Where do you get the screws for securing the star?
Salvaged from dead radios, CD players, CDROM drives, coffee makers, laptops... anything that would normally get thrown away gets stripped down and all the interesting parts go into junk boxes.
Laptop screws are usually good, because they're all small and almost always have really thin, low profile heads. And you can buy them fairly easily, if you don't have used junk to strip down.
Like here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/140945722167
Not recommending that particular item or seller, do your own search for 'laptop screws'. Lots and lots of assortments for very cheap.
I usually take old hard drives apart and save the screws and miscellaneous other parts. My son loves playing with the disks and even has a couple of aluminum hard drive bodies he plays with, lol The boy will play with ANYTHING!
Hi,
I finally got around to drilling and then trying to screw some screws in. All of the screws I had from my computer junk bag were way too big, even the tiniest ones.
What I ended up using is two of the screws from a “pillar” I bought from FT awhile ago:
http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002799/1208600-driver-pillar-wemitter-slot-for-flashlight-diy
You can see the two black screws it comes with in the 4th pic from the left.
Those fit, and the heads are small enough that it didn’t interfere with the emitters on the 3up star.
Also, as comfy suggested, I just drilled the holes (in an aluminum pill) with a Dremel, the 4486 chuck, and then screwed those screws in slowly, backing the screws out once in awhile. I also had to drill out the holes in the star, because they were too small for even those screws.
Question is: Where can I buy such tiny screws? I can’t keep buying C8 pills just to get 2 screws at-a-time :(…
What size did you determine they where ohaya?
I don’t know. Is it possible to guesstimate from the pics at FT for that C8 pill? FYI, I just submitted a ticket to them, to see if they could source and sell those screws… but not really hopeful.
Edit: I can try to measure the gross dimensions (length, etc.) with a caliper. Would that help? I think I could measure overall length, and maybe diameter of the head (they’re Phillips heads).
Can you measure across the threads, the diameter of the screw where the threads are.
comfy,
As I said above, I have a bag (actually bags) of screws, for my old computers, both desktops, and laptops, hard-drives, etc., and none of them come close to the size of those ones that came with the FT C8 pill.
I’ll try, and post back.
Thanks,
Jim
https://www.boltdepot.com/Machine_screws_Phillips_pan_head_Zinc_plated_steel.aspx
4-40 should measure close to .112”
3-48 should measure close to .099
2-56 should measure close to .086”
It could be something metric, then your own your own. I’am not to crazy about metric screws.
I would think the 2-56 screws would be plenty small enough. I usually buy boxes of 100 and try to keep various sizes.
I prefer the socket button head for most projects.
http://www.boltdepot.com/Socket_button_head_Alloy_steel_black_oil_finish.aspx
.
I’am checking out for the night. :weary:
Hi,
Here’s some pics and measurements. Sorry for the large pics… I can’t seem to get them sized correctly tonight, but will try editting after this):
Size for comparison with 20mm star:
Threads (1.88 mm):
Length (3.82 mm):
Head width (slightly off, because I couldn’t get the head perpindicular to the calipers - ~3.11 mm):
Jim
It maybe something metric then.
The 2-56 3/16” screws would be very close to the same size. Slightly larger diameter and slightly longer.
You measured .074” for diameter and .150” for length. The 2-56 should be .086 diameter and 3/16” should be .1875” for length.
You can take a little off the length if needed by grinding or with the dremel with a cut off wheel.
.
After looking at your picks again, I see your measuring the diameter with the very tip of the calipers. Try measuring
On the larger part of the caliper’s jaws, so that the tops of the threads is what’s measured from one side to the other. You could have one side of the calipers tips down in the thread a little.
I’ve gone ahead and ordered several of the 2-56 lengths, and one of the metric ones… shotgun approach :), so we’ll see.
Thanks, will post back when they get here. Hopefully one of them will be “right” and then I have a ton of extra screws :)!!
It’s always nice to have more screws than you need. :heart_eyes:.
:bigsmile:
Thought you were checking out… couldn’t resist, huh :)? And I’m glad you didn’t. Got my screws and wire, hopefully now!
BTW, you know, I was thinking recently, this “so-called hobby” has taken me a lot of places that I’d have never thought… screws, wires, pliers, tweezers, (new) soldering irons, calipers, lux meter(s), new DMM (s).
What else?
And, when do I actually get to use a flashlight :)??
Glad you sorted that out. And glad to hear of www.boltdepot.com having the small stuff, wouldn’t think it by their name…would think of larger “bolts” associated with that. 
Hi,
We’ll see how it works out, but I think one of the ones I ordered will be ok. The shortest metric one they had was 4mm length, measured from under the head, so it’s at least 1-2 mm longer than the ones that came with the FT C8 pill, but I’m hoping that the shortest 2-56 one might work.
Thanks,
Jim