3 Dec
2008
3 Dec
'08
12:16 p.m.
Actually,
I once saw screws which looked a bit like Robertson (the
square-socket kind) but with a triangular, not square, socket.
Those turn up on
cheap domestic appliances over here. The only
possile reason for them is to make the device difficult to repair, Of course, depending on the appliance, this may not
actually be a valid
argument. But if there's mains voltage present, it's an argument with
some force to it. (While you and I may be competent to fix things, and
competent to avoid hurting ourselves even in cases where we aren't able
to fix, most small-appliance consumers are neither. Worse, many of
them incorrectly think they are.)
I've got plenty of things (not computer-related) that are more than 50
years old. None of them have any non-standard screws holding them
together. Many of them contain mains and/or higher voltages. Live chassis
(AC/DC) power supplies in valve radios and TVs were common. And yet I
don't believe everybody who owned such a device ended up killing
themselves trying to repair it.
Not that I think such screws are a good idea; like you, I come down
opposing them. Just pointing out that your "only possi[b]le reason"
actually isn't.
An Allen wrench of the right size should work. The one device I ran
I've not found one that will fit well enough not to slip (and I have a
pretty complete set of imperial and metric sizes).
-tony