Shock-proof caps or other heavy PCB components?

[poodlesrule]

Learning the way around new-to-me AD30VT (woot!), I spent some time on the valvetronix forum.
A poster there writes about using dabs of hot glue (glue gun) under caps as stress-relief from shocks or vibration. The theory is the glue blob provides mechanical support, instead of cap leads doing the work.

Makes sense?

It sounds easy enough to implement.

[Ch0jin]

Manufacturers do this all the time. It's standard practice since the birth of PCB's pretty much. I'd add it to the sides rather than underneath though, underneath means it could spread across the component pins and maybe be, or become conductive.

Gluing down the big filter caps really helps prevent or delay the loud hum you get when eventually they develop bad solder joints. These bad joints come about partly from the the expansion and contraction of the components due to heat, and partly due to mechanical vibration. Removing or assisting with one of those by using glue is a solid idea (pun intended).

The downsides are that it looks ugly, and if it dries rock hard (like the old "yellow" glue manufacturers use) it's annoying to remove when replacing components. If you smear it all over the PCB you could get weird effects from it's (possible) capacitance/Resistance properties, so don't do that, but otherwise, go right ahead.

[poodlesrule]

spam reported!