I am finally - finally! - building up a 386 system around a motherboard I bought off of eBay.
Today I received a power supply. I am having trouble mounting the supply in my case with my collection of screws. It seems like every screw is too small.
What screws should I be looking for?
Pictures of the system are attached.
Thanks!
I would expect 6-32 like the screws used on the isa cards. Maybe unscrew one of the screws on the PSU used on the inside to use as a reference it likely is the same size.
jskyboo wrote on 2022-08-23, 03:29:I would expect 6-32 like the screws used on the isa cards. Maybe unscrew one of the screws on the PSU used on the inside to use as a reference it likely is the same size.
Thanks for the reply!
I removed a screw from the top of the supply and tried it in the mounting hole. The screw was so small it didn't catch any threads. I shook the supply for the screw to come out.
The ISA cards are mounted with small, fine thread/pitch screws. They are definitely smaller than the threaded mounting holes in the back of the power supply.
I can definitely try some known 6-32 screws from work. Isn't the next size up 8-24 and 8-32? I can try those tomorrow too. If they fit then I will get a supply of those screws for myself.
Anything that works..... PK screws are very adaptable I've found 😉
It's of course hard to judge from pics, but looks like it's some kind of metric thread. The small imperial sizes has a significantly larger pitch/diameter ratio than their metric equivalents, the difference is very visible to the trained eye. Compare a 6-32 and an M3 screw side by side, and you'll see what I mean 😀
Would guess it's M5, or maybe even M6.
There was a fat screw used in a few places in older machines, typically to hold drive cages in and places like this. Looked more like a 6-32 in thread pitch family rather than metric. Never knew the size myself, it was in my head as "that other other computer screw". Random later applications were where it was kind of a key screw or master screw for the cover, where there were 4 the regular size and one big one, often lost or deliberately discarded because it was a pain in the butt.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
Okay, so I dug in my Ye Oldeste Boxe of Computyre Screwes and found a fat one with an IBM slotted hex head so I was fairly sure it was an example of the type, and it actually looked metric, so found a known M4 metric nut and it threaded perfectly.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
