28 August 2021

Drill Guide for Variable Capacitors



 Small variable capacitors can be a pretty common component in homebrew radio projects, especially in antenna tuners. However, if you are like me, drilling the holes in a project box correctly can test your patience to the limit. I got tired of hacking up perfectly fine project boxes in the attempt of getting all three holes just right. Then the other day I saw a container in the trash that once had large muffins. For me, the clear plastic gave me a clear idea of what to do about getting perfectly spaced holes for variable capacitors every time. I did not need much of the clear plastic material so I just removed the lid. 

I then cut the plastic down to a more manageable size. 

Then I just placed the variable capacitor behind the plastic and now I could clearly see exactly where to drill the holes for the variable capacitor. 

Now drilling the holes in the perfect location was very easy. To test this little drill guide I went to work on a piece of scrap PCB board. I simply laid the clear plastic over the PCB board and used a center punch to mark the location of the holes. 
 

For the large center hole, I used a 1/4 inch drill bit, and I used a 1/8 inch drill bit for the two satellite holes.  Did it actually work and allow me to drill all three holes in the correct locations?
Worked like a charm the very first time!


1 comment:

  1. hv film capacitor manufacturer I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article.

    ReplyDelete

CW #2: LCWO Lesson 2: U

Here we go with lesson #2 at  Learn CW Online- LCWO   This time I am pround to announce that I can decode the letter U. Again I was working ...