Hello All,
I'm looking to build a collection of M3 socket head screws for future projects and don't want to waste money on fasteners I will rarely or never use. What lengths of M3 screws does everyone find they never have enough of? I'm assume M3 X 8mm long is pretty common. Any others?
Thanks!
I'm looking to build a collection of M3 socket head screws for future projects and don't want to waste money on fasteners I will rarely or never use. What lengths of M3 screws does everyone find they never have enough of? I'm assume M3 X 8mm long is pretty common. Any others?
Thanks!
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Use Torx M3 x 8 mm if you want to keep up with time 😉
It will be hardly wasting money as good quality M3 bolts/screws cost from 2.5 to 6 Euro/100 pieces. It might be a good idea to buy a few of 6 and a few of 10 mm length and ... a few with countersunk heads. You will need flat washers M3 too I guess. Some stainless steel M3 for mounting front panels/covers maybe ? Best tip I can give is to buy enough nickel plated brass standoffs (8 mm and 12 mm length) with the screws to mount PCB's the right way. The longer ones are for mains voltage carrying PCB's.
You will definitely notice you will never have troubles finishing your builds when you have a set of all these sizes. It will save you a lot of time.
It will be hardly wasting money as good quality M3 bolts/screws cost from 2.5 to 6 Euro/100 pieces. It might be a good idea to buy a few of 6 and a few of 10 mm length and ... a few with countersunk heads. You will need flat washers M3 too I guess. Some stainless steel M3 for mounting front panels/covers maybe ? Best tip I can give is to buy enough nickel plated brass standoffs (8 mm and 12 mm length) with the screws to mount PCB's the right way. The longer ones are for mains voltage carrying PCB's.
You will definitely notice you will never have troubles finishing your builds when you have a set of all these sizes. It will save you a lot of time.
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Between amp, pre-amp, headphone amp, and some Class D tinkering I've been using up fasteners like crazy. I'm also prepping for a few Pass builds which all use the M3 universal mounting spec. And like Jean-Paul said, it's relatively cheap to stock up a couple size in 100 piece bags. I'm not looking to save pennies necessarily, just don't want to have bags of fasteners laying around that I won't use. I already have one of those M3 assortment kits and I've run out of the more common sizes. Those kits aren't very economical at the end of the day. So, I wanted to see what thoughts everyone else has on the sizes they use most. Thanks for the tips guys!
I always buy 20 mm and if I need shorter I can shorten the amount I need then, it may seem like waste but I do not think so.
I do not know how easy you can get screws in US but I share my supplier Bolt Base | eBay Shops
I do not know how easy you can get screws in US but I share my supplier Bolt Base | eBay Shops
+1
My method of cutting: wind up a nut at the desired length, fasten the nut in a vice, cut the bolt at the nut, smooth the cutting with a file, unscrew the nut, done.
Thanks for the input everyone. I just ordered a bunch of M3 hardware from ebay. 8 and 12mm brass standoffs, 6, 12 and 16mm cap screws and a few different types of washers. Should be set now. And if i need a weird length I can always cut down the 16mm screws. Great idea!
Follow the "three thread rule" ... fasteners must be three full threads deep minimum into a bored hole, and when placing a nut on a bolt, three threads should be visible above the nut. Broadly speaking the very last thread (sometimes only a half thread) on a manufactured (not cut) bolt is not a true holding thread; it's usually somewhat smaller in diameter to make starting the bolt or nut easier, so don't count it in your "three".
For decorative situations, use acorn or similar nuts to hide the otherwise exposed threads.
If you use Nylox nuts, the nylon section can cover the otherwise exposed threads, you can get by with just one full thread exposed. High Heat Nylox nuts are available where necessary.
Beware the JIS fasteners that look superficially like Phillips types. Phillips are deliberately designed to cam out when over-torqued, (as in "it's a feature, not a bug"), which can damage or destroy the fastener making reuse difficult. Not so with JIS (Japan Industrial Standard).
You will encounter JIS fasteners on many manufactured products, as they work quite well at very small sizes. Attempting to remove a JIS fastener with a Phillips driver will result in typically obvious damage to the fastener, and you will often find you cannot tighten the JIS fastener properly with a Phillips driver as well.
For drivers, a set of JIS types is preferred to a set of Phillips, as you can use JIS on Phillips but not the other way around (you WILL destroy the fastener). Something to keep in mind if you are buying a set of micro drivers for electronics use.
For decorative situations, use acorn or similar nuts to hide the otherwise exposed threads.
If you use Nylox nuts, the nylon section can cover the otherwise exposed threads, you can get by with just one full thread exposed. High Heat Nylox nuts are available where necessary.
Beware the JIS fasteners that look superficially like Phillips types. Phillips are deliberately designed to cam out when over-torqued, (as in "it's a feature, not a bug"), which can damage or destroy the fastener making reuse difficult. Not so with JIS (Japan Industrial Standard).
You will encounter JIS fasteners on many manufactured products, as they work quite well at very small sizes. Attempting to remove a JIS fastener with a Phillips driver will result in typically obvious damage to the fastener, and you will often find you cannot tighten the JIS fastener properly with a Phillips driver as well.
For drivers, a set of JIS types is preferred to a set of Phillips, as you can use JIS on Phillips but not the other way around (you WILL destroy the fastener). Something to keep in mind if you are buying a set of micro drivers for electronics use.
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I use a lot of M3, and M4 socket cap head, and some button head screws for builds of all sorts of stuff.
In general I tend to use the M3's for PCB's and small peripherals mounting (neutrik rcas, etc.). For heavier boards, and frameworks I use the M4s. I stock a good selection of each, and several sizes of brass standoffs in both sizes as well.
Depending on the materials I'm working with I may use different sizes, obviously. I find myself using lots of 6mm, 8mm,20/25mm in both. Some point along the way I bought a bunch of sizes, a lot of which I still have, mostly unsused now. I buy more quantity of fewer sizes now.
FWIW, I keep them in fishing lure trays/boxes to keep them organized.
Might as well buy some flat washers, inside/outside teeth washers etc. I find myself going through more of those than I should. They're so damn small, easily lost.
In general I tend to use the M3's for PCB's and small peripherals mounting (neutrik rcas, etc.). For heavier boards, and frameworks I use the M4s. I stock a good selection of each, and several sizes of brass standoffs in both sizes as well.
Depending on the materials I'm working with I may use different sizes, obviously. I find myself using lots of 6mm, 8mm,20/25mm in both. Some point along the way I bought a bunch of sizes, a lot of which I still have, mostly unsused now. I buy more quantity of fewer sizes now.
FWIW, I keep them in fishing lure trays/boxes to keep them organized.
Might as well buy some flat washers, inside/outside teeth washers etc. I find myself going through more of those than I should. They're so damn small, easily lost.
Probably you mean Pozidriv (PZ). To my surprise there exist technicians who don't know the difference. It makes no sense trying to explain.
Pozidriv – Wikipedia
To avoid all the misunderstanding between Phillips and Pozidriv Torx was invented. Torx is technically better.
Probably he means JIS B 1012, which look just like PH head (with no extra 'X' of PZ).
List of screw drives - Wikipedia
List of screw drives - Wikipedia
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