Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

You know what?   FUCK metric. 

     BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

mnem
*imagining the look on med's face if all the metric fasteners in his life got offended and left*

[Neomys Sapiens]

Thanks everyone for the quick yet comprehensive and useful replies ! 

Maybe look here:
https://www.screwsandmore.de

https://www.schrauben-preisinger.de/Produkt%C3%BCbersicht

[BU508A]

Thanks everyone for the quick yet comprehensive and useful replies ! 

Maybe look here:
https://www.screwsandmore.de

https://www.schrauben-preisinger.de/Produkt%C3%BCbersicht

+1 for SAM (screws and more). I've bought from them on a few occasions.
I haven't known Schrauben Preisinger yet. Will add them to my vendor list.

[Zucca]

No, he shouldn't. And it does us a disservice to suggest so.
Because people do not have infinite time and so have to concentrate. Which would result in having to watch jittery drawn-out videos instead of the captains well structured and concise posts.

well... I think he could educate/help more people than the TEA/EEVBlog circle. That's why I want to start a channel.

[duckduck]

However to figure out the TPI, I would need a TPI gauge ! Anyone can recommend a decent cheap one on the web ?!

I like the SCREW CHEK'R. They are available on ebay, amazon, etc.

https://www.ruelleindustries.com/

So I would need I guess a place in the UK  !  So please all my TEA friends in the UK.... do you know of such a website/vendor ?!

You might check out https://www.mcmaster.com/ . They are based in the USA and have a nice search for threaded fasteners. I assume that they ship worldwide.


EDIT:

Also, Mr. Dragon, sir, I say forget Allen head screws. Few things are as frustrating as an Allen head fastener that starts rounding out. I ordered a nice variety of stainless metric Torx screws (and stainless Keps nuts) and I couldn't be happier. To each as own, I suppose.

[BU508A]

You know what?

FUCK metric. 

 

[tautech]

However to figure out the TPI, I would need a TPI gauge ! Anyone can recommend a decent cheap one on the web ?!

I like the SCREW CHEK'R. They are available on ebay, amazon, etc.

https://www.ruelleindustries.com/

IMO you cannot do without a thread pitch gauge and they are also available in ISO/SAE types these days.
https://www.amazon.com/Grip-Thread-Pitch-Gauge-SAE/dp/B004ROIU2A

Edit
Just spotted this one if you wanna go the whole hog:
https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Stainless-America-British-Whitworth/dp/B08VDFM17S/ref=pd_sbs_6/140-0459429-7759753?pd_rd_w=23BtU&pf_rd_p=3676f086-9496-4fd7-8490-77cf7f43f846&pf_rd_r=HVRP23VMGH09YJ64EF00&pd_rd_r=40959414-6cc9-410a-8c9e-213d871f3d4c&pd_rd_wg=02beG&pd_rd_i=B08VDFM17S&psc=1

[Cubdriver]

Cub I wonder something : the little screws that hold all the tube sockets on the decks (I need to replace some of them). They don't have a nut, they screw straight into the aluminium sheet.. yet looking at the bit of thread that's exposed, they don't look like self tappers ?! They look more like machine screws to me, no ? Would Tek have gone through the trouble of tapping all these tiny holes ?!      Bottom-line : no sure what screw to order for these !!! 

I just pulled one from mine and compared it to a standard 6-32 machine screw.  The thread pitch appears to be 6-32, (I meshed them together and they seem to match, but it's not 100% given the short length of the screw from the curve tracer - not enough overlap for me to be certain) but based on the oh-so-slight taper of the Tek tube socket screw, I think it's a thread forming screw, for use in soft materials like the aluminum of the chassis.  I tried threading the 6-32 machine screw in in its place, and it started ok but then got a bit tight.  When I then reinstalled the original Tek screw, it too got a bit tight as it was snugged down, so I'm 95% confident that I could drive a 6-32 machine screw through there without any trouble, and have it grip well.

Below is a macro shot comparing the Tek screw on the left with a bog standard UNC 6-32 flat head machine screw on the right.


Thread forming machine screws are available - something like these: https://www.mcmaster.com/93878A144/
Or these in pan head: https://www.mcmaster.com/94209A080/

Though as I previously mentioned, I think you could replace them with regular machine screws at this point as the treads are already mostly there in the chassis.  Just might need a bit of extra grunt to fully seat them.

-Pat

[VK5RC]

Re threads and an entertaining read I can thoroughly recommend Simon Winchester's book Precision - a bit of a Cooks tour through increasing engineering precision in the last 100yrs or so.
Threads drive me insane - pitch guages, micrometers, a book referencing pitch, major diameters etc helps a bit. Metric is a 'Bit' simpler but even then you get so many different variants, I think I have them all then Murphy comes...... 😜, in Aus we have the hangover from Imperial UK, imports from USA and now metric. We are totally f*****d. 😂

[Cubdriver]

EDIT:

Also, Mr. Dragon, sir, I say forget Allen head screws. Few things are as frustrating as an Allen head fastener that starts rounding out. I ordered a nice variety of stainless metric Torx screws (and stainless Keps nuts) and I couldn't be happier. To each as own, I suppose.

I would amend that to SS Allen BUTTON HEAD screws - Allen Head Cap Screws are fine in my experience.  I've used the button heads and for a given thread size the Allen is a size or two smaller than the ones in the cap screws and as a result much more likely to get buggered up.  Don't get me wrong, they look nice, but for utility the taller, uglier cap screws are more robust tool-wise.

-Pat

[Zucca]

Tool of the day

Plastic Razor Blade Scraper

useful for not damaging plastic surface or carve a glass bed when removing the 3d prints

[mnementh]

EDIT:

Also, Mr. Dragon, sir, I say forget Allen head screws. Few things are as frustrating as an Allen head fastener that starts rounding out. I ordered a nice variety of stainless metric Torx screws (and stainless Keps nuts) and I couldn't be happier. To each as own, I suppose.

I would amend that to SS Allen BUTTON HEAD screws - Allen Head Cap Screws are fine in my experience.  I've used the button heads and for a given thread size the Allen is a size or two smaller than the ones in the cap screws and as a result much more likely to get buggered up.  Don't get me wrong, they look nice, but for utility the taller, uglier cap screws are more robust tool-wise.

-Pat

I like 'em just fine in my 3DP and on my whirry little flying things, and they hold up just fine even flying crashing at 50KPH or more. 

The heads rarely round out unless I'm trying to drive them with worn out drivers.

We're talking panels on a plucking TE for Ifni's sake... not bulkheads on a Star Destroyer.

Also, I'll direct your attention to the PS in my original post... 

Pssssst... replace them all with stainless steel hex-drive button head screws. Bring it into the 20th century, now that we're in the 21st. 

mnem
*agitating-ily*

mnem
*agitating-ily-errr...*

[beanflying]

Thanks everyone for the quick yet comprehensive and useful replies ! 

@Xrunner : yes would love to fly to the US to sort this H/W problem out, but not economical, I will never be able to afford to fly anywhere, too expensive for me !   

@Mansaxel : looks like almost studied this stuff enough to write a PhD thesis !    A rabbit hole it appears to be indeed, and one for a BIG rabbit !

@Cubdriver : thanks a lot for your practical help, you are my saviour, will contact you if needed ! 

Yes TPI on parts list is 26 not 24, so a typo on their part I guess ! 

Yep, most screw in the parts list are 32. Most are 6-32, some 8-32 and some 4-40. A few 10-32 too but Hex head,don't know where they are, so I probably don't need those...

As for replacing slotted wit Philips, not sure, it would hurt originality and look inconsistent... I can deal with those pan slotted heads OK, I never felt like I was losing my mind because of them. It's not like hter was a million of them and I was restoring these scopes by the dozne each week, so I can deal with a slight pain in the butt where required ! 

Thanks for the MacMaster web site, yes I was hoping for something like this ! I don't dream such thing would exist in France as why would it, and now you have all deterred me from buying screws from the UK for I would probably get screws that look good from a distance but don't fit well when I go to screw them in !

So I guess to avoid troubles, it's best to buy the screws from the US, and I am glad Cub is there ot assist with his 575 !   
hopefully together we can sort something out...

What I though I could possibly do to simplift the problem a bit, is to use Metric / locally sources screws in some places, as it IS possible here and there : where the screw is mated to a lone nut. A complete bolt. This way I can just replace both the screw and the nut, and therefore I can use Metric if I want !  Nobody will be able to tell the difference, not even me since I am already using my Metric wrenches to remove this nuts anyway ! IIRC I use size 8, 9 and 11mm in these scopes, it goes well. Keeps me from spending money on imperial wrenches !      I also use a Metric wrench to get the big retaining nut on the pots on the front panel. It's 5/8" but a 16mm deep socket fits just fine.

So I need to look at the 575 more closely, make a list of all the rusty H/W I need, see where I can use Metric, and see where I have no choice but order screws from the US... then buy a TON of them. This way even though I will pay an arm to import them, I would only have to fo it once. Then I would have enough screws to restore my very many Tek scopes.. screws will be there at hand ! 

Cub I wonder something : the little screws that hold all the tube sockets on the decks (I need to replace some of them). They don't have a nut, they screw straight into the aluminium sheet.. yet looking at the bit of thread that's exposed, they don't look like self tappers ?! They look more like machine screws to me, no ? Would Tek have gone through the trouble of tapping all these tiny holes ?!      Bottom-line : no sure what screw to order for these !!! 

Vince and others add the free version of this to your phone/tablet 

https://fswizard.com/

or online app in your browser.

https://app.fswizard.com/

Works great and has a bunch of thread tables for metric/imperial and plenty of other useful calculators. Not the least of which is speeds and feeds for drills/mills into various materials.

[mnementh]

However to figure out the TPI, I would need a TPI gauge ! Anyone can recommend a decent cheap one on the web ?!

I like the SCREW CHEK'R. They are available on ebay, amazon, etc.

https://www.ruelleindustries.com/

IMO you cannot do without a thread pitch gauge and they are also available in ISO/SAE types these days.
https://www.amazon.com/Grip-Thread-Pitch-Gauge-SAE/dp/B004ROIU2A

Edit
Just spotted this one if you wanna go the whole hog:
https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Stainless-America-British-Whitworth/dp/B08VDFM17S/ref=pd_sbs_6/140-0459429-7759753?pd_rd_w=23BtU&pf_rd_p=3676f086-9496-4fd7-8490-77cf7f43f846&pf_rd_r=HVRP23VMGH09YJ64EF00&pd_rd_r=40959414-6cc9-410a-8c9e-213d871f3d4c&pd_rd_wg=02beG&pd_rd_i=B08VDFM17S&psc=1

LOL.... I posted links to these same products a page ago. 

Also, never did care for the Screw Chek'r. They make it from entirely too-thin metal and it wears out too quickly, especially if you carelessly try to thread a buggered bolt into it. You want a metal one at least 2-3mm thick. There are some plastic ones that are half-decent and aboot half the price of metal, but they too suffer the same wear issue.

mnem
 

[mnementh]

Tool of the day

Plastic Razor Blade Scraper

useful for not damaging plastic surface or carve a glass bed when removing the 3d prints

Also makes a great spudger for separating cases on electronics once you dull the blades a bit. You can also use the blades as starting wedges same way you'd use guitar picks.

mnem
*toddles off to ded*

[beanflying]

Nice condition old Sig Gen  eBay auction: #234207337270



Or more knobs and wheels eBay auction: #133889000948

[25 CPS]

Pssssst... replace them all with stainless steel hex-drive button head screws. Bring it into the 20th century, now that we're in the 21st. 

mnem
*agitating-ily*

Since you're living in Canada, you mean stainless steel Robertson screws, right?

[AVGresponding]

@Vince, just get yourself some Tekscrews and be done with it!



 

[AVGresponding]

Just got an email from UPS that I hope does not presage headaches and frustration. It says I have a package coming, to a US address. It's the Fluke 27, and I really hope it's just some automated email notifying me it's arriving at a trans-shipping point, as the vendor definitely sent it to my home address, and I have paid accordingly.

Fingers, toes etc crossed...   

[factory]

I AM SCREWED !!!!!   I mean I am REALLY screwed !!!   


... trying to order brand new H/W nut and screws to replace all the rusty ones in my Tek 575 curve tracer.

It's a nightmare.. have to learn all the English screw related stuff, my goodness 

All US not English threads.
Look up sub 1/4" UNC and UNF sizes.

Are you kidding me ?! The US do NOT use the same designation as the UK ?! So I can't even find the proper screws in the UK, have to pay to import them from some US vendor ?!  OH MY !!! 

I've used https://www.accu.co.uk/en/ for UNC & UNF, you should be able to find almost everything you want there, don't know about the nuts with the star washer attached, never looked for those before. Probably only do stainless too, zinc plated steel seems impossible to get over here.

I've mostly bought CSK case screws & grub screws for HP TE from them.
Only problem I noticed last year was, some items the minimum quantity had gone up.

David

[beanflying]

@Vince, just get yourself some Tekscrews and be done with it!



 

Don't forget like all good sparky fixes you need a Hammer



and Drill to make the hole the right size note the tang through one for increased effectiveness 

[med6753]

Just got an email from UPS that I hope does not presage headaches and frustration. It says I have a package coming, to a US address. It's the Fluke 27, and I really hope it's just some automated email notifying me it's arriving at a trans-shipping point, as the vendor definitely sent it to my home address, and I have paid accordingly.

Fingers, toes etc crossed...   

That US address is my apartment. 

Good luck! 

[med6753]

Well blow me down. It only took 10 days to go from Germany to JFK. But USPS finally has the 547 mug. Now let's see how badly USPS handles it. I'm only about 80 miles away.

[Brumby]

@Vince, just get yourself some Tekscrews and be done with it!



 

Keep that up and we'll start calling you Magilla!

[Brumby]

@Vince, just get yourself some Tekscrews and be done with it!



 

Don't forget like all good sparky fixes you need a Hammer



and Drill to make the hole the right size note the tang through one for increased effectiveness 

I'd throw you into that pot as well, Bean, except I've had to resort to such desperate actions on the odd occasion.  (Hangs head in shame) ...but .... BUT ... NOT on any test gear!