I am looking at the GigaBlox Nano – 1 Inch GigaBit Ethernet Switch paired with the RJConn. I wanted to ask what is the recommended method of mounting these two PCB’s into an enclosure? It appears after mounting together there is not a lot of room for screws, and they do not appear to have standard standoff spacing. Any clarity would help please.**
GigaBlox Nano is super small, so mounting it can be a little challenging at times. The way we suggest is to use 2 x M2 Hex spacers + 2 x M2x2.5mm machine screws. This gives you the assembly as below.
That leaves two M2 holes on the bottom that an M2 screw can be used to mount GigaBlox Nano to something. If you’re doing it like in the image, you’ll need some standoff height to allow the cables to “get out”. 8mm from the bottom of that board should be enough space to rout the cables out. Of course, if you’re mounting it the other way, just move the screws to the other side.
As you can probably see, there’s a bit of a weakness with this mounting approach; the same screw that mounts the assembly to something else, is also responsible for keeping GigaBlox Nano and PicoConn together. You could solve this using a M2 hex spacer that has a male thread on one side (like below) but unfortunately these don’t seem to be common (the smallest on the market is M3 male threaded hex standoffs).
Below are links to the parts.
https://accu-components.com/us/pozi-pan-head-screws/9238-SPP-M2-2-5-A2
https://accu-components.com/us/threaded-standoffs/464632-HHTPS-M2-4-5-BR-NI
We’ve also updated the 3D model to include an assembled version of GigaBlox Nano, to make it easier for your mechanical integration. Link below.
I saw your example was for PicoConn, would the same be applicable with RJConn?
If I don’t have the standoffs to secure the two PCB’s together, will they just fall apart from each other?
If you’re using RJConn, the same logic applies, but you have two extra mounting holes on RJConn.
If you’re mounting connector side up, you can find spacers for those two extra holes that correspond to the height between the two boards + your standoff height. The height between the two board is 6.6mm. Allowing for 1.4mm standoff height would give mean you want a 7mm spacer in those two other holes.
If I don’t have the standoffs to secure the two PCB’s together, will they just fall apart from each other?
It’s unlikely the two boards will fall apart. The mating/unmating force required on that connector is around 4kg which provides a pretty robust mechanical connection. That said, there is no locking connector so it could be affected by sustained vibration. In addition, GigaBlox Nano is so small and light (4 grams), so there’s really very little mass there to shake loose. That said, it’s better design to add the spacers in there.