I wish people would stop talking about standard screws that can be gotten EVERYWHERE.
I guarantee that every screw used in industry is a standard, and is something that anyone can buy.
Not easily. I'm pretty sure Lowe's won't have this bit, I'm reasonably familiar with their bit inventory, they tend not to have bits like this.
Quote:
All this talk about filing is nuts! You can't file a six point torx to make a five point. The spacing is still way off.
I just said that, that much was quoted in your reply. However, one can take a larger bit of any kind and file it down to a 5 point. I've done that before. It's a lot faster than waiting around for a shipment to arrive, maybe 5-10 minutes vs. several days.
All of the original screenshots of the iPhone 4 posted by Apple showed the Torx screws so I thought it a bit odd when I got my iPhone 4 and it had standard philips heads.
Anyway, you should correct your post, it is not Torx screws (these are six point) it is Tamper-proof torx screws (5 point).
According to various reports, iPhone 4s are now shipping with 5-point torx screws, making the device harder for users to take apart. Units brought to Apple Stores for service are also being retro-fitted with the new screws. Previously, the screws at the base of the phone were crosshead screws.
The changes may have been instigated by the growing popularity of do-it-yourself white iPhone conversion kits. A New York high school student recently made headlines when it was revealed that he had made as much as $130,000 selling kits that help users convert their black iPhone 4 units into white ones.
Apple has repeatedly delayed the launch of the white iPhone 4. In July, Apple admitted that the white hardware proved "more challenging to manufacture" than the company originally anticipated.
]
We have to give Apple credit for this. They want to help their customers preserve the Apple User Experience.
If typical customers try to take out the screws, they will see torx screws. They will be completely stymied by they sight, as they will never have encountered anything remotely like what is presented to them.
So they will give up, and Apple's great User Experience will remain unsullied, and the customer will be happy.
The alternative is to allow any unqualified Android freak free to muck around with the innards of Apple's stuff, and then complain to AppleCare when they break it. That costs us all money!
What I really wish is that Apple had used some sort of proprietary screws, so they could sue anybody who makes a tool that fits. That way, they could sue anybody who opens their phone too, because they would be violating the patent.
I have a SIM-only rolling-contract with Orange (£10 per month) but their data package sucks. It's expensive and slow, compared to my Three network data contract, which is £15 for 10GB and full 5-bar signal most places I visit.
So, for the £25 per month Orange data package, I'm getting a better, faster data service and a decent talk/SMS package.
They have confirmed by email that they are 5 sided.
I just said that, that much was quoted in your reply. However, one can take a larger bit of any kind and file it down to a 5 point. I've done that before. It's a lot faster than waiting around for a shipment to arrive, maybe 5-10 minutes vs. several days.
What's your point here? Did you read the results of the search? Not one hit on the front page shows a link to buy the necessary bit.
I've just managed to find exactly one set that has a bit that should be small enough to do this job:
...one can take a larger bit of any kind and file it down to a 5 point.
Exactly. I can't understand why people are belaboring the issue of turning a 6-sided bit into a 5-sided bit. The starting state is irrelevant. As long as the piece is big enough, it serves as "stock" for a fairly simple "machining" process with a file. You can start with a Torx, a Phillips, etc... Just cut off the head and form a 5-sided bit. Are people lacking that much imagination, or just being pedantic for its own sake? For Pete's sake there are more important things to quibble over.
Comments
The move to Torx was simply a Late 2010 screw refresh.
I wish people would stop talking about standard screws that can be gotten EVERYWHERE.
I guarantee that every screw used in industry is a standard, and is something that anyone can buy.
Not easily. I'm pretty sure Lowe's won't have this bit, I'm reasonably familiar with their bit inventory, they tend not to have bits like this.
All this talk about filing is nuts! You can't file a six point torx to make a five point. The spacing is still way off.
I just said that, that much was quoted in your reply. However, one can take a larger bit of any kind and file it down to a 5 point. I've done that before. It's a lot faster than waiting around for a shipment to arrive, maybe 5-10 minutes vs. several days.
http://www.google.com/search?q=5+poi...&client=safari
What's your point here? Did you read the results of the search? Not one hit on the front page shows a link to buy the necessary bit.
I've just managed to find exactly one set that has a bit that should be small enough to do this job:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/All-v...motiveQ5fTools
A lot of sets only go down to TS10, which isn't anywhere nearly small enough.
Anyway, you should correct your post, it is not Torx screws (these are six point) it is Tamper-proof torx screws (5 point).
That's what you get when you build your store in a place called Shadyside.
Ironically, Shadyside is probably the nicest and most affluent neighborhood in Pittsburgh.
iPhone 4
According to various reports, iPhone 4s are now shipping with 5-point torx screws, making the device harder for users to take apart. Units brought to Apple Stores for service are also being retro-fitted with the new screws. Previously, the screws at the base of the phone were crosshead screws.
The changes may have been instigated by the growing popularity of do-it-yourself white iPhone conversion kits. A New York high school student recently made headlines when it was revealed that he had made as much as $130,000 selling kits that help users convert their black iPhone 4 units into white ones.
Apple has repeatedly delayed the launch of the white iPhone 4. In July, Apple admitted that the white hardware proved "more challenging to manufacture" than the company originally anticipated.
]
We have to give Apple credit for this. They want to help their customers preserve the Apple User Experience.
If typical customers try to take out the screws, they will see torx screws. They will be completely stymied by they sight, as they will never have encountered anything remotely like what is presented to them.
So they will give up, and Apple's great User Experience will remain unsullied, and the customer will be happy.
The alternative is to allow any unqualified Android freak free to muck around with the innards of Apple's stuff, and then complain to AppleCare when they break it. That costs us all money!
What I really wish is that Apple had used some sort of proprietary screws, so they could sue anybody who makes a tool that fits. That way, they could sue anybody who opens their phone too, because they would be violating the patent.
So, for the £25 per month Orange data package, I'm getting a better, faster data service and a decent talk/SMS package.
Not easily. I'm pretty sure Lowe's won't have this bit, I'm reasonably familiar with their bit inventory, they tend not to have bits like this.
That won't stop the geeks. They just get their stuff online.
7 pc. Tamper Proof Torx Bit Set
http://www.amazon.com/pc-Tamper-Proo.../dp/B0009U6ABE
They have confirmed by email that they are 5 sided.
I just said that, that much was quoted in your reply. However, one can take a larger bit of any kind and file it down to a 5 point. I've done that before. It's a lot faster than waiting around for a shipment to arrive, maybe 5-10 minutes vs. several days.
What's your point here? Did you read the results of the search? Not one hit on the front page shows a link to buy the necessary bit.
I've just managed to find exactly one set that has a bit that should be small enough to do this job:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/All-v...motiveQ5fTools
A lot of sets only go down to TS10, which isn't anywhere nearly small enough.[/QUOTE]
...one can take a larger bit of any kind and file it down to a 5 point.
Exactly. I can't understand why people are belaboring the issue of turning a 6-sided bit into a 5-sided bit. The starting state is irrelevant. As long as the piece is big enough, it serves as "stock" for a fairly simple "machining" process with a file. You can start with a Torx, a Phillips, etc... Just cut off the head and form a 5-sided bit. Are people lacking that much imagination, or just being pedantic for its own sake? For Pete's sake there are more important things to quibble over.