I recently replaced the 11th gen mainboard in my laptop with a 12th gen, with the intention of putting the 11th gen board in a 3D printed case (the design from Framework). However, the screws for mounting the mainboard (M1.6 1.5mm fastener with a 5.5mm diameter) have proven to be difficult to find. Is there an alternative, more commonly available screw that can be used instead? Or maybe an alternative case design?
would a pan head m1.5 not do the job? seems like that should be a bit more common.
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Or any M1.6 1.5mm screw with washers?
Compensating for washer thickness, the screws could be longer too, which should be easier to find.
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Technically with the 3d printed case you can use a screw thats way longer than 1.5mm since theres no risk of going too deep. If anything, modify the model to deepen the screw holes, or drill the holes deeper if you already printed. That at least makes the search easier to only needing to find M1.6 with a 5.5mm diameter.
EDIT: I don’t really know what M1.6 means but if it is the thread size, the 3d printed screw holes aren’t even threaded so literally any threading will work as long as the shaft fits in the hole.
Also, each of the expansion cards you plug in will also hold the board in place. That can be a stopgap or even long term solution if you don’t plan to move the computer around much (like just mount it behind a monitor).
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they’re not threaded but you have to put threaded brass inserts in them, otherwise theres nothing for the screws to bite.
Their instructions don’t mention inserts at all, and the holes are sized about right for the screw as-is. The holes are definitely too narrow to fit an insert + screw.
At 6:23 he says you screw directly into the plastic.
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Wonder if it makes sense to also use some rubber grommets instead of only directly screw mounting the board…
Is there any custom CNC service out there who can CNC an aluminium case (using the CAD file as-is)? Potentially using the case as an additional heatsink to give the unit an overall better thermal headroom. (e.g. Think like the Flirc Raspberry Pi 4 Case)
Also, is there a ‘taller’ fan that could fit in-place to replace the default fan? Give it more CFM?