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View Full Version : When are JBL going to go metric?



cooky1257
07-30-2009, 09:38 AM
Hi all,
After a mind numbing morning searching the web for UK stockists of 1/4" 20 x 3/4" bolts(with eventual success) only to be followed by an unsuccessful afternoon searching for some 6/32" x 3/8" 's it occurred to me.
Given JBL seems geared to overseas markets why the heck don't they adopt the metric system?:banghead:...just for me:)
Cooky

hjames
07-30-2009, 09:40 AM
Hi all,
After a mind numbing morning searching the web for UK stockists of 1/4" 20 x 3/4" bolts(with eventual success) only to be followed by an unsuccessful afternoon searching for some 6/32" x 3/8" 's it occurred to me.
Given JBL seems geared to overseas markets why the heck don't they adopt the metric system?:banghead:...just for me:)
Cooky
Even if they did, it won't help those of us who own and love our vintage gear ...

1audiohack
07-30-2009, 10:38 AM
As others have said before, McMasterCarr is a pretty good resource for fasteners. I don't know if they ship international however.

We ship back and fourth to the UK all the time. If you have a need for something and really can't get it there, and it is something I can get with relative ease I would be happy to send it to you. PM me.

Barry.

Are your 6-32X.375" screws for the push terminals?

Titanium Dome
07-30-2009, 10:57 AM
Like a lot of things, we tried and failed in the 70s to make the switch. I'm trying to avoid politics, as it's a no-no on this site, thankfully. But in as politically neutral a statement as I can muster, if we adopt certain modernizations that are more pressing in 2009, perhaps there will be another chance to make "metrics for the masses" a reality here in the States.

It's hard to believe we've been backward on this for so long, but that's part of the spirit of America, created by the tension of pushing forward and holding back all at the same time.

This actually increases economic activity since, for example , I have to have a complete set of metric tools and a set of "standard" tools, and I have to have both types of hardware in my workshop.

cooky1257
07-30-2009, 11:05 AM
Hi, Thanks for the offer, given where I'm based you'd think imperial measure threads/bolts would be easy to source eh?.... they are to mount the O45Ti comp driver onto the SAM horn.I'll have another crack at it this evening.
Cooky

macaroonie
07-30-2009, 11:11 AM
model fixings.co.uk are pretty useful I have found

JeffW
07-30-2009, 11:28 AM
That we haven't completely made the swap means that at my local hardware store I can buy both metric and imperial fasteners, taps, dies, etc. This is a small town, so they are dearly priced, but they actually have a very good selection.

cooky1257
07-30-2009, 12:22 PM
model fixings.co.uk are pretty useful I have found

Bingo! Useful indeed.
Thanks Mac.

richluvsound
07-30-2009, 03:00 PM
try cerkenwell srews. in fact i need to go myself. what do you need ?

Rich

cooky1257
07-30-2009, 03:20 PM
try cerkenwell srews. in fact i need to go myself. what do you need ?

Rich

That's very kind of you Rich but I've got them all on order now.
Cooky.

tarior
08-02-2009, 09:18 AM
After WWII, the US should have forced the whole world to adopt the Imperial system. Then we wouldn't have these problems.:D:D:D

Hoerninger
08-02-2009, 11:56 AM
Then we wouldn't have these problems.:D:D:D
... but the problems with unit conversions and the loss of the decimal system would have stayed anyway.
The MKSA system is an international well approved standard.

So I enjoy my live with that what I have. :dancin:
(But I can convert inches into centimeters too. :D)
___________
Peter

Mr. Widget
08-02-2009, 01:13 PM
(But I can convert inches into centimeters too. :D)Conversions are basically a minor inconvenience unless of course you are sending an orbiter to Mars. :D

On a more serious note, most products being designed in the US today are designed in the metric system. We may still use SAE threads but, the actual design is typically done in CAD using metric dimensions.


Widget

tarior
08-02-2009, 02:40 PM
... but the problems with unit conversions and the loss of the decimal system would have stayed anyway.
The MKSA system is an international well approved standard.

So I enjoy my live with that what I have. :dancin:
(But I can convert inches into centimeters too. :D)
___________
Peter
If the whole world used Imperial measurements, there would be no need for conversions.:D
I can convert back and forth pretty easily, but I still hate the metric system and I always will.

Mr. Widget
08-02-2009, 03:10 PM
...but I still hate the metric system and I always will.Joke, right?


Widget

tarior
08-02-2009, 03:22 PM
Joke, right?


Widget

Dead serious.

macaroonie
08-02-2009, 03:39 PM
Dead serious.


Nutter !

hjames
08-02-2009, 06:31 PM
Nutter !

Its all what you are comfortable with ...

I think the UK went to hell when they gave up the Whitworth system -
but heck, I'm not from around there, so what do I know
:applaud:

Titanium Dome
08-02-2009, 08:26 PM
Let's see, a weighing system based on 16, a linear system based on 12, a cubic volume system based on 1,728, a liquid measure system based on 4, a dry measure system based on 32, and a surface measure system based on 144: what's not to like? :barf:

4343
08-02-2009, 09:50 PM
Let's see, a weighing system based on 16, a linear system based on 12, a cubic volume system based on 1,728, a liquid measure system based on 4, a dry measure system based on 32, and a surface measure system based on 144: what's not to like? :barf:

Don't forget the mass unit, the Slug, which weighs (at standard 1G) 32 Lbs.

That's another point, where do the abbreviations come from? Pounds has no L, or B in it... Nor does Ounce have a Z!

It's the fractions that make the U.S. Customary System (Can no longer be called British Standard now can it?) so slow. Decimal inches are much easier to deal with if you must use inches. Forget the weights and area though.

I kinda like the way China eliminated feet and inches from their country: Simply issue everyone new "Yardsticks" that were actually 1 Meter long. Mark them as 3 feet made up of 10 "Inches". Confiscate all old measuring devices and make them illegal. Not sure what they did with the pounds and ounces...

Some things do get lost with metric: Saying someone is "over six feet tall" just doesn't sound the same as "over 1.82 meters tall", it loses the "roundness" and "largeness" of the number that gives it it's impact. Saying "Over 2 meters tall" brings back some of the impact, but applies to a much smaller portion of the populace, so loses (or gains) impact there. Just not equivalent!

Horn Savant
08-02-2009, 10:06 PM
..I still hate the metric system and I always will.

I hate it too but don't have to deal with it except when up in Canada - but they are resisting having it crammed down their throats.

TVs & VDUs are rated in inches around the world - even in France - (easier to visualize + American IT hegemony).

The most ridiculous thing is Celsius for weather: When it's 10 degrees, it's cold & 26 degrees is hot ? (scale too compressed). No thanks.

tarior
08-02-2009, 10:17 PM
I will admit that having a sytem based on 10s certainly has it's merits, but most metric units are either too big or too small for me to use comfortably.
Degrees are too big, mm are too small, a meter is too big, you get the idea. I worked in metal fabrication for years, so adding fractions is old hat.

Hoerninger
08-02-2009, 10:23 PM
The most ridiculous thing is Celsius for weather: When it's 10 degrees, it's cold & 26 degrees is hot ? (scale too compressed).
Corresponding to the MKSA system it is convenient to use KELVIN.
... there is nothing below zero ... :uhmmmm:
____________
Peter

mixsit
08-03-2009, 12:34 AM
It's a slow progress but we're getting there.
Inch by inch.

Goodwill_HiFi
08-03-2009, 06:29 AM
........ mm are too small

Yes, measurements quoted in mm make me want to look for a bag, box or bucket to carry them all in :D

I tend to think of centimeters (that no one uses) as counting 1/2 inches :applaud:

Hoerninger
08-03-2009, 06:41 AM
I tend to think of centimeters (that no one uses) as counting 1/2 inches :applaud:
o.k. - two and a half centimeters are just an inch, but
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units (http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units):

The International System of Units (abbreviated SI from the French (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language) le Système international d'unités[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units#cite_note-0)) is the modern form of the metric system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system) and is generally a system devised around the convenience of the number ten. It is the world's most widely used system of measurement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_of_measurement), both in everyday commerce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce) and in science (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science).___________
Peter

MikeBrewster77
08-03-2009, 06:55 AM
Well, at least we're in good company...

4313B
08-03-2009, 07:21 AM
Well, at least we're in good company...:applaud: :rotfl:

The most ridiculous thing is Celsius for weather:Yeah Celsius 232.7777777777778 just doesn't do it for me... :no:

tarior
08-03-2009, 07:53 AM
It's a slow progress but we're getting there.
Inch by inch.
Groan!:applaud::D

Yes, measurements quoted in mm make me want to look for a bag, box or bucket to carry them all in :D

:applaud:
No kiddin', I'm 1718mm tall. Sounds giant, but really on the low end of average.

We're probably more than a little O/T, but it's pretty fun and lively!

Goodwill_HiFi
08-04-2009, 04:55 PM
o.k. - two and a half centimeters are just an inch, but
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units (http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units):
___________
Peter

You're missing my point....... I said centimeters, not SI, MKSA (or whatever it is), cgs, or whatever other metric based system you can think of. Maybe people use centimeters in casual conversation, but whenever I see specs given by a manufacturer its in mm, not cm. Even less used would be the deci-meter.

SEAWOLF97
08-04-2009, 05:05 PM
Let's see, a weighing system based on 16, a linear system based on 12, a cubic volume system based on 1,728, a liquid measure system based on 4, a dry measure system based on 32, and a surface measure system based on 144: what's not to like? :barf:

Well, as long as we are trying to be more logical...

The Vietnamese number each month
they number the days of the week
and they number their children (do have formal names tho)
and everything else is metric
-prolly came from the French influence.-

I think China does too ....remember C.Chan and #1 son ?

Goodwill_HiFi
08-04-2009, 05:09 PM
and they number their children (do have formal names tho)


I know a guy that refers to his brothers, and sometimes himself, by number. When I met one of his younger brothers, I asked him what number he was...... he stared at me blankly until he realized that I must know his brother.... #1 :D

Hoerninger
08-04-2009, 11:34 PM
You're missing my point....... I said centimeters, ...
Sorry, I did. http://www.clipartof.com/images/thumbnail/179.gif

In daily life I am too much involved with units, so there is no difference in 1000 mmm, 100,0 cm and 1,000 m for me.
dm is very unusual in daily life, that is true.
____________
Peter

cooky1257
08-05-2009, 04:19 AM
You're missing my point....... I said centimeters, not SI, MKSA (or whatever it is), cgs, or whatever other metric based system you can think of. Maybe people use centimeters in casual conversation, but whenever I see specs given by a manufacturer its in mm, not cm. Even less used would be the deci-meter.

I personally mourn the passing of the chain, the furlong and the hundred-weight(8 stone/112lb).

hjames
08-05-2009, 04:28 AM
I personally mourn the passing of the chain, the furlong and the hundred-weight(8 stone/112lb).

And how many stone are you, my good man?

Its a staple of good lit'riture ...

JonJeffman
08-06-2009, 12:20 PM
I'm curious what it's like in the UK - is it essentially purely metric? I'm in Canada, so while technically we're a metric country, I unfortunately have to deal with imperial whenever I go to buy fasteners/lumber/metal stock/tools/etc... as so much comes from or is going to the US.


I hate it too but don't have to deal with it except when up in Canada - but they are resisting having it crammed down their throats.

The most ridiculous thing is Celsius for weather: When it's 10 degrees, it's cold & 26 degrees is hot ? (scale too compressed). No thanks.

A) I don't think there's anyone up here resisting metric that isn't over the age of 50, and even then I don't know anyone strongly resisting SI units

B) Celsius makes way more sense. 0 water freezes, 100 water boils. As opposed to Fahrenheit where 0 brine freezes, 96 was his own personal body temp (and then the scale was later tweaked).

C) I don't know why people love (arbitrary) large round numbers so much? Why is 6 feet so much better than 1829 mm?

Finally, back to the original question of this post - I've found from working at a company that manufactures equipment, that the choice of fasteners (for us anyway) has much less to do with where it's being sold as where it's being made. So that might be why JBL still uses imperial fasteners.