Wiring from inside Beavis box to outside terminal block....Question

[vandy12]

Very new at this. I was looking at and now trying to build Beavis box. The original has a terminal block on the side
of the box and you cannot see how the wires are attached on the back of the terminal block. Then when I went to buy
a terminal block, I noticed there was no way to connect on back...it is solid plastic. Some of the builds I've seen they
just drilled a hole you can see and didn't worry about it, but I'd like it to look like the original with holes covered.

I then stumbled across feed thru terminal blocks, none of which really looked like they were set up for a good wire
solder on the part sticking thru, and I was going to use then and solder wires to their spade terminal which was the
best idea I could come up.

Bottom line question: What is the best way to drill, attach and wire to the terminal block from inside of box so the terminal block will
cover drilled connection hole? Thanks.

[iainpunk]

welcome to the forum!

i don't know how the original did it, but if i was building one, i'd do it like this:


cheers, Iain

[vandy12]

You can't wire to back of terminal block it is solid plastic on most of them so the only thing I can think of is you have to get a feed thru terminal block unless there is some kind of other special electronic gadget you can use to connect the inside wires with the outside block.
Surly there is someone who has opened the original and knows how they did it. I think it would look good if there was only one row of wire attachment screws on the outside and the connections were made somehow thru the pedal wall from the inside to the terminal block. The wires on the diagram shows they are connected on the inside of the box on the back of the terminal block but there is no information how they did this.

[anotherjim]

This?

You can find those blocks PCB mounting. They're used on things like industrial PSU modules. But I think it's free mounting like the user block at the back edge. All they needed to do is drill holes for wires - and you'd have to do that if it was a PCB mount type anyway. Note the enclosure is upside down with the lid at the top, so the lids locating lips don't get in the way of the holes you need to make. You don't even need to drill, you could grind/file a slot along the corner of the box.

[iainpunk]

You can't wire to back of terminal block it is solid plastic on most of them so the only thing I can think of is you have to get a feed thru terminal block unless there is some kind of other special electronic gadget you can use to connect the inside wires with the outside block.
Surly there is someone who has opened the original and knows how they did it. I think it would look good if there was only one row of wire attachment screws on the outside and the connections were made somehow thru the pedal wall from the inside to the terminal block. The wires on the diagram shows they are connected on the inside of the box on the back of the terminal block but there is no information how they did this.

you'd use one of those:

with the screw tubes pointing upwards, one side on the inside and the other on the outside, just like my drawing.

cheers

[PRR]

> terminal block, ....no way to connect on back...

There are 13,999 different "terminal blocks".

Iain has some good ideas about "Euro Blocks". But they were rare in the USA until 50 years ago. In North America, and I guess at Beavis' house, "Cinch" (now "Molex") blocks were/are usual. There's only like 3,000 variations of these.

Do what you have to do with the blocks you can get. It may come to drilling holes in the box, if you can't get feedthrough blocks. Or do the Iain technique. This isn't Government Work. This isn't KiloVolts work. You don't have a megabucks contract.

[iainpunk]

> terminal block, ....no way to connect on back...

There are 13,999 different "terminal blocks".

Iain has some good ideas about "Euro Blocks". But they were rare in the USA until 50 years ago. In North America, and I guess at Beavis' house, "Cinch" (now "Molex") blocks were/are usual. There's only like 3,000 variations of these.

Do what you have to do with the blocks you can get. It may come to drilling holes in the box, if you can't get feedthrough blocks. Or do the Iain technique. This isn't Government Work. This isn't KiloVolts work. You don't have a megabucks contract.

euro blocks and Iain technique, made me laugh twice, an ''euro block'' is what my peers call half an XTC pill (since a full one generally costs 2 euro), and the Iain technique, its just not the type of innovation i want my name attached to... haha

this might be a cool and easy to use kind of clamp for such a breadboard workstation

cheers, Iain

[vandy12]

So the standard block I got has the six sets of screws on the outside and a solid plastic block on the back. I am unfamiliar with the Iainpunk technique and can't quiet visualize it. Are those two wires on the inside of the box and they are connected with screws on the outside or are both rows on the outside? If you drill thru the plastic block then you are going to be drilling right into the screw. Then how do you connect wire? Maybe I'm just dense, but I have looked and looked and I do not see any way to do this like the original unless you get terminal thru which is the ONLY thing I can think of to have wires connected on the INSIDE of the box to ONE row of screws on the OUTSIDE of the box. The BEST option I've come up with is using a terminal thru I found that has spade connections sticking inside the box connected to the screws to the ONE ROW of terminal screws on the outside. Kind of weird having to solder to spade connectors but I guess it will have to do. Or you could drill six small holes, run six wires thru the wall, and hook them onto the top screw of the terminal block and just go with the two rows instead of the one row I'm thinking about. I know it is just a metal box and looks like a fantastic project for a music loving newbie pedal dummy like me, but having this much trouble trying to get close to the original is a pain when you can't find a way to replicate. Connecting wires to a device on the inside of a thin metal wall and having them connect with a connector on the other side should not be this complicated. But then I'm a simple minded simpleton so what can I say. I did some MORE Googling tonight and found this. This is what I'm thinking about as far as inside connections to outside.

[vandy12]

I think this might work.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp/4DB-P108-10/1277426?utm_adgroup=TE%20Connectivity&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Smart%20Shopping_Supplier_TE%20Connectivity&utm_term=&utm_content=TE%20Connectivity&gclid=CjwKCAiAm-2BBhANEiwAe7eyFDP53vXHeu2QwwX927cH5XyszdbEt_E5dJzwRMIxe73Jw0nVZ1hyzxoCUMEQAvD_BwE

[antonis]

I am unfamiliar with the Iainpunk technique and can't quiet visualize it. Are those two wires on the inside of the box and they are connected with screws on the outside or are both rows on the outside?

One row is inside box and the other is outside..

[iainpunk]

I think this might work.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp/4DB-P108-10/1277426?utm_adgroup=TE%20Connectivity&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Smart%20Shopping_Supplier_TE%20Connectivity&utm_term=&utm_content=TE%20Connectivity&gclid=CjwKCAiAm-2BBhANEiwAe7eyFDP53vXHeu2QwwX927cH5XyszdbEt_E5dJzwRMIxe73Jw0nVZ1hyzxoCUMEQAvD_BwE

am i right in that you use single side, pcb mount terminals?
the ''''iainpunk thechinque'''' uses two sided terminals, that have a metal sleeves with two screws to hold in wires. the screws are accessible through the ''smokestacks'' on the top. you put ones side so the smokestacks on the inside and the other ones on the outside.
spring clamp terminals like the ebay link i posted are quite usefull as well. but to make it easy, you should really use dual sided terminals, so you can ''feed through'' the enclosure.

cheers

[vandy12]

Some great ideas. Thanks for your time. I am such a newbie I'll have to look into the iainpunk technique. Several suggested it. Thanks.
While snooping I found a very nice looking terminal block that I was interested in. It was about eight bucks. I was going to buy it, went to check out...26 dollars postage. Coming from Canada. Yikes!! Do they pay high postage on items they buy from us? I am a musician not an economist so what the hell do I know. What I do know is I'm not paying 26 dollars for postage for a very small electronic part of any kind unless it will make my guitar somehow sound like Richie Blackmore. 

[iainpunk]

dude, just go to your local hardware store, in the electrical section, they are bound to have terminal blocks! my local hardware store sells the ''European type'' (the type i posted an image of) at 2 euro per 40cm (=50 terminals).

cheers

[vandy12]

Dude Iain:

The local hardware store here in Murfreesboro? They don't have electronic parts. I go to the electronic part stores. But I'm lazy and shop online. Again, it is not I can't find a block, it is just I can't seem to find one like the one on the original Beavis and have no good description of it. Probably don't make it anymore or it is buried in the gazillion others out there. After looking at these answers I'm going to drill six small holes, run the spade connectors of the thru terminal block thru those holes, glue the block on the side of the box with epoxy, and then solder the inside wires to the spades. One row of connection screws on the outside. How they did this on the original? Not a clue but I've spent too much time thinking about this one little part already. Thanks for taking the time to post...appreciate it.

[GibsonGM]

Dude Iain:

The local hardware store here in Murfreesboro? 

I dunno, man...I'm in rural Maine, 22 miles to the nearest town that has more than 1000 people, but there IS a hardware store in town.  They stock those terminal blocks, car fuses, switches etc.  Because it's 22 miles to anywhere else that will have them.

Almost moved to that part of TN, still might one day...very nice there    Don't get frustrated, sounds like your idea might work just fine.  You should see MY box, LOL.

[iainpunk]

You should see MY box, LOL.

i bet my box it worse tho, covered in ugly stickers, with holes drilled through the stickers to mount switches, pots etc... not even a foot switch...

cheers

[duck_arse]

here's some options for the americans among us.

https://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/products.asp?dept=1479

[antonis]

Just be careful with srew fastening torque or you'll result into some ripped out copper pads..
(especially for small number position blocks)

[vandy12]

Gibson we have a hardware store too, but I never go there. So really I don't know. I always go to Nashville for a larger variety or to Home Depot.
I could go to the hardware store, or Home Depot, or electronics store and be staring at a bunch of blocks and be looking right at the exact
one in the Bevis board and not know it. I wanted to try and get the original but I guess in the big picture it doesn't matter.
I looked at goldmine site. So which one is the one on the original Beavis out of all those hundreds? It's a mystery. I don't know if it is possible or not
but I'm going to try and contact the guy who built the original and get it from horse's mouth. It may be an exercise in futility, but I had this crazy idea, like
a million others, to make this fantastic prototype board for developing not only pedals but also something you could use for a variety of prototyping tasks.
I have asked a brilliant friend who is a mechanical engineer to draw up a design, but I don't think he is that much into it. My end goal is to
see what kind of a cool, functional board I can make. So I can make pedals, guitar harnesses, etc. no one will buy and add more junk to my house. HA!!
Thank you for responding to my post one and all.
Vandy in Tennessee.