Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Code Project
  1. Home
  2. The Lounge
  3. Manufacturers using Tamper Proof Screws on equipment I Bought and Own

Manufacturers using Tamper Proof Screws on equipment I Bought and Own

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
questionpythondata-structuressecurity
45 Posts 20 Posters 2 Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • B Offline
    B Offline
    Bram van Kampen
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

    Bram van Kampen

    B D OriginalGriffO L D 14 Replies Last reply
    0
    • B Bram van Kampen

      Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

      Bram van Kampen

      B Offline
      B Offline
      Basildane
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      > Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' You just answered your own question. I have a deep freeze in the garage that is 30 years old. It runs like new. The new stuff you buy today is full of computers and is complete utter crap. The new versions won't run on generator, they die very early. The whole idea is to get you to BUY BUY BUY. Speaking of irons, I remember my mom's electric iron. I think it was the same iron for as long as I can remember, decades. The new ones last 9 - 12 months. I have a complete kit of tools for opening those "security" screws, including a set for cell-phones. I use it regularly.

      R 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • B Bram van Kampen

        Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

        Bram van Kampen

        D Offline
        D Offline
        David ONeil
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        [This](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/31/how-a-supreme-court-ruling-on-printer-cartridges-changes-what-it-means-to-buy-almost-anything/?utm\_term=.4b521a9c10b7) may help out in the long run. Not today, but maybe... (The cynic says 'No', the optimist is still dead!)

        It Is The Absolute Verifiable Truth & Proven Fact

        That Your Belly-Button Signature Ties

        To Viviparous Mama.

        B 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • B Basildane

          > Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' You just answered your own question. I have a deep freeze in the garage that is 30 years old. It runs like new. The new stuff you buy today is full of computers and is complete utter crap. The new versions won't run on generator, they die very early. The whole idea is to get you to BUY BUY BUY. Speaking of irons, I remember my mom's electric iron. I think it was the same iron for as long as I can remember, decades. The new ones last 9 - 12 months. I have a complete kit of tools for opening those "security" screws, including a set for cell-phones. I use it regularly.

          R Offline
          R Offline
          Ron Anders
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          Compaq got it started as far back as the 286 maybe earlier. We have in our shop what us old timers call "The compaq screwdriver" which is just a star you can just let at lowes still opening those HP towers today. largely To get at the failing western digital blue drives. I think they thought they could discourage the techs and we'd send it in to them for service as end users wouldn't have opened up a tower in any case. Apple likes to send you to the hardware store. Not surprised that consumer electronics want in too. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

          B V 2 Replies Last reply
          0
          • R Ron Anders

            Compaq got it started as far back as the 286 maybe earlier. We have in our shop what us old timers call "The compaq screwdriver" which is just a star you can just let at lowes still opening those HP towers today. largely To get at the failing western digital blue drives. I think they thought they could discourage the techs and we'd send it in to them for service as end users wouldn't have opened up a tower in any case. Apple likes to send you to the hardware store. Not surprised that consumer electronics want in too. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

            B Offline
            B Offline
            Basildane
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Alright, I have to tell this one. 2 weeks ago my wife's hybrid car threw all kinds of error messages. The traction battery was dead and had to be replaced. That's the big one. She was near a dealer so drove it right in. They said it would be $3,200 to install a new battery pack. I said, uh, thanks, I'll fix it myself. They said ha, you can't do that. Long story short, last weekend we took the back of the car apart, extracted the battery pack, put it on the bench, isolated the dead cell. Ordered a new cell from China. Installed it, balanced the cells, reinstalled the pack, cleared the errors, tested the car, runs like new again. Total cost including shipping of the new cell $39. They have all kinds of warning about you will die a horrible electric death if you touch this. Well, I touched it.

            B L R 4 Replies Last reply
            0
            • B Basildane

              Alright, I have to tell this one. 2 weeks ago my wife's hybrid car threw all kinds of error messages. The traction battery was dead and had to be replaced. That's the big one. She was near a dealer so drove it right in. They said it would be $3,200 to install a new battery pack. I said, uh, thanks, I'll fix it myself. They said ha, you can't do that. Long story short, last weekend we took the back of the car apart, extracted the battery pack, put it on the bench, isolated the dead cell. Ordered a new cell from China. Installed it, balanced the cells, reinstalled the pack, cleared the errors, tested the car, runs like new again. Total cost including shipping of the new cell $39. They have all kinds of warning about you will die a horrible electric death if you touch this. Well, I touched it.

              B Offline
              B Offline
              Bram van Kampen
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              well, you sound like a guy like myself. I was brought up in Holland, beside a retired old farmer who had rented his yard out to a scrap dealer. A scrap dealer next door, and I pulled all sorts of things of that heap. Tried to make things work again, From clocks to Motorbikes,(always failed) but got a concept of how things worked, from the age of 6. At least you could get acces to the battery, apparently without the need for in obtainable tools. My issue is, that as long as public safety is not involved, i.e.: a Car Lithium Battery can cause an Explosion, a Mains Powered Iron can Not endanger public safety, the owner of the equipment should be entitled to full access, and not be restricted by restricted fasteners.

              Bram van Kampen

              B 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • B Bram van Kampen

                well, you sound like a guy like myself. I was brought up in Holland, beside a retired old farmer who had rented his yard out to a scrap dealer. A scrap dealer next door, and I pulled all sorts of things of that heap. Tried to make things work again, From clocks to Motorbikes,(always failed) but got a concept of how things worked, from the age of 6. At least you could get acces to the battery, apparently without the need for in obtainable tools. My issue is, that as long as public safety is not involved, i.e.: a Car Lithium Battery can cause an Explosion, a Mains Powered Iron can Not endanger public safety, the owner of the equipment should be entitled to full access, and not be restricted by restricted fasteners.

                Bram van Kampen

                B Offline
                B Offline
                Basildane
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                Yep, me too. I was given an old non-working motorcycle at age 11, simple, one piston. I got that running and ran it into the ground for years. By the time I was 16 I was rebuilding car engines. There is no better way to learn.

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • D David ONeil

                  [This](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/31/how-a-supreme-court-ruling-on-printer-cartridges-changes-what-it-means-to-buy-almost-anything/?utm\_term=.4b521a9c10b7) may help out in the long run. Not today, but maybe... (The cynic says 'No', the optimist is still dead!)

                  It Is The Absolute Verifiable Truth & Proven Fact

                  That Your Belly-Button Signature Ties

                  To Viviparous Mama.

                  B Offline
                  B Offline
                  Bram van Kampen
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  ?????

                  Bram van Kampen

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • R Ron Anders

                    Compaq got it started as far back as the 286 maybe earlier. We have in our shop what us old timers call "The compaq screwdriver" which is just a star you can just let at lowes still opening those HP towers today. largely To get at the failing western digital blue drives. I think they thought they could discourage the techs and we'd send it in to them for service as end users wouldn't have opened up a tower in any case. Apple likes to send you to the hardware store. Not surprised that consumer electronics want in too. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

                    V Offline
                    V Offline
                    Vivi Chellappa
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery robbery. FTFY. :laugh:

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • B Bram van Kampen

                      Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

                      Bram van Kampen

                      OriginalGriffO Offline
                      OriginalGriffO Offline
                      OriginalGriff
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      You can buy "tamper proof" screw bit sets on Fleabay for peanuts - I have a few - so they don't really impact Repair, Reuse, Recycle in any significant way. They do prevent idiots getting them open while plugged in with a kitchen knife and suing the manufacturers when they hurt themselves and burn the house down. Most products these days are just that: replaceable products that are designed to be replaced relatively quickly. This is why I pay extra: my toaster for example is a Dualit instead of a Russell Hobbs because it's made of real metal, held together with real screws, and all the parts are buyable on FleaBay. If you are breaking irons every four months, you are buying domestic irons and using them industrially. I prefer the reverse: buy industrial and use domestically!

                      Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                      "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                      B 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • B Bram van Kampen

                        Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

                        Bram van Kampen

                        OriginalGriffO Offline
                        OriginalGriffO Offline
                        OriginalGriff
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        Obligatory BC[^]

                        Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

                        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                        "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • B Bram van Kampen

                          Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

                          Bram van Kampen

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          This is yet another way they try to lock in their customers. Repair and maintainance can only be done if you have the right tools. This also has been quite popular with car manufacturers until they were required by law to make their custom tools, software and diagnostic devices available to independent workshops.

                          The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
                          This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
                          "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • B Basildane

                            Alright, I have to tell this one. 2 weeks ago my wife's hybrid car threw all kinds of error messages. The traction battery was dead and had to be replaced. That's the big one. She was near a dealer so drove it right in. They said it would be $3,200 to install a new battery pack. I said, uh, thanks, I'll fix it myself. They said ha, you can't do that. Long story short, last weekend we took the back of the car apart, extracted the battery pack, put it on the bench, isolated the dead cell. Ordered a new cell from China. Installed it, balanced the cells, reinstalled the pack, cleared the errors, tested the car, runs like new again. Total cost including shipping of the new cell $39. They have all kinds of warning about you will die a horrible electric death if you touch this. Well, I touched it.

                            L Offline
                            L Offline
                            Lost User
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            Lithiun Something cells are no toys. They tend to explode and burn if they are treated the wrong way or at the end of their life, and the smoke is not exactly good for your health as well. On the other side, these cells have a limited lifetime and should therefore be easy to access and replace. It could be made as easy as plugging in the new cell and letting the electronics in the car do all checking and balancing. The downside to your approach is that now not all cells are equally old and unbalanced voltages will happen more often as the other older cells degrade. This does not really help to prolong the life of the other cells, including the new ones you installed. Repeating this procedure all the time may also cost some nerves. Edit: And now I'm going to take the LiPolys I have charged and go out on a field to fly a little.

                            The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
                            This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
                            "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • B Bram van Kampen

                              Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

                              Bram van Kampen

                              D Offline
                              D Offline
                              dandy72
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              So-called "tamper-proof" screws aren't designed to keep everyone out, they're just intended to discourage the amateurs. To that end, they're probably effective enough for manufacturers to keep using them.

                              B 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • B Bram van Kampen

                                Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

                                Bram van Kampen

                                C Offline
                                C Offline
                                charlieg
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                Bram - agree with you. Months ago, I had to replace my wife's keyboard on her Samsung laptop (don't buy Samsung laptops - truly the ultimate consumer design). Usually, I just dig into the bottom, unscrew the 3 or 4 screws holding the keyboard and out it comes. This time? I had to grind off the plastic pegs that were melted during manufacturing. Never have I seen such nonsense. I should have known when I called their support line trying to get into the bottom of the unit - wanted to swap in an SSD. They told me: you can't do that, it won't fit. :laugh: at them, really?

                                Charlie Gilley <italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape... "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783 “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759

                                F 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • B Bram van Kampen

                                  Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

                                  Bram van Kampen

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Martijn Smitshoek
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  Not 40 kV. Had it been 40 kV, the x-ray negative of your skeleton would have been printed on the wall behind you. The limit was 25 kV, which was just low enough for the leaded glass to keep the x-ray emission from exiting the tube and nuking your progeny. BTW search a little more and you will find bits that will unlock your cryptic screws for you. Triangular, fork-like, torx with a dot, you name it.

                                  C B 2 Replies Last reply
                                  0
                                  • B Bram van Kampen

                                    Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

                                    Bram van Kampen

                                    K Offline
                                    K Offline
                                    KC CahabaGBA
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    I resent the term 'tamper proof'. What right does the manufacture have to make a wholesale determination that my intent is to 'tamper' by simply opening something? If their engineering team had devised the 'perfect' device then there would be no cause to open it and thereby justifying the term but until they can keep all performance inhibiting materials out and build the perfect device that will never break, wear out, become contaminated by external encroachment; GET OFF MY LAWN!! I own it, I will do with it what I choose! (as noted by the OP)

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • B Basildane

                                      Alright, I have to tell this one. 2 weeks ago my wife's hybrid car threw all kinds of error messages. The traction battery was dead and had to be replaced. That's the big one. She was near a dealer so drove it right in. They said it would be $3,200 to install a new battery pack. I said, uh, thanks, I'll fix it myself. They said ha, you can't do that. Long story short, last weekend we took the back of the car apart, extracted the battery pack, put it on the bench, isolated the dead cell. Ordered a new cell from China. Installed it, balanced the cells, reinstalled the pack, cleared the errors, tested the car, runs like new again. Total cost including shipping of the new cell $39. They have all kinds of warning about you will die a horrible electric death if you touch this. Well, I touched it.

                                      R Offline
                                      R Offline
                                      rnbergren
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      your in Heaven now. You just don't know you have died.

                                      To err is human to really mess up you need a computer

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • C charlieg

                                        Bram - agree with you. Months ago, I had to replace my wife's keyboard on her Samsung laptop (don't buy Samsung laptops - truly the ultimate consumer design). Usually, I just dig into the bottom, unscrew the 3 or 4 screws holding the keyboard and out it comes. This time? I had to grind off the plastic pegs that were melted during manufacturing. Never have I seen such nonsense. I should have known when I called their support line trying to get into the bottom of the unit - wanted to swap in an SSD. They told me: you can't do that, it won't fit. :laugh: at them, really?

                                        Charlie Gilley <italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape... "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783 “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759

                                        F Offline
                                        F Offline
                                        Foothill
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        charlieg wrote:

                                        don't buy Samsung laptops

                                        Don't buy Samsung products period. The only Samsung product that I have owned that didn't die early is my Android phone (Galaxy S4). BluRay Player: stopped recognizing BluRay disks after 11 months Multi-Function Printer: became a $300 paperweight in less than a year after every sheet of paper would jam with no clear way to repair 26" Widescreen Monitor: rendered useless when the transformer/filter for the back-light fried. Luckily I was able to order that $1.75 part from China and there were lots of how-to fix videos on the internet. I don't think I will buy another Samsung product again.

                                        if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016

                                        C B 2 Replies Last reply
                                        0
                                        • B Bram van Kampen

                                          Hi, We all know those screws with no Star, Slot, Philips op Posidrive self tapping screws. Star(Torque) and Hex Drives with a pip in the centre to stop me inserting a standard tool to undo the screw. The question is 'Why' manufacturers go to this length. I am talkin about small domestic appliances, for instance Irons and Toasters. It has been mentioned that they try to protect a patent inside. Well, if I was after discovering an important patent, I would go to the Patents Office, and request the Patent Documentation. Moreover, if I indeed wanted to look inside to see how it works, a hacksaw and an angle grinder would in most if not all cases give me access to the innards. Another reason that has been mentioned is 'Consumer Safety' That comes into play were voltages seriously higher than 240/380 Volt come into play. Historically, a Colour CRT had a voltage applied in the range of around 40kV. Never seen tamper proof screws used in these scenario's. Another app is the Power Supply in a Microwave Oven, which uses a Voltage Multiplier Stack to generate voltages between 4 and 16 kV. Never found any security screws there either. A Further reason stated was: 'No User Serviceable Parts Inside', in other words, This is Our Area, Don't Go There. That is the most annoying one. I do not rent the appliance, I Bought it, and I own it. It is for me to do with as I wish, modify it as I wish, and accepting that as soon as I open or modify it, that I am out on my own, and that factory guarantees are null and void. All in all, I do not accept that I should be locked out of an appliance I have bought, by tamperproof screws. Running a Laundrette for 20 years, Irons fail, mostly because of a temperature over run, and the thermal fuse failing. A Steam Generator Iron? All works on 220/240 Volt. Nothing of extreme danger there. Fit a New Thermal Fuse and the item will work again. By fitting tamper proof screws, the manufacturer makes such repair difficult, if not impossible. We get on average a Year out of an Iron by repairing. On average each Iron needs 3 repairs in it's one year life, before it is written off and dismantled for spares. Tamperproof Screws work against the motto of 'Repair, Re-Use, Re-Cycle' -

                                          Bram van Kampen

                                          M Offline
                                          M Offline
                                          Mike Otterbine
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          I think this whole topic is not valid in light if reality... The reality? Yes, it's yours to do with what you want - but then you sue after you hurt yourself or burn down your apartment building...(then your neighbors sue you - then all of you sue the iron company) So, you cannot look at this topic without taking into account the liability people like you, yes you, create for honest companies... Two idiots in NJ (some time ago) picked up a running lawnmower and used it to cut hedges...they failed and got hurt...They won in court.... That's why all the 'stupid' restrictions...Now grow up and understand the world your infantile demands have created....

                                          B 1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Don't have an account? Register

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups