Circuit board standoff
View Patent ↗A circuit board standoff for use with SMT placement machinery is provided comprising a hollow substantially cylindrical member, a flange extending from a bottom section of the cylindrical member and an opening positioned in the top section of the substantially cylindrical member operable to receive a fastener. The circuit board standoff operates to provide physical connection between two circuit boards while maintaining a minimum distance there between for inclusion of any required electronic components.
1. A circuit board standoff comprising:
a hollow substantially cylindrical member having an elongated middle section, a top section, and a bottom section;
a flange extending from the bottom section to provide a substantially flat bottom surface suitable for soldering onto a surface of a circuit board;
an opening positioned in the top section of the substantially cylindrical member and operable to receive a fastener; and
a tab extending from a section of the bottom surface of the flange, the tab suitable for insertion into an opening in the circuit board.
2. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the tab is operable to be soldered to an underside of the circuit board.
3. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the tab is operable to be folded to lie in a position substantially parallel to an underside of the circuit board.
4. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat bottom surface of the flange includes an area that has been tinned.
5. The standoff of claim 4 , wherein the substantially flat bottom surface of the flange includes an area that has been tinned with a layer of tin.
6. The standoff of claim 4 , wherein the substantially flat bottom surface of the flange includes an area that has been tinned with a layer of tin/lead alloy.
7. The standoff of claim 4 , wherein the substantially flat bottom surface of the flange includes an area that has been tinned with a layer of solder.
8. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the elongated middle section is suitable for grasping by a SMT placement machine.
9. The standoff of claim 1 further comprising a high temperature adhesive tape affixed to the opening in the top section of the substantially cylindrical member, thus enabling the standoff to be grasped by a vacuum nozzle affixed to a SMT placement machine.
10. The standoff of claim 1 further comprising a neck extending from the top section, the neck having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the substantially cylindrical member, the neck having the opening to receive a fastener.
11. The standoff of claim 10 , wherein an inside surface of the neck is threaded to receive a screw-like fastener.
12. The standoff of claim 10 , wherein the neck protrudes inside the hollow substantially cylindrical member.
13. The standoff of claim 1 further comprising a tab extending from the top section, the tab suitable for insertion into a hole in a second circuit board, the tab operable to be folded to fasten the second circuit board.
14. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the top section has a substantially horizontal surface sufficient to receive a section of an underside of a second circuit board.
15. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the standoff is made from cold rolled steel.
16. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the standoff is suitable for manufacture via a stamping process.
17. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the fastener is a rivet.
18. The standoff of claim 1 , wherein the fastener is a screw.