Posts: 1,092
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Joined: May 2007
Quote:
If you like the tactile response of the 35s' keys then you like those screws. Imagine if you only had screws on the perimeter of the board; every time you tapped a key in the center the board would flex.
Not if you have a sufficiently thick PCB. It's all a trade off between where you want your cost to be, room in the case, construction options etc.
Can anyone confirm what thickness PCB is used in the 35S? (just curious)
In the 35S it looks like the PCB designer laid out a full complement of screws on a fixed grid and simply removed those where space was required for the parts and tracking. So, PCB first, and then the case moulding was designed to match the remaining screws holes. Interesting.
Dave.
Posts: 2,309
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I used to think that the screws in calculators fastening the PCB to the case top were to improve the rigidity of the PCB. However, my own experiments seem to indicate that the PCB tends to be more rigid than the case top, and that the screws serve more to increase the rigidity of the case top. Either way, though, it's fairly important.