Question Corsair Carbide 200R Fan Screws

[Mantrid-Drone]

I've found the Corsair Carbide 200R is a very decent case for the cost. It has a few flaws but I liked it so much that I bought a second one when I realised I couldn't fit the new GPU I'd wanted in my existing CoolMaster case.

I'm in the process of 're-casing' the PC in the new Corsair 200R case and I have a repeat of a minor problem due to what I'd call a case design fault.

The fan mountings (x3 top/rear extract) and bottom (x1 intake) are through holes in the case which are lined with fairly thin rubber grommets.

For some bizarre reason the holes themselves are only just under 6.5mm which means they are near enough the same diameter as the heads of 'standard' fan screws.

So Corsair 'helpfully' provide 16 black, wider head (7.5mm) 'short' fan screws so they don't screw through the grommet lined hole.

Problem is that I'm mounting a filter above the fans at the top and underneath the bottom intake one so the use of the provided short screws is marginal. There are also vents in the case side with the same mounting problem. If you want to mount filters (which have to be 'framed' to hold the screw) or another fan (less likely) they need, ideally, 7.5mm head screws too (not provided).

With the previous Corsair 200R cased PC I compromised by not using all the fan/filter mounts so I had spare wider head screws to play with.

So I thought it would be worth getting some long ones as well as more short ones for this build.

However in the UK can I find any black, short or long M5 self-tapping 7.5mm head fan screws at the usual places online? No, they're all apparently standard 6.5mm head.

There are alternative solutions like using thinner filter material or seeing if I can source some thin, black, M5 washers. But it is a compromise which I do not want to make.

Anyone here know where I can get some wider head, black, long (preferably) fan screws?

 

[mindless1]

IDK. What about a regular flat head screw, then if this M5 with 9.9mm head is too large, file down to the needed diameter?

M5 M6 Grade 8.8 Alloy Steel Countersunk Flat Head Hex Socket Tapping Wood Screws | eBay

Type:Flat Head Hex Socket Self Tapping Screws. Material: Alloy Steel. Head Style: Flat Head.

www.ebay.com

 

[Mantrid-Drone]

Thanks.

That's a good thought although those particular ones with the significantly countersunk heads would stand proud which is not what I want.

But on the same page there were some '"ultra-thin, low, flat, wafer cap" stainless steel screws which might work very well if I can find them in black.

Even with a shallower screw thread than a typical wood screw (or self tapping fan screw) they'd self-tap well enough to hold a fan. I'm not keen on using a metal nut + washer actually inside the case but that made me think maybe I can use a black nylon or other type of plastic nut/bolt arrangement instead.

 

[mindless1]

If you think the countersink angle is too shallow, you could slip a piece of tubing over the threads, to protect them when you put it in a drill press chuck, and use a file to take off some material while it's spinning around (poor man's lathe), or if I understand what you want to do, use a drill bit to countersink the fan filter panel frame more, or, just get the screw really hot then jam it down into the plastic frame hole and let it melt itself a hole to match, lol.

Pushing it down (gently) with a soldering iron (no solder on it) would be as easy as anything to heat it while you monitor progress melting the hole, and a coating of silicone grease would allow the screw to release from the frame, then any excess plastic around the hole could be trimmed away with a razor blade. Heh, I'd have to see it in person to make that call, what I'd do next.

I wouldn't worry too much about using a nut and washer. If you're worried it will come loose, use a nut with a nylock insert then it's not going anywhere.

OR, put thicker (smaller hole diameter) rubber grommets in (maybe just the next size smaller grommet (then it will stretch and flatten some when the screw is tightened), if you can find longer fan screws with the smaller 6.5mm head diameter.

Also keep in mind that a fan isn't all that heavy. It's possible that if you just slipped a short length of string down into the grommet hole, that once you threaded the screw through the hole along with the string, it would have plenty of purchase to hold the fan in place despite the hole being a little oversized otherwise. I mean right before you fully tighten the screw, you cut the string close to it and further tightening the screw pulls the string down just enough to not be visible.

Then there's MAGNETS! Epoxy them onto frame and fan and let them do the work, assuming the case has a steel panel that attracts them.

 

[Mantrid-Drone]

Thanks again.

Interesting ideas, if, in some cases, a bit extreme. I might have to try one of those solutions if what I'm going to try first doesn't work out.

I've managed to source somebody selling what looks like a set of short Corsair fan screws so that may solve the problem if I use thin plastic air filters instead of the metal framed ones I'd prefer to use.

I'm also going to order some M5 10mm thin 'wafer head' flat head screws I think are close in head diameter to the 7.5mm of the genuine Corsair ones.

If the finer screw thread does not self-tap well enough to hold the fans/filters firmly I might have to go with that nut locking solution and maybe use some epoxy glue too.

Many of the Ebay listings for similar 'wafer head' screws have heads which are 8.5mm - 9.5mm diameter which I think are too big and will look wrong.

 

[mindless1]

I wouldn't worry much about looks. How it looks is going to be far more important to the owner than anyone else. I mean we're talking about millimeters area in the context of a big complicated box of stuff.

 

[Mantrid-Drone]

I sort of agree, as long as it works that's what is important but if I can get it sorted and looking good that's better.

It may indicate I'm a somewhere on the OCD spectrum but it would bother me if there were differences in the fan mounting screws. When you're building a PC or re-casing it in this case attention to such detail is the difference between an amateur and a professional looking finish.

I thought I had a solution that would work and maybe even look better than the almost unique screw type Corsair provide. That is to use Philips flange head self-tapping or wood screws with anti-vibration washers instead. But for some reason black M5 x 10mm or 8mm flange head screws of that type are not available; M4 and M3 yes, M5 (or M6 which will fit the mounting holes if the grommets are removed) - no.