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I have some small boards that have various connectors, JSP, female headers etc. Those connectors and headers will be used a lot with various devices plugged in and pulled out and will get a lot of mechanical stress. This will be rotational, angular, perpendicular, you name it. I understand that a lot of stress is directly on the pins and not the housings, but I want to be able to glue down the plastic housings to the PCBS for extra strength.

Neutral cure silicone rubber won't be of much use to me as I'm after rigidity and strength not vibrational relief.

I've tried high viscosity super glue and it's been useless. The same with one brand of UV adhesive. They both allowed the component to snap off with very little effort. I've yet to try forms of epoxy as with small but frequent jobs like this there will be a lot of waste during mixing and it will end up being relatively expensive.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

John Stock
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  • It would help to know why you weren't happy with the superglue or UV adhesive. – brhans Sep 28 '18 at 02:02
  • Epoxy is actually really good. They use that for marble, granite, and wooden floors for carpentry. –  Sep 28 '18 at 02:20
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    Epoxy is no good if subject to severe temperature ranges. Please define the boundaries in which this must work. Contact cement works most of the time. The longer the cure time the stronger the bond, for any adhesive. I use hot glue often but it will crack in very cold temperatures (-40 C). –  Sep 28 '18 at 04:22
  • what about using extender cables that are just a few inches in length.... even better if they can be attached to an enclosure – jsotola Sep 28 '18 at 04:51
  • I agree with jsotola. Find connectors that mount to an enclosure, rather than just your PCB. That is the ultimate solution when users are involved, something essentially sturdy, but much more sacrificial than a circuit board. – R Drast Sep 28 '18 at 09:42
  • @brhans I've updated the OP with that info. – John Stock Oct 02 '18 at 13:06
  • @KingDuken Yes they do, but requirements for electronics are often different. Chemistry has to be taken into account and corrosion. I am tempted to use epoxy resin though of the type you've mentioned. It's cheap and goes quite rigid. – John Stock Oct 02 '18 at 13:07
  • @jsotola Am using extender cables, but they ultimately have to be joined to the PCB which I've done via JST connectors. So it's just shifted the problem down one. – John Stock Oct 02 '18 at 13:08
  • @RDrast The PCBs are actually Arduino shields, which are often used (especially during debugging) without an enclosure. Plus my question was specifically about adhesives and glues not other solutions. – John Stock Oct 02 '18 at 13:10
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    4 months on: I think that an appropriate silicone rubber would do the job well. Modulus (~= stiffness) varies with composition. A high modulus / stiff rubber would allow minimal movement but still offer the other superb properties that SR brings. My 2011 answer [**here**](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/18533/3288) (which you have probably seen) relates. – Russell McMahon Jan 31 '19 at 03:02

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