PCB Storage?

parkway

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I've been building up a nice little collection of PCB's lately; eventually will find a cab or two to put them in. In the meantime, I was wondering, how do you guys store your loose PCB's? I'm currently keeping them wrapped in bubblewrap in the boxes they've been shipped to me in. I'm sure they're safe and all that way, but I'd like to neaten it up a little in my basement.
 
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Say the PCBs are stored in bubble wrap, in the cardboard box I received them in. Are they better on a shelf somewhere in the basement (which gets a little damp, but they are in the plastic) or the attic, which gets extreme cold in the winter and extreme warm in the summer?
 
Say the PCBs are stored in bubble wrap, in the cardboard box I received them in. Are they better on a shelf somewhere in the basement (which gets a little damp, but they are in the plastic) or the attic, which gets extreme cold in the winter and extreme warm in the summer?

Neither of those extremes is a very good idea. Moisture leads to corrosion.

Extreme heat and cold isn't AS bad, but when you get rapid temperature changes, you get moisture, and well, see above.
 
I store mine in Apple crates, using the apple holders as dividers. You can usually get them for free from the grocery store and they usually can hold a decent amount of boards each.
 
Total overkill. But hey, WTF, I paid more for this board (Splatterhouse) than any of my other complete games except for one. Might as well protect it :)
 

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Total overkill. But hey, WTF, I paid more for this board (Splatterhouse) than any of my other complete games except for one. Might as well protect it :)


That actually looks pretty cool.

I store mine in large anti static bubble wrap bags w resealable top. I bought a bunch from blkdog7 on the cheap.
 
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I've always been partial to shipping boxes:

Well you can't beat the price...

I see you have your CPS2s stored in boxes too. I didn't think they would need any protection because of the exterior plastic shell. Am I wrong in thinking this?
 
I like shipping boxes too, but USPS boxes are not the way to go -- penalty for private use. Not that you'll get caught, but what if you do? Used boxes are fine - try FedEx and UPS boxes - don't think there is a penalty for those : )
 
Here is how we do it at work:


Moisture barrier ESD (electrostatic discharge) bags with dessicant packets. It sounds boring, but the bags will act as a barrier against electrostatic discharge, and dessicant packets will regulate the moisture within the bag. Then you can store the boards wherever the heck you want as long as it's not freezing or extremely hot.

If your storage area has constant temperature (relatively) and humidity, you can get away with regular ESD bags or ESD-safe bubble wrap. Once the boards are wrapped or in a bag, throw em in a box, stack em, use em as dinner plates, whatever.

All of that said, at home I tend to break every rule about board handling that there is.
 
whatever/however you store them, keep them out of the sunlight !!! even indirect sunlight can scramble/erase the information on the chips
 
You guys have some nice setups. As far as temp and humidity, I've been keeping them in my nice, dry basement. We store a bunch of stuff down there so we keep a dehumidifier running 24/7. I think I might invest in some static bags though. That sounds like a smart idea.
 
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