M3 washer

hornetstinger · 12 Oct 2024 at 22:56

Does anyone still use the M3 red non conductive fiber washers on motherboard install?

If I remember correctly you use a washer on all bit one for grounding.

Minstadave · 12 Oct 2024 at 23:27

Never even heard of this. All the motherboards I've used appear to have grounding connections round every hole.

hornetstinger · 12 Oct 2024 at 23:32

Minstadave said:
Never even heard of this. All the motherboards I've used appear to have grounding connections round every hole.

Done in the past. You needed one without the washer, all the others you isolate with the washers.

Tetras · 13 Oct 2024 at 00:00

Yep, I still use them since I have old screw packs that came with them, but I'm not bothered if I lose one, or I don't have any.

Dg834man · 13 Oct 2024 at 01:26

Did on a build like twenty years ago, psu i used in that pc had a dedicated earth strap too.

freddie64 · 13 Oct 2024 at 07:38

Never used them.
Did they come with the motherboard or case?

chaparral · 13 Oct 2024 at 19:20

hornetstinger said:
Done in the past. You needed one without the washer, all the others you isolate with the washers.

Sure i remember these washers
But why would you isolate all of them apart from one ? :confused:

Mr Evil · 13 Oct 2024 at 21:15

Washers were commonly recommended in the past, but it has never been appropriate to use them; if motherboards needed to be insulated from the stand-offs then they wouldn't have exposed metal pads around the mounting holes.

hornetstinger · 13 Oct 2024 at 21:18

Mr Evil said:
Washers were commonly recommended in the past, but it has never been appropriate to use them; if motherboards needed to be insulated from the stand-offs then they wouldn't have exposed metal pads around the mounting holes.

That's why you leave all but one, to ground the motherboard to the case. I guess they must have introduced grounding perhaps through PSU cable?

Mr Evil · 13 Oct 2024 at 22:15

hornetstinger said:
That's why you leave all but one, to ground the motherboard to the case. I guess they must have introduced grounding perhaps through PSU cable?

Motherboards are, and always have been, grounded through the power cables to the PSU. They are also grounded through PCI cards where the rear brackets are screwed to the case, USB sockets if they touch the case, motherboard rear IO panels, and a bunch of other things.

clone · 13 Oct 2024 at 23:05

Takes me back this thread, growing old sucks

Grimley · 2024-10-31T15:55:40+0000

Used to use them years ago, not bothered in any of my recent builds. I found that you could only reuse them a couple of times before they perished. I dont have any spare ones left in my spare PC Screws bag.

SpellowHouse · 2024-10-31T16:08:51+0000

hornetstinger said:
Does anyone still use the M3 red non conductive fiber washers on motherboard install?

If I remember correctly you use a washer on all bit one for grounding.

Many years ago the washers were to protect any tracks from damage caused by the screws. As far as I know, that problem was sorted a long, long time ago. I still have hundreds of the red washers, but can't say I have used any for PC building.

Thinking about it, it may have also been to protect against ground loops.