shielding the stomp box

[okuzster]

i wanna make a wooden stomp-box and i believe it will be much better for noises if i cover the inside with foil.

question is that, how is it effect if i use aluminum or copper tapes? i have aluminum one and cant find the copper one beside online stores. (i did find copper foil, but not sure how to tape it. double sided tapes are best?)

and also i believe i have to connect ground to this shield. what about pots? in guitars i know pots' cases connected to ground, is it better if i do same in stomp-box?

anything else i need to know about this issue? thanks!

[ashcat_lt]

Put in the aluminumum, but just take some care.

Heavy duty aluminum is cheap in the US.  Way cheaper than the fancy copper foil they sell in the dedicated outlets.

The big issue is continuity.  If your foul is not very close to 0 Ohms to ground, from every point, then it won't do you any good.  If it does, the difference between Al and Cu is not big enough for us to worry about

Copper foil is supposed to be easier to solder to if/when necessary, but we can find ways around that.

[EBK]

If you go with foil tape, get one with conductive adhesive.
I use 3M 1126 copper tape.

[GibsonGM]

I have used a spray adhesive and cheap aluminum foil in the past. In fact, that's why I put on the back of pickguards and body cavities of guitars (I bet most others do, too, ha ha - I didn't invent it).

The type of contact adhesive I use requires you to spray cavity/foil, then stick them together when they're DRY, so you have time to work with it.   I have had nothing but great results with this.   

Yes, maintain continuity for sure no matter what you use!

[duck_arse]

how much room do you have inside? I'd get a sheet of thin metal - aluminium or steel, less than 1mm thick. cut it large enough to mount the pots, footswitch and pcb on, then mount that against the inside of the wooden top. that way, you don't need mess w/ mounting pots onto/thru the wood, you just need clearance holes for the shafts.

there are other catches to using this method, of course.

[davent]

I have used a spray adhesive and cheap aluminum foil in the past. In fact, that's why I put on the back of pickguards and body cavities of guitars (I bet most others do, too, ha ha - I didn't invent it).

The type of contact adhesive I use requires you to spray cavity/foil, then stick them together when they're DRY, so you have time to work with it.   I have had nothing but great results with this.   

Yes, maintain continuity for sure no matter what you use!

I've a bunch of copper foil and do the same with it for guitar cavities and pickguards. The spray adhesive i use is 3M Super 77, i do get continuity through it but still make solder bridges between overlapping copper pieces, easy to do with the copper foil.

dave

[stallik]

Electrolube NSC400H is a nickel screening compound in a spray can. I've used it to shield wood and plastic enclosures and find that metal jacks, well fitted, are enough for the connection.
I've tried foils in the past but they never look quite as neat as an even sprayed coat.
http://www.electrolube.com/products/maintenance-service-aids/nscp/paints_and_paint_removers/

[Cozybuilder]

Why not cover a metal box with wood instead of lining a wood box?