safe than sorry. What do you all think about getting a really thin piece of acrlyic or something to prevent shorts? Are there any possible dangers to doing this?
 
I build custom cases and mod others, I've used 1/8" - 1/4" acrylic to actually make MoBo trays and have never had a problem. If its new, make sure you discharge any static electricity that sometimes builds up when you remove the outer protective layer covering the sheet.

Regards, Szandor
 
Thanks for the advice. I was planning on making a polycarbonate mobo tray at one point, but I never got around to it.
 
Acrylic is nice because you can get it at your local home center and if you have your measurements they can cut it for you as they have the nice specialty cutters in the store. The last one I did for a mATX NASCAR themed rig for my wife cost $1.25 including tax. :D

Regards, Szandor
 
Good advice on the static. I'm a polycarb diehard, but I wouldn't drop the money on it for just something like this.
 
If you're worried about static with the polycarb, coat it with metallic paint.
 
just make sure you have good cooling on the back of the motherboard under the cpu socket (by having air space around it) as the temps there can get quite high and having airflow over that area will aid in cooling the cpu.
 
Originally posted by HvyMtl
just make sure you have good cooling on the back of the motherboard under the cpu socket (by having air space around it) as the temps there can get quite high and having airflow over that area will aid in cooling the cpu.
Click to expand...

if you have access to a mill, you cuold mill out some slots behind the cpu area to allow ventilation of it...
 
I found some polycarbonate that's just 1-2mm thick, and this makes it easy to cut with just scissors, yet it's so tough that it's virtually impossible to pierce even this thin. OTOH I've been told that the static from plastic can be so bad that it should be kept away from circuits.

But instead of lining the tray with plastic, why not just support the mobo better? I put a support in every hole, even where a hole doesn't match up with tray hole, but if the mobo doesn't have a hole within about 3cm of a corner I put a stick-on bumper foot there on the tray.
 
When I used the acrylic to make the trays I just drilled and screwed the standoffs in to the plastic and have never had a problem.

Regards, Szandor
 
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