Racks, rails and panels

Rack hardware is almost always either #10-32 (#10 NF) or #12-24 (#12 NF). Nearly all of the tapped rail racks are #10. #10 hardware you can get from a decent hardware store, though they usually are round head, which suck, and often fall through the oval holes in panels. #12 screws are just hard to find, it's an odd size. Many (not most) of the the tinnerman-type are #12's. A lot of the non-tapped racks use clip-on #10 nuts that have a little centering device in the clip. Real rack screws haev wide, flat heads, bigger htan "pan head". really nice ones come with a matching nylon washer. Rack screws oughta be phillips head, not slotted. You'll realize why when you have one hand holding up a computer, one hand holding the screw, and the other hand you don't have fumbling for the screw. Music people use rack hardware. GUITAR CENTER shold have them. Probably just the #10's though. It's amazing how much energy and thought trivial s**t consumes. tomj