Arcade PCB storage

foxfire79k

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hey guys, i am new here and i apologize in advance if this is a dumb question...

i have only recently started collecting arcade pcbs. up until now i have been storing my boards individually wrapped in bubble wrap on top of my pool table, however i am now running out of space (plus i'd like to be able to *use* the pool table). i was wondering how others store their boards? i am limited on space so getting a cab for each board is not an option ;)
 
hey guys, i am new here and i apologize in advance if this is a dumb question...

i have only recently started collecting arcade pcbs. up until now i have been storing my boards individually wrapped in bubble wrap on top of my pool table, however i am now running out of space (plus i'd like to be able to *use* the pool table). i was wondering how others store their boards? i am limited on space so getting a cab for each board is not an option ;)

Welcome to the hobby and welcome to the sickness.

Many of us store them in USPS priority mail boxes. Some folks wrap the boards in aluminum foil, which is supposed to prevent static and then put them in the USPS boxes. Most agree that storing them vertically is the best idea.
 
cc2-2.jpg


You can see some of my boards in the Post Office boxes under my workbench in this photo..
 
Just order them online and they deliver right to your door! I just got 50 of them last week. 36 Are already used up. :eek:
 
Maybe if we all stopped using these boxes for storage they wouldn't need to raise the postage every year. Then it would be more affordable to ship to other collectors. Its all our fault....now I'm sad....
 
Why would storing them vertically be preferable?
 
Oh, you mean if you had them stacked horizontally on top of each other, board touching board?

I store mine horizontally in anti-static bags in individual boxes so I don't think the issue is necessarily horizontal vs vertical as much as it is how you protect them...
 
hey guys, i am new here and i apologize in advance if this is a dumb question...

i have only recently started collecting arcade pcbs. up until now i have been storing my boards individually wrapped in bubble wrap on top of my pool table, however i am now running out of space (plus i'd like to be able to *use* the pool table). i was wondering how others store their boards? i am limited on space so getting a cab for each board is not an option ;)

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=94768&highlight=PCB+storage

-Mike
 
Oh, you mean if you had them stacked horizontally on top of each other, board touching board?

I store mine horizontally in anti-static bags in individual boxes so I don't think the issue is necessarily horizontal vs vertical as much as it is how you protect them...

Not necessarily. Let's take a Punch-Out PCB for example. It's a 3 board stack has a bit of weight to it and there is a "parts" side on both sides. So, caps and other parts are sticking up on the top of the stack and on the bottom. If I store it horizontally, there is going to be a side where the parts are supporting the weight of the entire PCB stack. That doesn't mean it will definitely cause damage, but it's not ideal either. At least that's what I think about when storing PCBs.
 
Not necessarily. Let's take a Punch-Out PCB for example. It's a 3 board stack has a bit of weight to it and there is a "parts" side on both sides. So, caps and other parts are sticking up on the top of the stack and on the bottom. If I store it horizontally, there is going to be a side where the parts are supporting the weight of the entire PCB stack. That doesn't mean it will definitely cause damage, but it's not ideal either. At least that's what I think about when storing PCBs.


You should also think about the stresses put on the boards in storage. Some boards are very large multi-stack sets only supported on the edges. If they are stored for a prolonged time horizontally the upper boards tend to sag and this can cause broked traces and cracked solder joints. Storing them vertically relieves these stresses.
 
OK, that makes sense for boards with parts on both sides and for heavy multi-board sets with exposed components.

Not clear it would matter for a 'regular' board.
 
OK, that makes sense for boards with parts on both sides and for heavy multi-board sets with exposed components.

Not clear it would matter for a 'regular' board.


I don't know what you'd call a 'regular board'. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to their size, but wouldn't stowing them all in the same manner be easiest?
 
Yeah. And in my case it's in an anti-static bag, which sits on anti-static foam, in a crush-resistant box, horizontally, in a large under-the-bed plastic storage box. :)
 
ROTFL!

I blew this subject off because I didn't have any of the 'worst case' boards you were describing -- stacked boards with the weight all on one board.

Guess what arrived in the mail today -- yep, exactly. :)
 
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