Pros & cons of double sided tape


tootnkumin

Well-Known Member
Staff member
What's the opinion/s on using double sided tape to mount board type decoders such as the Soundtraxx Tsunami2 and Econami?
 
It's hard to leave it installed without it sticking to your fingers.
Sorta like tryin to pick up a dead mouse from the clean end.
 
I found that only the best brands of double backed tape do not dry out in time and even then if you have to remove the board its a sticky mess like Ken is suggesting. I now Kapton tape to hold the circuit board in place.

Kapton tape is strong, will not conduct electricity and isn't affected heat.

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Greg
 
The double sided tape I can get is from an auto parts store. It's used for attaching trim strips or the plastic rain deflectors on side windows. It's got a thin foam "middle". Genuine Kapton tape is hard to find here (if at all).
What I'm trying to do is gain space above the decoder to mount the iP6s+ speaker (which is pretty thin) up on the underside of the shell (below the dynamics fans) of an Athearn SD40 but still using the original motor. I really should invest in new Kato motors which are a lower profile, but they are no easier to attach to either.

It's a bit of a case too that I'd like to get it and others similar, running and on the tracks. Could be a long delay if I wait till I can get the Kato power.
 
The double sided tape I can get is from an auto parts store. It's used for attaching trim strips or the plastic rain deflectors on side windows. It's got a thin foam "middle".
Be careful with foamy things is that they can hold in heat. So if the foam part is against an electronic part it could overheat and fail. I dislike decoders and other circuit boards that put components on BOTH sides of the board.
 
Be careful with foamy things is that they can hold in heat. So if the foam part is against an electronic part it could overheat and fail. I dislike decoders and other circuit boards that put components on BOTH sides of the board.
What I've done in the end is use small squares of the tape, doubled up on top of each other, stuck to the Econami decoder where the holes are that would normally clip over the factory mount, supplied with e.g. Genesis motors. In order to get the decoder low enough to leave room for the iPhone speaker, mounted to the shell above it ( partly covering 1 of the dynamic fans), it was necessary to stick those squares directly to the brass strip that holds the motor's brush in place. That did leave clearance between that strip and the decoder's underside, which does have a few flat components along there. Fortunately with Athearn's they do make their fans so that air can pass through them, unlike others that don't, so at least with 4 still open, any heat should get out..

With where the speaker's sound exit is, under the dynamic fans, plenty of sound is coming out, possibly even a little too much. I found some 1/4" plastic foam and cut a small piece to cover that fan's base and placed it up against the exit, which does seem to have mellowed it a tad. Have got some of a denser foam, will have a fiddle with that.
 
On another note. On the FB DCC and Sound group Group I'm on, a contributor showed his clubs use of iPhone 7 plus speakers, mounted in similar fashion to how I've done this one. They look interesting. The iPhone 8 plus could be even better. My son, in Tasmania is repairing phones as part of a sideline business he's trying to get going. He wrote to me a while ago when I mentioned the iP6's on FB, offering to get them for me. I'll write to him again about these 2, see if he can give me the dimensions. Going by the pic's on ebay they appear to be a twin speaker setup in the 1 housing.
 



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