Slimmer Alternative to Altoids as a Project Box? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: salil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 02:59:25 am
content: Does anyone know of an economical slimmer alternative to Altoids (of course insulated with electrical tape) tins for using an electronics project box? I had an Everest Gum tin which I can't seem to find, it was the perfect size - about the length/width of a standard Altoids tin but thinner (shorter). But it looks like they stopped making Everest Gum in the mid 2000's. Any ideas? Internal height should be atleast 10mm.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 03:12:10 am
content: I have no idea why people use metal Altoids tins for projects, cheap hobby project boxes, "jiffy boxes" we call them here, are only a few bucks.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 04:11:40 am
content: Because the electronics store is too far away (if there even is one in the area) and online ordering takes too long to ship?

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 04:22:12 am
content: Mostly the problem I find is getting a small pocket sized project box, the size of a Altoid/gum tin.Eclipse gum tins work nicely here in Australia, just a few dollars for the project box, stocked at most supermarkets, petrol stations, newsagents...Jiffy boxes (the "UB" series plastic boxes) don't tend to go down to a 'comfortable in the pocket' size, but I agree with Dave, they are good value if they fit the purpose.My next small project is being built into an ancient Seagate 40MB laptop hard drive chassis, that does fit nicely into the pocket though a touch heavy.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 05:20:47 am
content: Quote from: NiHaoMike on April 13, 2015, 04:11:40 amAn array of project boxes is something you should have on your shelf. Next time you order your $4 project box, get 5 of them.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 05:23:31 am
content: Quote from: aargee on April 13, 2015, 04:22:12 amThese polystrene hand held cases are an industry standard, everyone makes them:http://www.jaycar.com.au/Enclosures-%26-Panel-Hardware/Plastic-Boxes/Polystyrene---Flame-Retardant/Plastic-Molded-Enclosures-Dark-Grey-ABS---90-x-50-x-24mm/p/HB6031Lots of standard sizes and nice for pocket stuff.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 06:38:38 am
content: got some excess space in your order until you reach free shipping? get a project box.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 09:33:18 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 13, 2015, 05:23:31 amCan you do a tutorial on industry standard project boxes? Like back in the day.

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 09:40:31 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 13, 2015, 03:12:10 amBecause we bloody love the mints

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 11:05:39 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 13, 2015, 05:23:31 amI only know of a couple of places in the US that sell those particular boxes, and they don't carry the full range. Prices run about $4 - $15. There are other cheap boxes available but they tend to be pretty low quality and the sizes are not too varied, mostly too thick. Mouser and Digi-Key only seem to sell the major brands which are more expensive, though PacTec and Serpac are pretty good for decent small boxes.Anyway, I don't think it's the kind of thing most people will stock up on. I did that for several years, tried adding one to an order here and there, guessing at what size and shape might come in handy. I stopped doing that because I ended up with an entire box full of boxes I'll probably never find use for.Most areas in the US don't have a local electronics store, but good places to look for things to use as project boxes are crafts stores, home improvement stores, and office supply stores.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 11:10:00 pm
content: Quote from: smjcuk on April 13, 2015, 09:40:31 pmMy old offair standard is built in a sturdy little plastic ice cream tub. It cost a fraction of a commercial project box plus I got to eat lots of ice cream

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2015, 11:27:25 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 13, 2015, 03:12:10 amI too am baffled by that. A proper box with a slot for one's PCB is what, an extra $ or €?EBay can be a great source here. I bought a pile of new old stock cast aluminum Pomona boxes for maybe $40 delivered. A couple even have RF connectors for building filters.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 12:00:19 am
content: Quote from: ivan747 on April 13, 2015, 09:33:18 pmPretty sure I already mentioned these in one of the PSU videos.Also extruded aluminium cases (but they aren't standard).Actually the ones I showed above are as close to being the most widely copied case I am aware of. Jaycar have them, Altronics, have them, Digikey et.al have them, and many sellers on Alibaba have them. And from what I've seen, would be at least half a dozen different makers of them.Hammond boxes are copied quite a lot.Anyone got any others that are multi-source?

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 12:57:30 am
content: These are the ebay cheapo's. Better than Altoids that's for sure, a few sizes, some are snap together and others have clear front's. All very inexpensive.http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=project+box+enclosure&rt=nc&LH_BIN=1

author: cosmicray
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 02:18:26 am
content: This seller on Aliexpress appears to have a substantial selection of various enclosures and project boxes. I have no experience with them.http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1336055

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 08:20:20 pm
content: Just bought 8 400W ballast boxes, which are cast aluminium alloy, to use as storage boxes. They stack well, and aside from the 2 cable glands on them are unused, and they are waterproof with 2 clamps on the hinged front. Not bad for $15 the lot.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 09:57:50 pm
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on April 13, 2015, 11:27:25 pmThere are various reasons. One is that you can open and close the box very easily at any time.Sometimes that is very powerful. eg I made a FET tester in a little tobacco tin when I was a student. I could store the instructions/curves/data in paper format inside the box and also some sample FETs inside the box.It is really easy to get access inside the box because the lid is designed to be removed and refitted lots of times (by tobacco smokers).It is also quick and easy to replace the battery for the same reason.Also the cost is zero. Also they are easy to work with and some people find it fun to make use of them creatively. That should be reason enough on its own.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2015, 10:16:15 pm
content: I bought a couple of "Super Stacker" boxes at Walmart yesterday. Office Depot and a lot of other places sell them also. They're very good quality, reinforced corners and bottom, snap clamps to hold the lid in place, and made of flexible (probably polyethylene) plastic. These come in at least 4 sizes that I've seen and should make decent project boxes. Here's an eBay link just for pictures. For me, they're actually cheaper to buy local.http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?&_nkw=super+stacker

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2015, 08:24:27 pm
content: There is a Chinese company, "superbatrf" which sells small extruded cases. Around the size of an Altoids tin is definitely in their size range. I have never bought from them directly, just got one as part of a kit i bought recently. They appear to either make or resell a lot of small RF parts, many might be familiar from ebay.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2015, 08:45:57 pm
content: Quote from: G0HZU on April 14, 2015, 09:57:50 pmI wouldn't touch a chew tin without a long stick. Who cares if it's free? Yuck!!!

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 16, 2015, 11:04:49 pm
content: Re avoiding chewing tobacco tin, ever thought about cutlery in your local restaurant?I think altoid tins etc are a bit of fun, but also are cheap (mints for free) and provide a design challenge.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2015, 11:45:57 pm
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on April 16, 2015, 08:45:57 pmYou big girl's blouse

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2015, 12:29:48 am
content: I'm around chewers all the time. The silverware gets washed. That chew can on the other hand... Just come over here and get all you want off the side of the road. Nobody here wants to touch the things after some cowboy wannabe slobbered chew spittle all over them.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2015, 07:37:16 am
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on April 17, 2015, 12:29:48 amI suggest you move to a nicer part of town...

author: cosmicray
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2015, 06:22:44 pm
content: The metal tins that Twinings uses for loose tea are also handy, and provide a bit more project space than the Altoids tin does.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2015, 12:31:04 am
content: Here's another idea. Go to eBay or Amazon and search for either aluminum wallet or aluminum credit card holder.

author: JBaughb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2015, 12:33:07 am
content: I've been getting by cutting square (or rectangle) pieces of acrylic and using stand-offs to sandwich my PCBs. Looks nice plus I get to admire my solder work.

author: kb0nly
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2015, 12:46:22 am
content: I just draw one up in CAD and send it over to my 3d printers... LOLHaving two printers is nice, one prints the lid, one prints the bottom, and i snap my finished board into it and off i go. Also nice not having to drill the holes, just print in place whatever i need. Quite convenient now that Radio Shack is dead. I used to buy the cheap little project boxes from them locally, now my only option is to get online and order some from afar. I live in state with Digi-Key here in MN, so i can get an order from them in two days, but the cases and project boxes they have are pretty spendy.If i want one with a metal cover i just grab a sheet of aluminum from the hardware store and place it on my little CNC Router, makes nice cutouts for a front panel, if need square i take a sheet metal nipper and square up the corners after machining.So yep, i just make them now, custom fit to the board that i also make myself.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2015, 11:35:15 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 14, 2015, 12:00:19 amPerhaps a list of multi-source boxes? I'm sure you can capitalize that with some adsense in the side or something. Maybe a blog post.

author: vk3yedotcom
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2015, 03:23:59 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 13, 2015, 03:12:10 amOne reason is that metal is required due to RF shielding.In some cases, again often with RF projects, you may wish to shield modules within a larger case and Altoids tins can work for that.Printed circuit board material is an alternative but can be expensive (some of the cheap stuff on eBay doesn't take heat well) and requires special effortif you want to enclose all six sides and make it easily openable.A metal alternative is Eclipse mints containers. You often see them on the street. They're narrower than Altoids containers but with their end door areharder to mount parts in. But they're still an option for projects with few controls and sockets.If you don't need metal then NZ-made Sistema food containers are good (and also favoured by geocachers). They sometimes come up for half price atsupermarkets.Eucapyptus oil is good for cleaning Tic Tac boxes, but like Eclipse Mints require the innards to be slid in from the end.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2015, 10:09:46 am
content: You know that bare metal candy tins are a SUPPLY made for the custom candy idustry, and you can buy them in bulk and all sorts of sizes from the appropriate vendors. Here's one:http://www.papermart.com/metal-containers/id=19037-INDEX

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2015, 01:27:10 pm
content: Thank you!Perfect!For example:http://www.papermart.com/hinged-rectangular-tin-cans/id=23271#23271

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2015, 03:04:09 pm
content: Those are steel. Look for tin ones or you'll end up with rust everywhere and that's not fun when you find your doohickey in the bottom of a draw a couple of years later and it's gone brown and skankyPlus tin ones take solder a bit better.

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2015, 08:03:19 am
content: You miss out on the mints!!

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2015, 01:37:51 pm
content: Quote from: smjcuk on April 23, 2015, 03:04:09 pmYes- of course- But I have not seen a real tin box in years- I would love to have real tin, do you know where they sell real tin boxes?

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2015, 02:31:18 pm
content: You can get them from antique dealers and shops. They usually throw the ones out that have no commercial interest. Phone and ask if they have any scrap tin. In my case I found a box of them in my grandfather's house when we were clearing it out.New ones are pricey due to the scarcity of tin at the moment.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2015, 03:46:55 pm
content: Except for expensive antiques made from solid tin, the old "tin" boxes and cans were tin-plated steel.Be careful about pure tin: it is available from hobby (model-train) stores and industrial supply, but it will melt easily when hit with a good soldering iron. Sn melts at 232 C, Sn63Pb37 solder melts at 183 C. A soldering iron set for 600 F is about 315 C.

author: vk3yedotcom
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2015, 12:22:58 am
content: Charity shops are another good source. Typically $1-2 for a large box.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2015, 07:31:02 am
content: The point of buying them as a commodity is that ... they're a commodity, and you can get as many identical boxes as you want; usually in a variety of sizes.The link I posted definitely says "steel", while I find some wholesale places that advertise "tin plated steel" (which is probably what you want for rust resistance, unless you're painting.) But the latter are in China, and are wholesalers advertising what they might sell to your company ("contact us!"), rather than places that sell reasonable quantities via the web. So who knows what's real.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2015, 08:32:57 am
content: Tin boxes these days are generally steel sheet protected with a thin coat of a clear lacquer. This is applied to the sheet after cleaning and printing, and before it is drawn and formed into the final object. Food grade tins ( typically the sealed ones) have an added internal layer added during manufacture to keep the inside metal from contacting the metal case in storage. Those which use a lid that you pull off do not have this, they rely on the product being in an inner extra layer of plastic sheet, paper or foil to provide this protection.If you use a metal box then the simplest way to provide extra protection inside is to simply use some light oil on a cloth and wipe the inside out before using, and if you want the best long term protection take some light natural colour cardboard, cut out a square about the size of a business card and coat it with light spray oil ( WD40, pretty much any light machine oil that is not silicone based) and pop it in the finished box just before you close it. You then have this card slowly releasing volatile light components to protect the inner metal for a long time.Outside either wipe with the oily cloth or degrease and put a light coat of spray paint on it, making sure the bottom has at least 2 coats of paint applied. If you want to keep the original finish clear lacquer works well.