Circuit Board Standoffs PCB Retaining Supports Board to Board Firm

The circuit board standoffs are a threaded separator of defined length used to raise one assembly above another. They are usually round or hex (for wrench tightening), often made of aluminum, brass, or nylon, and come in male-female or female-female forms. In electronics, they are frequently used to raise a printed-circuit board above a surface. Insulating standoffs keep two parts from touching each other, thereby preventing electrical shorts. When used to fasten cable connectors (i.e. “D” connectors) together, they are called “jack screws”. Ever Hardware provides custom-made circuit board standoffs and customizable packaging.

Computer case screws are the hardware used to secure parts of a PC to the case. Although there are numerous manufacturers of computer cases, they have generally used three thread sizes. The Unified Thread Standard (UTS) originates from the United States while the ISO metric screw thread is standardized worldwide. In turn, these thread standards define preferred size combinations that are based on generic units—some on the inch and others on the millimeter. The #6-32 UNC screws are often found on hard disk drives and the case’s body to secure the covers. The M3 threaded holes are often found on optical disc drives and floppy drives. Motherboards and other circuit boards often use a #6-32 UNC standoff. #4-40 UNC thumb screws are often found on the ends of DVI, VGA, and older Serial and Parallel cables.
Most cases use threaded brass standoffs (Jack Screw Standoffs) for attaching the motherboard to the case chassis. Sometimes threaded or snap-lock plastic standoffs are used, which are less secure, but equally useful in a stationary computer. The standoff provides a margin of space between the motherboard and the case to keep the multiple solder points below from grounding and short-circuiting.

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