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Thread: Stand Off's

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,444

    Default Stand Off's

    Hi Guys,

    I came across an odd thread combination this afternoon. I needed to support a PCB off a alloy box chassis plate, so I grabbed four brass hex stand off pillars, salvaged from a scrap computer case. No problem there, M3 internal thread. At this point I assumed M4 external thread. So after drilling and threading four holes, I found that the pillars only screwed in a couple of turns before pulling out ??? When I tried to tighten them they just spun in the hole.

    After checking the external threads on the pillars, I discovered that they actually were #6 x 32 UNC. Fortunately moving down 1/4" inch and redrilling and tapping #6 x 32 allowed me to salvage the alloy box.

    24-01-2017-01.jpg

    A group picture of the stand off's and a die I used to confirm the thread.

    24-01-2017-02.jpg 24-01-2017-03.jpg

    Checking some other brass stand off pillars produced several other combinations of internal and external threads. I found M3.5 internal / 6 x 32 external, M3.5 with M4, 4BA with M4, and some with threads I couldn't identify.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Ballina N.S.W.
    Posts
    644

    Default

    Hi BaronJ,
    I have been dismantling old computers and printers for years and you are right they use a real mix of threads both unc and metric especially on the older ones. I just broke down two big commercial printers and found all the screws were metric 99% of them were 3mm ones. They were of Japanese origin so it was not a surprise, As you know they are a great source of ground rods, between these two I recovered 53 rods from 5mm to 16mm in diameter and over 200 short metric screws.
    Bob

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,444

    Default

    Hi Bob,

    I've been doing the same salvaging stuff. It just supprised me a little to find such a variation on a single part.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

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