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Thanks for that info.

M3.5 seems to be as rare in Australia as 6-32. I used to have boxes of 4BA stuff, but they have long disappeared in about 10 house moves Ove the last 30 od dyears.

I have ordered some 6-32 screws, counter sunk and pan head,? I had to order 25 of 1 and 15 of the other to make up ?the minimum $10 order, then pay 11 dollars freight, probably would have been cheaper from the US.

Next I just need to get a socket for the GPIB interface, which also seems hard to get , at least in reasonable quantities

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Wayne Eckert BEng

Observing Operations Hub Sydney

M:0409986684

T: 02 92961668

Unit 9 ?111 Moore Street

Leichhardt NSW 2040

wayne.eckert@... |

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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of george edmonds via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, 18 March 2025 11:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen

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Hi all

The threads you are looking for are M3.5, this is a little used thread except in the UK where it is used by electricians to hold switch face plates in place, it is actually very close to 4BA which were the original screws used..

HP used this thread in place of 6-32 when NATO and the US military required all threads to be ISO Metric. The tapping hole diameter is almost the same for 6-32 and M3.5, it is predominately used in case work only, particularly castings.

Hope this helps

G Edmonds

On Tuesday 18 March 2025 at 10:07:20 GMT, Joel Setton via groups.io <setton@...> wrote:

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If it's indeed M3.5 x 0.6, it's the same size as the hardware used on the recent HP-IB connectors, the ones with black screws (early HP-IB connectors used uncolored stainless steel 6-32 American hardware). You can check for compatibility with the screws on an HP-IB connector.

This is indeed a metric size, but a very unusual one which is not easily found, even here in Europe. Very few hardware vendors have them, one of them is here :

(no affiliation with them).

I hope this helps !

Joel Setton

#150937

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M3.5 is a standard size 3.5x0.6? the odd one is 3.5x0.5 and yes it exists I have a die for it and the 0.6 ( i use the 0.5 in music instrument repair-silly saxophones).....0.7 never existed nor should it. this is not complicated.....worst case make the screws easy way - ebay is your friend....punch in M3.5,? the standard pitch is 0.6? see the attachments I sent earlier...most likely more than you wanted to know on comparisons...the machinerys handbook is next good resource..way too much info to wade into.
搁别苍é别

On 3/18/25 12:05 PM, Jim Adney via groups.io wrote:

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On Mon, Mar 17, 2025 at 09:59 PM, 搁别苍é别 wrote:

M3.5x.6

A #6 screw is almost exactly 3.5 mm diameter.

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0.6 pitch comes out to just over 42 per inch.

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0.7 pitch comes out to just over 36 per inch, but M3.5 x 0.7 does not appear to be a real option.

--

Jim Adney

Madison, WI USA

#150945

Indeed in metric land 3.5x0.6 exists.

If one calculates the diameter and pitch in mm of your 6-32 one gets:

3.505x0.605 which is just one micrometer too much or one fifth of your hair thickness...

In fact I'm surprised that doesn't fit.

So, if I only had 6-32 screws on hand I would give a little 6-32 tap which should be very easy to do.

Just my two micrometers guys...

Renaud

#150946

Sorry I got myself confused between the two systems!

It's of course 5 micrometers so one large hair thickness!

I kick myself...

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#150947

(32 threads / inch) * (1 in / 25.4mm) = 1.2598 threads / mm

1/1.2598 = 0.79375 mm / thread (pitch)

That's not even CLOSE to 0.6mm pitch

(42 / 25.4) = 1.65354 threads / mm

1/1.65354 = 0.6048 pitch

I think you meant 42 TPI not 32 :)

The problem is he has 6-40 screws that the hardware store incorrectly thought it was (that don't fit) and 6-42 isn't a standard size - if it was, it would probably work, as there wouldn't be that many threads engaged, so the error would be minimal.

6-32 is WAY off and for sure won't fit either.

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On Wed, Mar 19, 2025 at 1:00?AM Renaud F5ZR via <renaud.richard=[email protected]> wrote:

Sorry I got myself confused between the two systems!

It's of course 5 micrometers so one large hair thickness!

I kick myself...

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#150948

I did of course Andrew, you are right. I was not well awake decidedly this morning!

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#150954

In my own shop, I am, kicking and screaming, "inching" towards the metric system.? I have a rather complete and well-organized set of little drawers for my SAE hardware, but the metric stuff heretofore has been in a couple of drawers marked only with the diameter; all lengths, plus nuts, washers, etc. have been jumbled together.? (Better than in my lab, where there's just a drawer labeled "metric".)? So I'm doing one of my obsessive-compulsive sorting and labeling projects to create a new cabinet specifically for all the metric stuff.

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The point of all this is that, in the US anyway, M3.5 isn't all that rare.? It's definitely less common than the integer sizes, but in my jumbled lot, captured from taking things apart and various small purchases, there is still quite a bit of M3.5 stuff.? I'm surprised that it would be so hard to source in an ostensibly metric country.? There's certainly plenty of M3.5 hardware to be found on Amazon.

~~
Mark

#150955

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I have never encountered 3.5 mm in anything, and yes I have seen them on Amazon and AliExpress, but never at hardware shops, electronics parts suppliers ( similar to radio shack) or even major parts suppliers. Maybe there is little demand here or I have just been looking in the wrong places. Lets hope it is the 6-32 hardware, which is apparently what the manual says, but I misinterpreted as 5/32.

This has been a learning experience for me with regards to imperial sizes as well as metric.

On my laptop screen, I read this as 5/32. At the time my eyesight was still severely impacted from a 3^rd nerve palsy and nothing was over clear. On a 27 inch monitor, blown up much clearer, plus this is from a more legible copy of the service manual.

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Anyway thanks to all who have replied, I know have the information I need to hopefully complete this piece if test equipment . I was amazed? at how accurate the output levels and frequencies? were, when first powered dup after 20 years, as measured on my recently Acquired CMU200. Level within 0.5 dB, and that can be accounted for with cable losses, and the frequency, as close as I could measure, was spot on. Fantastic bit of gear

?

Wayne Eckert BEng

Observing Operations Hub Sydney

M:0409986684

T: 02 92961668

Unit 9 ?111 Moore Street

Leichhardt NSW 2040

wayne.eckert@... |

?

UNOFFICIAL

Show quoted text

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Mark Moulding
Sent: Thursday, 20 March 2025 5:20 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] Threads for screws on 8656 Siggen

?

In my own shop, I am, kicking and screaming, "inching" towards the metric system.? I have a rather complete and well-organized set of little drawers for my SAE hardware, but the metric stuff heretofore has been in a couple of drawers marked only with the diameter; all lengths, plus nuts, washers, etc. have been jumbled together.? (Better than in my lab, where there's just a drawer labeled "metric".)? So I'm doing one of my obsessive-compulsive sorting and labeling projects to create a new cabinet specifically for all the metric stuff.

?

The point of all this is that, in the US anyway, M3.5 isn't all that rare.? It's definitely less common than the integer sizes, but in my jumbled lot, captured from taking things apart and various small purchases, there is still quite a bit of M3.5 stuff.? I'm surprised that it would be so hard to source in an ostensibly metric country.? There's certainly plenty of M3.5 hardware to be found on Amazon.

~~
Mark