Re: Phillips screw in back of Sun Ultra 30 computer, quite torn-up! :-)


Hi DoN!

Are you *sure* that it is Phillips? The one on my Ultra-60 is a
Torx instead. *Any* Phillips bit would slip in it. (I *think* that it
is Torx T-15, but it may be one of the other similar sizes.) Anyway --
get a set of Torx bits and check which one works properly in it.

<a lot, over three postings, snipped>

From personal experience, the U30, U60 and B2K all use Phillips screws.

Well ... perhaps. But *my* U-60 came with a Torx stripper bolt
instead of the normal Phillips screw in a tamper-proof housing (at least
when protected by the optional security cable).

Granted -- since I got my Ultra-60 from eBay, someone could have
swapped it -- but it is a good fit for the tab from the side panel.

Well, I *thought* it was a Phillips screw, but you know, not even
knowing that something called "Torx" even existed, there is a slight
chance that maybe it wasn't...

(By now, it's been replaced, and the screw that I used to replace it WAS
a Phillips screw, and it's in, and good!) :-)

Both my computers sit beside my desk, the Linux on top of the Sun.
There is *just* enough room between the back of the systems/cabinets and
the wall to get a screwdriver. And, the Sun is on the bottom, sitting
directly on the floor.

While I was sitting on the floor, it's not like I had a lot of room
to get my head directly behind it, and look at it with all sides, though I
did look at it, with a flashlight shining brightly on it.

I thought it was. There is a chance it may not have been.

That being said, like with Torx, Phillips heads also come in different
sizes, and it's quite easy to strip them with an inappropriate driver.

Agreed. And the *right* size Phillips usually *looks* too big.
It typically is at least as large in diameter as the head of the screw.

The proper test for the right size (in a screw which has not
been damaged) is to pick the one with the minimal free play in twisting
before it is stopped by the screw slots. Too big won't drop into the
slot at all, too small with rotate some ten degrees or so before firmly
engaging the screw.

I appreciate this! :-) I have three different Phillips "bits" for
the electric screwdriver that I normally use. The second size was the one
I used very nearly all of the time.

I will likely spend a bit more time, the next time I see (at least,
what I think is) a Phillips screw, I may spend at least a few seconds
trying to determine whether I'm using the right size Phillips "bit",
because I had kind of gotten to where I just grabbed the second size bit
as soon as I saw a Phillips!

Thank you! (Thank you, too, Stefaan!)

Barry
--
Barry L. Bond | http://home.cfl.rr.com/os9barry/
Software Engineer, ITT Corporation | (My personal home web page, last
bbondATcfl.rr.com | updated February 17, 2005)
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Phillips screw in back of Sun Ultra 30 computer, quite torn-up! :-)
    ... get a set of Torx bits and check which one works properly in it. ... Well, I *thought* it was a Phillips screw, but you know, not even ... the electric screwdriver that I normally use. ...
    (comp.sys.sun.hardware)
  • Re: Torx sizes
    ... You'll like them when you have to drive hundreds of screw into wood. ... and generally bunged up Torx from under cars. ... The good thing is, that if a torx head does get chewed up, there's a bigger ...
    (uk.rec.models.engineering)
  • Re: Peeve of the Day - Shop related
    ... Torx seem to be designed to strip at a 1/2 an inch pound. ... It's an expensive band aid to a poor design. ... It is either a brilliant design where failure is the goal or it is a poor design where they don't care because they make money on all the replacement screws and special weak screw handling paraphernalia. ... By design, TORX head screws resist cam-out, better than Phillips head or slot head screws. ...
    (alt.machines.cnc)
  • Re: Stud extracter
    ... This wasn't the 'drill / screw in / swear when it breaks' standard type ... tool on a torx head. ... Snap on make an air chisel attachment ...
    (uk.rec.cars.maintenance)
  • OT: Impact drivers and Torx bits
    ... I ask because I had such fun last weekend changing a disc on Elly's ... natch) with a somewhat shallow Torx socket recessed into the head. ... I whacked the offending screw with a drift in the centre of its ... with an impact driver. ...
    (uk.rec.motorcycles)