I am currently making some wooden side panels for my octatrack similar to this:
I am trying to source some screws to fit the octatrack’s rack mount side screw holes.
I see from Elektron’s rack mount kit that they are M3x6 screws so I know what to look for but I am having a hard time finding a place that sells them.
Does anyone have an idea of where I might be able to track them down?
Ideally I would want the head type you can see in the picture above.
all over eBay.ca though many seem to come from the US anyway.
Got mine on ebay.
Don’t forget that the ones specced by elektron are correct for the rack mounting ears. If you’re using wooden panels you might need them to be a bit longer. I used 8mm screws with 5mm acrylic side panels.
After some searching it seems that the listed “M3x6” may mean 3mm diameter and 6mm length, instead of 3mm diameter and 6mm pitch. If this is the case, what thread pitch do I need?
I am quite the noob when it comes to screw specs, but I have found info on a metric screw standard called ISO 261 and 262. M3 screws under those standards come in coarse or fine thread pitch (0.5 coarse and 0.35 fine). This seems to be more common in ebay searches as they usually list the screw specs as diameter X length.
Thanks, and yes, from my estimations I will be needing a 25mm length to allow for the thickness of the wood panel and the depth of the screw hole.
M3 denotes 3mm thread (universal european measutrement) can be measured with a micrometer, but essentially it’s the thread at it’s widest point.
You’re looking for a panhead judging by the picture
The head size is nominal based upon the thread size usually, unless it’s a flange bolt, in which case the flange diameter will be stated seperately.
thanks!
does anyone know the thread pitch? 0.5 (coarse) or 0.35 (fine)?
Judging by this page, the M3 is only available in 0.5mm pitch, it’s only when the bolts get bigger that the pitch comes in two sizes
http://www.metrication.com/engineering/threads.htm
from wiki: “The “coarse” pitch is the commonly used default pitch for a given diameter. In addition, one or two smaller “fine” pitches are defined, for use in applications where the height of the normal “coarse” pitch would be unsuitable (e.g., threads in thin-walled pipes).”
being that the octatrack has a very thin casing where the screw threads into it I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the fine thread.
Anyone know for sure?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_metric_screw_thread
hi iam european
you are searching for a coarse thread 3mm diameter screw with 0.5mm pitch.
iam about to build wooden cheeks for my A4 and MD right now and googled the threads diameter where i found this thread hehe
iam about to buy the wood, its 5:20 and homedepot closes at 7:30 so i have plenty of time left 
which material do you use ? and do you plan to hide the screws somehow ?
Hi, thanks for the information on the screw pitch! I decided I have picked up the screws I need. The wood I am using is called Padauk and it is an african wood that is almost orange in colour. Each end cheek is 18mm or ~3/4" in thickness. I picked up M3x16mm screws so I have countersunk them into the end cheek and the head does not stick out at all.
I picked up these screws with washers - M3x16mm 0.5 pitch - pictured below, as it was the only head type I could find locally. I had wanted to find something with a larger head to provide a little more grip on the end cheeks
The screw holes are countersunk as seen in this Tempest picture:
Padauk is the specific wood I chose:
I am making two sets like this style pictured below, in case I buy another Elektron machine:
If you already have two machines, you may want to think about making an all-in-one stand like this:
Let us know how it goes! Eager to see your results. Nice choice of wood btw
nice !!
I built the wooden cheeks AND two 3HE desktop racks, that '(at the moment) includes a neutrick 24ch patchbay connected to a behringer 1602 linemixer. and i have a bsspod xt ( i know, but i bought it some years ago …) as effects unit and an alembic fx1 to be used for kicks etc. and a dbx 266 for ducking compression.
so far everything works fine, except that the behringer unit was defect, so i they gave me a new one hehe.
to anyone that wants to build cheeks for those synths especially for the analog four :
BEWARE ! ! ! !
if you use too long screws on the bottom left side where the button of the first step is, the screw blocks the button and i dont know if it touches the PCB while blocking the button
i thought my A4 was damaged until i released the screws, so make sure they are just as long to fit in and no mm/inch longer then that 
will post some photos, also i can upload a drawing with dimensions in mm/inch, if someone wants do skip that step
Yeah, in the OT if you use screws that are too long, you can crack a circuit board. Careful Careful.
good to know, I think I will be okay for screw clearance. I might pick up some more washers in case I end up with too much screw coming out of the wood.
After a lot of measurements and sanding, I was able to complete this project without the Octatrack on hand (I was visiting my hometown and thought it would be a good father/son project). Thankfully it all paid off as the side panels/end cheeks fit the Octatrack perfectly. And I can confirm that the M3 0.5pitch screws were a fit. As per the above warning regarding the minimal screw clearance inside the Octatrack, I was able to get the perfect depth using washers with each screw.
Thanks to you guys for your help, now here are the pics!
That looks great, I’ll take that spare set off your hands
I am not sure if I will sell them yet. I am waiting for the new Elektron device to be announced. But they may be up for sale at a later date.
They look awesome. Very nice job.
I am planning to make a double stand but I wont be using screws (as I often need to transport my boxes so unscrewing every time will be a pain) so I am hoping to build something where they just slot in.
Please keep us posted on that project! Right now I’ve got mine tilted up on a couple of drink coasters. It’s stable, but…
