Nuts and Volts - January 2017

Bench Werx describes the PCB Rax system as an easy-to-use, versatile circuit board holder for board repair, prototyping, and assembly. The basic PCB Rax consists of two side rails with feet, connected by threaded rods that allow the rails to clamp rectangular circuit boards between them, plus four extension brackets that connect to the rails at adjustable angles to hold smaller or different shaped boards. Figure 1 shows these components assembled into the PCB Rax system, ready to hold a circuit board for assembly or rework.

To put the system through its paces, I assembled four circuit boards of varying size and complexity that I found lurking in my goody box. These included an Elenco SP-3B Solder Practice Kit (partially completed by the grandkids), an ancient Parallax S- 2 Robot Badge kit, an old Pocket Mini Computer kit from Propellerpowered, and one Parallax EDU circuit overlay board that I used to build out a current project of mine. These boards are mostly through-hole construction with a few surface-mount components, and they have varying component densities and component proximity to board edges. They represent most of the PCB assembly tasks that I encounter as a hobbyist. I also placed a few components on an old prototype board, then removed and replaced them to simulate some board repair (Figure 2).

To cut right to the chase, I’ve been building things electronic for a long time, and I was a bit skeptical that the PCB Rax could add much value to the process I’ve developed over the years. With my curiosity still intact, I spent about eight hours over six different sessions evaluating the system. I found it easy to learn and easy to use, and I discovered that circuit board assembly and repair went noticeably quicker and easier using the PCB Rax. I like this tool, and I’m going to order one. Here’s why.

With 50 plus years of hobbyist soldering under my belt, I’ve become something of a minimalist, now relying on tape, clips, and trained fingers to get the most out of my simple 15 watt iron. I no longer have a full-time electronics bench or even a soldering station, and I long ago traded in my big oscilloscope and signal generator for tiny PC-driven devices that hide in a desk drawer and see

I was recently asked to review a product that readers may soon see advertised in this magazine — the PCB Rax system from Bench Werx. A quick look of the Bench Werx website (see www.benchwerx.com/pcb-rax) had me intrigued, and I agreed to put the PCB (printed circuit board) Rax through its paces and report back the results. Here’s what I found.