I'm trying to put the diode into the Snack Shack PCB but the wires are too thick!
How does everyone fit oversized wires into their PCB's? I was thinking of soldering smaller wires connecting to the diode and have it hang off the side of the PCB--tucked away and shielded...
I don't want to damage any parts!
I have had that problem with 1n4001 diodes and their type. They have a thicker lead which is too big for certain PCB's I have worked on.
Your idea should work although it seems like a lot of extra time. In the past I have used my "good cutters" to slice the end of the lead diagonally or at an angle. This allowed me to get a large portion to pass through.
So take the lead and snip it like this:
IIII IIII
IIII IIII
IIII IIII
IIII ------> III
IIII III
IIII II
IIII I
leave some extra room in case you mess up. I found it tricky. You can use some pliers to compress the lead if it squashes or flattens out on the end.
Does that make sense?
I am sure you will get some more input from others on here
"there, I fixed it"-method...
fasten the diod in a electric Screw gun or drill by one lead. Full throttle and pinch a piece of sanding paper around the orher lead! :)
safety googles is recomended!
You could also use a dremmel and just file it down. Pretty easy.
Thanks guys! snugged it in.
Is this the standard black casing 1n4001 you are using? The board would have been drilled with either a #65 or #67 bit, which I have never had a problem fitting a diode lead into. I'm surprised! Sorry that you had trouble :(
In this situation, you can also use an Xacto knife to trim the lead thickness.
I use a dremel to make the PCB holes a little bigger sometimes.
Jacob