Bodner button and switch interface

I have a couple of Leo Bodner's button boards. I enlarged the mounting holes before I read the advisory/warning not to do so. The re-drill went fine, the corner didn't split out, no apparent damage but is it possible I might have damaged any internal circuit layers, if there are any? I haven't tried to use the boards yet. There is no explanation on the Bodner site as to why the holes should not be enlarged.

I have a couple of Leo Bodner's button boards. I enlarged the mounting holes before I read the advisory/warning not to do so. The re-drill went fine, the corner didn't split out, no apparent damage but is it possible I might have damaged any internal circuit layers, if there are any? I haven't tried to use the boards yet. There is no explanation on the Bodner site as to why the holes should not be enlarged.

Hi, i doubt you have done any damage. I suppose that the easy way to find out is to plug it in. No need to wire up switches to try it, just use a piece of wire to short out each channel on the bodnar board, one at a time.

 

Cheers

Stinger

 

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Thanks Stinger. Prevailing circumstances at the time didn't allow me to do that, but I have since done so and all worked fine.

Meanwhile I had contacted Bodner Tech Support to see what they had to say, and they basically said the same thing - plug in and see if it works! I can definitely see why they would recommend not enlarging the holes. A regular twist drill wants to catch the edge of the material which could snap off the corner of the board or perhaps crack inward. That's in addition to possibly drilling into the circuit traces. They said it depended on the size of the hole. Sure it does. But you're pretty close to the corner anyway, you couldn't enlarge it very much.

I carefully worked it out by hand to 1/8" to accommodate a #4 machine screw, and got by with it. I'm sure others have likely done this, never having noticed the warning on the Bodner website. My boards were the BBI-32 button board and the BU0836 joystick and matrix button board.

I'm sure it's best if you just don't do it, but with extreme caution and going slowly and carefully, it can work. And if you brick your board, I'm sure Bodner doesn't want to hear from you! :-)

Think Bodnar are just covering themselves as they would rather people didn't do mods directly on the boards. Having said that building joysticks and cockpits is all about doing modifications, so with a little care there should be no problem.

Have to say the Leo Bodnar range of boards are excellent, and at least if you do brick the board, it's not too expensive to replace!

Have just used their BU0836A board on my recent full size 1920s joystick construction and it works beautifully.