Best screwdriver for PC work = Pozidrive?

[Bennett Price]

History of the screwdriver is discussed in a short book by
Witold Rybczynski (the architect)
"One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw"
published by Scribner in NY in 2000. Phillips and Robertson (people and
their screws) are discussed but not Reed-Prince or Pozidriv.

FWIW, Phillips' first big use was by GM for Cadillac production in 1936.

 

[VWWall]

History of the screwdriver is discussed in a short book by
Witold Rybczynski (the architect)
"One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw"
published by Scribner in NY in 2000. Phillips and Robertson (people and
their screws) are discussed but not Reed-Prince or Pozidriv.

Screws used in PCs seem to be bastardized combinations of US and metric.
The ones used for hard drives are standard 6-32 machine screws.
Others are 3.5mm screws but with 1/4" hex heads. They have
a pitch of 0.6mm (42.3/inch). A few are 3.0mm with a pitch of 0.5mm
and a hex head of 7/32". In a pinch a 1/4" 4-40 screw will work for
the 3.5mm ones, though it's best to use the correct ones.

I find holding a screw on the driver can be done with a bit of
modeling clay. In a pinch scraping the driver on a bar of soft soap
works. Even chewing gum will work!

One of the handiest tools when working on a PC is a surgical hemostat.
It's great for moving jumpers and for holding small parts.

Virg Wall

 

[JAD]

They make a driver with an insulator on the shaft and a spring loaded
clamp to hold the screw.

http://www.contacteast.com/product/group.asp?parent_id=342

http://www.newmantools.com/kedman.htm

 

[James G]

...

From memory (no time to check): there are various systems of screw
threads in different countries. Nowadays many countries use various
metric sizes; the US (surprise!) largely sticks to traditional US sizes.
The UK used to use BA and Whitworth; the US uses UNC and UNF (Unified
National Coarse / Fine). Google with these search terms.

One of the common PC sizes is 6-32UNC AFAIR.

Do you or anyone else agree with the stuff on this guy's page (scroll down)


http://dansdata.com/buildpc.htm

There was also once this post (na the others before him):
http://snipurl.com/54lm

Have these guys got the right references and esaurements for the screws?

 

[Gary Tait]

I guess there are many screw threads in a PC but two types seem to
predominate: one for hold in disk drives and the other with a
finer thread. What is the official name for these PC screw types?

Mostly 6-32 for HDDs, and I think 4-40 for floppy and optical drives.
PSUs may use 6-32, os something larger.

Case components could use either, but of late 6-32 has been favoured.
(case components being motherboard mounts, slot covers, panels, dirve
trays/rails, motherboard pan)

 

[Michael Salem]

James G wrote:

....

Do you or anyone else agree with the stuff on this guy's page (scroll down)
http://dansdata.com/buildpc.htm

It all seems to make sense. He says, casually, "any old medium sized
Phillips driver"; to my mind that exactly matches my recommendation to
use a Phillips #2 (not *driv) screwdriver. #1 is small, #3 large, #2
medium... He says you shouldn't overtighten, which is absolutely true
(one problem is the big strong fellow who screws plugs into the back of
the case so as to ensure the wheels don't fall off; try and disconnect
the video lead, and you end up with the video plug firmly fixed to the
hex connectors which have been unscrewed from the graphics card, whose
little nuts have fallen into the circuitry).

An electric screwdriver (which he warns against) works fine for me, but
I'm careful not to overtighten.

I haven't studies the page carefully, so may have missed something. But
he makes sense to me.

BTW, I, and others, have referred to PhiLips screwdrivers; it's actually
PhiLLips, sorry.

He disparages the term "cordless screwdrivers", pointing out that most
screwdrivers are cordless. If you think about it, it's equally odd to
distinguish between RAM and ROM chips -- all ROM chips are also RAM.

One of the best compact tools for working on PCs if you want everything
in just one package is the Cybertool (from Victorinox, makers of the
Swiss army knife; it's basically one of the bigger Sa k's). 8 different
screwdriver tips (including Phillips #2), a driver for the hex screws
used to fit motherboards and hold D plugs in place, usable pliers. Even
the scissors are useful for cutting thin wires, etc. I paid about 50
Euros. I have seen imitations at 7 GBP, though I am happier with the
real thing, If you look at one, see if you can find the pin (essentially
an ordinary sewing pin, not fixed to the frame).

Have these guys got the right references and esaurements for the screws?

Probably -- I don't know. Nobody ever buys these screws in a hardware
shop, and if you try, you probably won't find these sizes. If you don't
already have a large collection, you buy computer screws (the big ones
and the small ones).

Best wishes,

 

[R. Asby Dragon]

I wonder if there is some gadget which can hold a screwhead to the
screwdriver without any support from the user.

Try some heatsink compound.