Apple III case screws

15 posts / 0 new
Last post
guibrush's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Apr 12 2020 - 13:45
Posts: 30
Apple III case screws

Hi, to finish the restauration of my Apple III I'm looking for the screws that hold both the power supply and the motherboard plate under the case.  As I'm in Europa, I don't find them. Can someone point me to the right direction? Thanks :-)

Online
Last seen: 1 hour 38 min ago
Joined: Apr 26 2016 - 08:36
Posts: 743
I think that they are #4-40 x

I think that they are #4-40 x 3/8" long phillips or slot head screws.  I've seen both types.

guibrush's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Apr 12 2020 - 13:45
Posts: 30
Thanks! I will try those

Thanks! I will try those

guibrush's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Apr 12 2020 - 13:45
Posts: 30
Ok, I got the 4-40 x 3/8"

Ok, I got the 4-40 x 3/8" screws today, this is not the right size, they are too small. Here is a picture of the two screws. On the top this is the original screw, the one I need, at the botom it's the 4-40 x 3/8" screw that I received today. I have the feeling that even the 40 part isn't good, as we can see on the picture. Unfortunally, as I'm european I have no knowlege at all on those screws... Any idea what reference can be the good one?

 

https://imgur.com/a/mIRXgc0

Offline
Last seen: 2 weeks 1 day ago
Joined: Jun 12 2022 - 23:35
Posts: 111
The next SAE machine screw

The next SAE machine screw size up is a 6/32.   Maybe that would work. 

The shaft diameter of 4/40 is 0.112" (2.84 mm), 6/32 is 0.138" (3.51 mm), 8/32 is 0.164" (4.17 mm).  The second number (40 or 32) is the number of threads per inch or 25.4 mm.  You could count the number of threads and divide by the number of mm and multiply by 25.4 to get the threads per inch.

The most standard SAE sizes are 4/40, 6/32, and 8/32.   Similar metric sizes are M2.5, M3, and M4, but generally American hardware in the 1980s is going to use SAE.

 

 

Online
Last seen: 1 hour 38 min ago
Joined: Apr 26 2016 - 08:36
Posts: 743
Agreed.  You could try M2.5

Agreed.  You could try M3 and that might match the thread pitch. 

The diameters look similar, though.  But the thread pitch on the original screw is higher than "40"

 

 

guibrush's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Apr 12 2020 - 13:45
Posts: 30
Thanks for the answers. I

Thanks for the answers. 

I tried M3 and M4, M3 is too small and M4 don't fit. Do you mean that 6/32 is the same than M3?

tokabln's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 weeks 1 day ago
Joined: Dec 30 2015 - 10:48
Posts: 260
profdc9  posted the

profdc9  posted the measurement of 6/32 already : 6/32 is 0.138" (3.51 mm).

https://www.applefritter.com/comment/98824#comment-98824

So if M3 is to small and M4 is to tall... it must be something in between... which seems to be 6/32.

guibrush's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Apr 12 2020 - 13:45
Posts: 30
Ok. I ordered some 6/32 screw

Ok. I ordered some 6/32 screw to test. I will report when I get them.

guibrush's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Apr 12 2020 - 13:45
Posts: 30
I got the screws today: 6/32

I got the screws today: 6/32 isn't the right spacing. Now I'm puzzled...

 

https://imgur.com/a/1ss6ru7

 

 

left is the 6/32 screw I got today, right is the original one of the Apple III...

 

 

Offline
Last seen: 2 months 3 days ago
Joined: Jul 5 2018 - 09:44
Posts: 2587
guibrush wrote:I got the
guibrush wrote:

I got the screws today: 6/32 isn't the right spacing. Now I'm puzzled...

 

https://imgur.com/a/1ss6ru7

 

 

left is the 6/32 screw I got today, right is the original one of the Apple III...

 

 

 

Those both look like 6/32...  BUT...  one looks like it is COARSE thread, the other FINE.

 

https://us.sfs.com/content/files/images/Comparison%20Chart.png

 

 

Offline
Last seen: 3 hours 38 min ago
Joined: Jul 31 2014 - 17:48
Posts: 85
I had a look in the Apple III

I had a look in the Apple III Service Reference Manual, looks like there is a parts list in there. It's a bit hard to work out which screws these would be, but it looks like on page 337, there are some screws mentioned with quantity 19. Screws to hold the motherboard pan, plus the power supply gets up around this number.

They are M3.5x 0.6 x 10, so looks like they might actually be metric.  Apple Part No in the ref manual: 420-1006

 

Link is here for the doc on internet archive:

https://archive.org/details/Apple_III_Service_Reference_Manual-1982

 

/Rob

Offline
Last seen: 6 days 23 hours ago
Joined: May 31 2022 - 18:18
Posts: 360
Screws are a PITA to do like

Screws are a PITA to do like this, best bet is always to take what you got and head to a good hardware store with a variety of speciatlity screws. In the US we have Ace as a national brand which is pretty good. There are two important things... first screw diameter, second thread spacing, legth is easy. 

I agree these may be metric, but could also be a standard size too I found M3.5 is a perfect match to 6/40 both of these are course thread. There are also fine thread, and for my Apple IIs I found I could use M3.5 and both 6/32 or 6/40 when those where needed. From your first picture (assuming the top is the original fastener) ,  the bottom one being the 4/40 3/8" looks close, is it just too small a diameter? The threading looks slighly off, but that could just be the picture. Best to line the threads up like you tried to do but just overlap like 10 theads so the heads don't get in the way with the threads nested it's easy to judge spacing. 

 

If you have a pair of calipers head over to McMaster-Carr look at the pan heads found here: McMaster-Carr 

This is a good resource for cross-referencing sizings from your measurments too (this is my favorite) : Understanding Metric Fasteners - Fastener Mart

My guess you need a 6/32 3/8" screw, but I just saw your second image and honestly that one on the left looks nothing like 6/32 to me. It's got half as many threads as the one on the right! If you put that next to the 4/40 they should be close but I suspect you'll find they aren't. 6/40 is similar to your 4/40 but with a larger diameter and may closer match the original "thicker" diameter (if that's what you mean by the first try was "too small". That's not very specific.... cuz there are lots of dimensions here. 

guibrush's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Apr 12 2020 - 13:45
Posts: 30
Thanks a lot!  I didn't even

Thanks a lot! 

 

I didn't even know the 3.5 M exist. I'm in Europe, and this size isn't available freely in stores, I checked somes.

 

So, I ordered somes 3.5M and will report back is this is finally the right screws :-)

 

 @ jeff d

 

Thanks for the explanation. I tried to go in stores with my original screw. But the poblem is that I'm in Switzerland, they don't have those references freely available. The irony is that maybe because I told that this is comming from an antic american computer, they didn't came to the idea that it can be an european shape and assumed that it muss be in inches....

guibrush's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Apr 12 2020 - 13:45
Posts: 30
Hi, I got the M3.5x 0.6 x 10

Hi, I got the M3.5x 0.6 x 10 srews and installed them on the Apple III: it's a perfect fit :-) Thanks a lot everybody for all the help and hints and a big thanks to @rjustice for finding the good reference!

Log in or register to post comments