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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: quarkx on January 25, 2009, 11:00:04 PM
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Ok, this may sound crazy, but I am finding more and more that Commodore really liked to tork their screws down and used really soft screws for their products.
First my CDTV and now on my second A2000, I am finding the motherboard screws very easily striped. I am not using the wrong tools and it seems like the screws heads take no effort to strip them (just 1 turn)(like the heads are just soft?)
Any suggestions? I was trying to remove the motherboard to change the battery. This is very frustrating and I would hate to take a dremel to tap out the screws. :madashell:
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I agree, they used cheap hardware. Sometimes they just strip, even with my Hazet screwdrivers.
A pair of pliers, careful to grab only the screw head, often works. In some cases, I've used a tiny chisel and light hammer to *gently* knock them loose. Then replace them all with something better.
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Make sure you're using the biggest screwdriver that will fit well in the screw, push down damn hard (I'm talking lean on it,) and start with small bursts of torque to loosen it up, not just one hard crank. Never had a problem here.
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this looks like an opportunity for amigakit to sell a line of better than stock replacement screws
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Just in general terms, sometimes a drop of loctite or the equivalent can help if you don't mind chiseling it off the screwdriver after.
There's also the JB-Weld/JB-Kwik technique for dealing with severely stripped bolts when you don't have a Gator-Grip... The 5-minute Kwik stuff might be enough to fix up a stripped phillips slot if you're not keen on making metal shavings everywhere with a dremel. [Apply with a toothpick, remold the slot with a screwdriver dipped in vaseline, or form a 'tool' to match the screw by molding it into a small hex socket wiped with vaseline.]
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Thanks guys, I will try these,
I have worked on many old PC's and Tandy computers over the years, and this is the first time I have ever had this problem so frequently, and to have a whole motherboard too boot (except for 2 screws).
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weirdami wrote:
this looks like an opportunity for amigakit to sell a line of better than stock replacement screws
lol...I am not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, but I can't count the amount of times that I have seen Amiga hardware on ebay with the description "missing case screws".
Perhaps they should offer a high quality replacement set of screws for each of the Amiga models.