21 Jul
2008
21 Jul
'08
9:55 a.m.
I just took apart a Thinkpad 701c that has a BIOS password that I am
attempting to clear. There is some powdery residue caked inside the battery
compartment that has leaked into a few areas surrounding it. Is there a
safe way to remove this?
Mark
21 Jul
21 Jul
11:14 a.m.
2008/7/21 madodel <madodel at ptdprolog.net>:
I just took apart a Thinkpad 701c that has a BIOS
password that I am
attempting to clear. There is some powdery residue caked inside the battery
compartment that has leaked into a few areas surrounding it. Is there a
safe way to remove this?
I'd like to know too, as this has happened to my TP701C too.
However, I've heard that they are /fearsome/ beasts to strip. "Motie
engineering" was one description. True?
--
Liam Proven ? Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liamproven
Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lproven at gmail.com
Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884 ? Fax: + 44 870-9151419
AOL/AIM/iChat: liamproven at aol.com ? MSN/Messenger: lproven at hotmail.com
Yahoo: liamproven at yahoo.co.uk ? Skype: liamproven ? ICQ: 73187508
11:30 a.m.
Liam Proven wrote:
2008/7/21 madodel <madodel at ptdprolog.net>:
I had to buy a Torx T1 driver to get the four tiny screws in the front out,
the others came out with a T6 driver that I had. I haven't attempted to
remove the main board yet, but once the screws are out it was pretty simple
to get the keyboard off. Disassembly instructions are included in
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/tpvol2.pdf Hopefully it all
goes back together.
Mark
I just took apart a Thinkpad 701c that has a BIOS
password that I am
attempting to clear. There is some powdery residue caked inside the battery
compartment that has leaked into a few areas surrounding it. Is there a
safe way to remove this?
I'd like to know too, as this has happened to my TP701C too.
However, I've heard that they are /fearsome/ beasts to strip. "Motie
engineering" was one description. True?
22 Jul
22 Jul
1:04 a.m.
On Monday 21 July 2008 11:30, madodel wrote:
Liam Proven wrote:
Where did you find a T1 driver?
I went looking a while back for smaller than the T10 that I had on hand, and
what I ended up with were four of those hexagonal bits that fit into a
magnetic handle/holder, I thiink numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 (they're not here)
and am still bumping into smaller stuff than what those will handle. But
that was the smallest that the Snap-On guy had available that day on his
truck...
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
2008/7/21 madodel <madodel at
ptdprolog.net>:
I had to buy a Torx T1 driver to get the four tiny screws in the front out,
the others came out with a T6 driver that I had. I haven't attempted to
remove the main board yet, but once the screws are out it was pretty simple
to get the keyboard off. Disassembly instructions are included in
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/tpvol2.pdf Hopefully it all
goes back together. I just took apart a Thinkpad 701c that has a BIOS
password that I am
attempting to clear. There is some powdery residue caked inside the
battery compartment that has leaked into a few areas surrounding it. Is
there a safe way to remove this?
I'd like to know too, as this has happened to my TP701C too.
However, I've heard that they are /fearsome/ beasts to strip. "Motie
engineering" was one description. True? 
22 Jul
22 Jul
1:22 a.m.
On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 10:04 PM, Roy J. Tellason <rtellason at verizon.net> wrote:
Where did you find a T1 driver?
Here's one source...
http://www.wihatools.com/200seri/278serie.htm
10:32 a.m.
Roy J. Tellason wrote:
On Monday 21 July 2008 11:30, madodel wrote:
No where local, though Sears had a T6. I had to order online. I found a
vendor on Amazon.com (Micro-Tools) that sold them as separate items. Most
places only had sets and those rarely had lower than a T6 or T10.
Mark
Liam Proven wrote:
Where did you find a T1 driver?
I went looking a while back for smaller than the T10 that I had on hand, and
what I ended up with were four of those hexagonal bits that fit into a
magnetic handle/holder, I thiink numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 (they're not here)
and am still bumping into smaller stuff than what those will handle. But
that was the smallest that the Snap-On guy had available that day on his
truck...
2008/7/21 madodel <madodel at
ptdprolog.net>:
I had to buy a Torx T1 driver to get
the four tiny screws in the front out,
the others came out with a T6 driver that I had. I haven't attempted to
remove the main board yet, but once the screws are out it was pretty simple
to get the keyboard off. Disassembly instructions are included in
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/tpvol2.pdf Hopefully it all
goes back together. I just took apart a Thinkpad 701c that has a BIOS
password that I am
attempting to clear. There is some powdery residue caked inside the
battery compartment that has leaked into a few areas surrounding it. Is
there a safe way to remove this?
I'd like to know too, as this has happened to
my TP701C too.
However, I've heard that they are /fearsome/ beasts to strip. "Motie
engineering" was one description. True? 
11:12 a.m.
madodel wrote:
Roy J. Tellason wrote:
Dunno about a T1, but Home Despot usually has a mini-driver set
that's 8 bits - 4 double-ended inserts with 3 stored in the plastic
handle. They go from T4-T10 + T15, they're about 8 bucks, they look
cheesy as hell, and they're GOOD bits. I have a Philips/blade set and a
Torx set. IIRC they're made by Husky.
Doc
Where did you find a T1 driver?
I went looking a while back for smaller than the T10 that I had on
hand, and what I ended up with were four of those hexagonal bits that
fit into a magnetic handle/holder, I thiink numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9
(they're not here) and am still bumping into smaller stuff than what
those will handle. But that was the smallest that the Snap-On guy had
available that day on his truck...
No where local, though Sears had a T6. I had to order online. I found
a vendor on Amazon.com (Micro-Tools) that sold them as separate items.
Most places only had sets and those rarely had lower than a T6 or T10. 
3:21 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
On Tue, 22 Jul 2008, madodel wrote:
No where local, though Sears had a T6. I had to order
online. I found a
vendor on Amazon.com (Micro-Tools) that sold them as separate items. Most
places only had sets and those rarely had lower than a T6 or T10.
Take a look at:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97517
They don't go down to the truly TINY sizes.
Those are NOT 1/4" drive. If you have one of the Victorinox Swiss Army
Knife "Cybertool"s, these bits will fit it!
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com
3:32 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
On Tuesday 22 July 2008 15:21, Fred Cisin wrote:
On Tue, 22 Jul 2008, madodel wrote:
What are they, then? That's the sort of bit that I acquired most recently,
and I can either use them with my Snap-On SSDM41 (magnetic handle) or with a
1/4" nut driver if I don't mind the bit falling out all the time.
Looks like a handy set, though, anyway, and I'll have to try and remember
to take a look at it next time I get in there.
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
No where local, though Sears had a T6. I had to
order online. I found a
vendor on Amazon.com (Micro-Tools) that sold them as separate items.
Most places only had sets and those rarely had lower than a T6 or T10.
Take a look at:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97517
They don't go down to the truly TINY sizes.
Those are NOT 1/4" drive. 
3:47 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
>>>> "Roy" == Roy J Tellason
<rtellason at verizon.net> writes:
Roy> On Tuesday 22 July 2008 15:21, Fred Cisin wrote:
> Take a look at:
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97517
>
> They don't go down to the truly TINY sizes. Those are NOT 1/4"
> drive.
Roy> What are they, then? That's the sort of bit that I acquired
Roy> most recently, and I can either use them with my Snap-On SSDM41
Roy> (magnetic handle) or with a 1/4" nut driver if I don't mind the
Roy> bit falling out all the time.
It says "5/32 shank". Bizarre.
There are some unusual bits in there. Triwing, for one. 5 pointed
star -- haven't seen that before.
I recently ordered a security bits set from Harbor Freight. Stuff
like torx with a hole in the middle... nice to have.
paul
4:29 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
On Tue, 22 Jul 2008, Paul Koning wrote:
It says "5/32 shank". Bizarre.
Bits larger than 1/4" also exist. But 1/4" is the defacto standard.
Harbor Freight has 5/16"
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95321
(including T40, T45, T50)
and my 40 year old hand hammer impact wrench takes 3/8"
I recently ordered a security bits set from Harbor
Freight. Stuff
like torx with a hole in the middle... nice to have.
Lately they've been putting their 32 piece set and 100? piece set on sale
frequently
4:44 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
On Tuesday 22 July 2008 15:47, Paul Koning wrote:
I must have missed it, there's a headache out there on the fringes of my head
that won't completely leave...
>>>> "Roy" == Roy J Tellason <rtellason at verizon.net>
writes:
Roy> On Tuesday 22 July 2008 15:21, Fred Cisin wrote:
> Take a look at:
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97517
>
> They don't go down to the truly TINY sizes. Those are NOT 1/4"
> drive.
Roy> What are they, then? That's the sort of bit that I acquired
Roy> most recently, and I can either use them with my Snap-On SSDM41
Roy> (magnetic handle) or with a 1/4" nut driver if I don't mind the
Roy> bit falling out all the time.
It says "5/32 shank". Bizarre. There are some unusual bits in there. Triwing, for
one. 5 pointed
star -- haven't seen that before.
Yes, that's why I considered maybe at least looking at that.
I recently ordered a security bits set from Harbor
Freight. Stuff
like torx with a hole in the middle... nice to have.
I know, I need to get some of those too. One place I recall using them was
for an IBM external floppy drive enclosure -- though they used standard
philips-head screws in some of the holes. I got them out finally and
threw 'em out. :-) It'd be nice to be able to deal with them easily though.
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
5:32 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
On 22 Jul 2008 at 16:44, Roy J. Tellason wrote:
I know, I need to get some of those too. One place I
recall using them was
for an IBM external floppy drive enclosure -- though they used standard
philips-head screws in some of the holes. I got them out finally and
threw 'em out. :-) It'd be nice to be able to deal with them easily though.
The 6-lobed Torx security bits are pretty easy to come by just about
anywhere. The 5-lobed Torx security bits, on the other hand, are
considerably more difficult to find, though not unobtanium.
Torx in the non-security version is great. I'm working on a
construction project on the house and much to my surprise, I found
that ceramic-coated deck screws are now made with T25 heads. Much
better than the older square-drive or phillips types.
Cheers,
Chuck
5:47 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
Chuck Guzis wrote:
The 6-lobed Torx security bits are pretty easy to come
by just about
anywhere. The 5-lobed Torx security bits, on the other hand, are
considerably more difficult to find, though not unobtanium.
If it has five lobes, I don't know what it is, but it isn't Torx.
7:04 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
Eric Smith wrote:
Chuck Guzis wrote:
Torx-plus, and the ones with a centre pin are called "Resistorx". You
also get them with the "male" side on a bolt head in both six- and
five-lobe versions, the latter being used to hold certain VW brake
calipers onto the hub.
Gordon
The 6-lobed Torx security bits are pretty easy to
come by just about
anywhere. The 5-lobed Torx security bits, on the other hand, are
considerably more difficult to find, though not unobtanium.
If it has five lobes, I don't know what it is, but it isn't Torx.
23 Jul
23 Jul
1:47 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
On Tuesday 22 July 2008 19:04, Gordon JC Pearce wrote:
Eric Smith wrote:
I've run across those somewhere else, too, though I can't remember where at
the moment. *Very* frustrating to try and deal with, and I don't recall now
whether I ended up drilling them out or what...
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
Chuck Guzis wrote:
Torx-plus, and the ones with a centre pin are called "Resistorx". You
also get them with the "male" side on a bolt head in both six- and
five-lobe versions, the latter being used to hold certain VW brake
calipers onto the hub. The 6-lobed Torx security bits are pretty easy to
come by just about
anywhere. The 5-lobed Torx security bits, on the other hand, are
considerably more difficult to find, though not unobtanium.
If it has five lobes, I don't know what it is, but it isn't Torx.
22 Jul
22 Jul
7:23 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
On 22 Jul 2008 at 14:47, Eric Smith wrote:
If it has five lobes, I don't know what it is, but
it isn't Torx.
You've obviously not run into these, you lucky fellow:
http://www.toolwarehaus.com/STAR%20TORX.asp
But it's Torx, by gosh. Sometimes called Torx-IPR. Still under
patent protection; some vendors (e.g. Wiha) insist on a note from
your mother before they'll sell them to you.
Reminds me of when Torx first came out. You had to purchase the Torx
tools from Textron--good stuff, but very very pricey.
Cheers,
Chuck
23 Jul
23 Jul
3:01 a.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
Eric Smith wrote:
Chuck Guzis wrote:
Sorry Jay for the OT car stuff, but it may be worth pointing out that VW
was also where I first saw those 12-lobe spline heads, where the bolt
head looks like the inside of a socket - that was on an '84 Passat.
They really don't want non-VW people opening things up.
Gordon
You've obviously not run into these, you
lucky fellow:
You and Gordon are right, I hadn't heard of Torx Plus or had the
misfortune to encounter any.
3:31 a.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
Gordon JC Pearce wrote:
Sorry Jay for the OT car stuff, but it may be worth pointing out that VW
was also where I first saw those 12-lobe spline heads, where the bolt
head looks like the inside of a socket - that was on an '84 Passat. They
really don't want non-VW people opening things up.
That's not really a spline-head. It's triple-square. The cut angles
are 90-degrees. They're all over the place on my Audi. They use them,
not to make them difficult to remove by non-VAG personnel, but because
they are capable of taking a truly enormous amount of torque before
camming out. Makes them great for suspension and brake parts. You can
get a set of sockets for them for about $10.
Peace... Sridhar
You've obviously not run into these, you lucky
fellow:
You and Gordon are right, I hadn't heard of Torx Plus or had the
misfortune to encounter any.
8:37 a.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
Sridhar Ayengar wrote:
That's not really a spline-head. It's
triple-square. The cut angles
are 90-degrees. They're all over the place on my Audi.
Hmm, ISTR coming across them on Fords as well...
camming out. Makes them great for suspension and
brake parts. You can
get a set of sockets for them for about $10.
Non-OT: it always seems to be worth buying a set when it comes to things like
this and gambling on needing at least one other size at some point down the
line. Individual "specialist" tools always seem to have a huge mark-up...
Trouble is, at least back in the UK, the walk-in stores often only carry the
individual tools; sets have to be ordered online, which is no use when you
need it right away...
cheers
Jules
22 Jul
22 Jul
11:13 a.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
Non-OT: it always seems to be worth buying a set when
it comes to things like
this and gambling on needing at least one other size at some point down the
line. Individual "specialist" tools always seem to have a huge mark-up...
The other reason is that if you need one size of such a tool, you'll use
it to get the cover off and then find some other size of the same type of
tool is needed to go further. Been there, done that :-)
Trouble is, at least back in the UK, the walk-in stores often only carry the
individual tools; sets have to be ordered online, which is no use when you
Odd... I find the reverse. Plenty of places will sell me a set of
spanners, finding a shop that will sell an idividual spanner is a lot harder.
The problem with ets is that they don't always include every size. Most
UK-sets of inch-size Allen keys do not include 9/64", which is a stnadard
size for a small UNX bold. You'll have 'fun' dismantling an ASR33 or
getting the backplane out of a PDP11/45 without one.
And how many UK spanner sets include 11/32 A/F? An open-ended spanner of
that size is esential for getting the PSU panel out of an HP9810 or 9820.
I did manage to get one from a good local tool shop, it was _very_
expensive, but excellent quality (and worth it to restore an old HP
machine...)
need it right away...
-tony
23 Jul
23 Jul
2:58 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
home depot has a "husky" brand torx driver, has something like 3 two-headed
bits that go in the handle,all of them are the tiny sizes, i think i paid
something like $10 for it, that thing has been an invaluable tool for
working on old systems and new systems alike, a MUST for any toolbox.
On Tue, Jul 22, 2008 at 10:13 AM, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
wrote:
Non-OT: it
always seems to be worth buying a set when it comes to things
like
this and gambling on needing at least one other
size at some point down
the
line. Individual "specialist" tools
always seem to have a huge mark-up...
The other reason is that if you need one size of such a tool, you'll use
it to get the cover off and then find some other size of the same type of
tool is needed to go further. Been there, done that :-)
Trouble is, at least back in the UK, the walk-in stores often only carry
the
individual tools; sets have to be ordered online,
which is no use when
you
Odd... I find the reverse. Plenty of places will sell me a set of
spanners, finding a shop that will sell an idividual spanner is a lot
harder.
The problem with ets is that they don't always include every size. Most
UK-sets of inch-size Allen keys do not include 9/64", which is a stnadard
size for a small UNX bold. You'll have 'fun' dismantling an ASR33 or
getting the backplane out of a PDP11/45 without one.
And how many UK spanner sets include 11/32 A/F? An open-ended spanner of
that size is esential for getting the PSU panel out of an HP9810 or 9820.
I did manage to get one from a good local tool shop, it was _very_
expensive, but excellent quality (and worth it to restore an old HP
machine...)
need it right away...
-tony
24 Jul
24 Jul
12:23 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
joe lobocki wrote:
home depot has a "husky" brand torx driver
For all their cheapness, I've been hurling lots of physical abuse at a set of
Husky wrenches and bits that I bought (until I can get my nicer set shipped
over from the UK) and they seem to be standing up well.
It's hard to quantify, but there do seem to be cases where cheap tools will do
a job well (and last). Expensive isn't always better, but there's a definite
art to picking reliable tooling.
23 Jul
23 Jul
12:24 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
On Wed, 23 Jul 2008, Gordon JC Pearce wrote:
was also where I first saw those 12-lobe spline heads,
where the bolt
head looks like the inside of a socket - that was on an '84
There are numerous similar looking fasteners
Double hex
Triple-square (76 Honda head bolts)
12 spline
A flank drive 12 point socket will work on almost all of them. But, get
the right tool, particularly if you ever expect to do it again.
22 Jul
22 Jul
3:54 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
> Take a look at:
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97517
> They don't go down to the truly TINY sizes.
> Those are NOT 1/4" drive.
On Tue, 22 Jul 2008, Roy J. Tellason wrote:
What are they, then?
5/32" drive / ~4mm
These are the small ones.
Last time that I was there, they had two different sets of 5/32" drive
bits.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com
4:40 p.m.
New subject: Small Torx (Was: What is a safe way to clean corrosion?
Fred Cisin wrote:
They don't go down to the truly TINY sizes.
Those are NOT 1/4" drive. If you have one of the Victorinox Swiss
Army Knife "Cybertool"s, these bits will fit it!
When I needed a T4 (or thereabouts) to dismantle a camera, I found
a cheap set on that-auction-site. Less than ?5 (including P+P)
got me a handle with double-ended interchangeable bits. The
advantage of those is that they can reach more deeply into
recessed screws than the sort you've pointed at.
That said, I'd still like a set of those if I can find somewhere in
the UK that sells them at a similar price. There aren't enough
bits that I don't already have for me to worry too much about not
having them, but you never know when those oddball bits will
come in handy!
Antonio
21 Jul
21 Jul
12:33 p.m.
I just took apart a Thinkpad 701c that has a BIOS
password that I am
attempting to clear. There is some powdery residue caked inside the battery
compartment that has leaked into a few areas surrounding it. Is there a
safe way to remove this?
Acetic Acid (vinegar - yes!) do wonders!
2:10 p.m.
Alexandre Souza wrote:
Thanks, that and an awl to chip away the caked stuff worked. Now to figure
out how to clear the password.
Mark
I just took
apart a Thinkpad 701c that has a BIOS password that I am
attempting to clear. There is some powdery residue caked inside the
battery compartment that has leaked into a few areas surrounding it.
Is there a safe way to remove this?
Acetic Acid (vinegar - yes!) do wonders! 
12:50 p.m.
madodel wrote:
I just took apart a Thinkpad 701c that has a BIOS
password that I am
attempting to clear. There is some powdery residue caked inside the
battery compartment that has leaked into a few areas surrounding it.
Is there a safe way to remove this?
Mark
I have a page devoted to battery leakage in games (and computers too),
this information applies to both ni-cad and alkaline batteries.
http://flippers.com/battery.html
John :-#)#
--
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, VideoGames)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out"
5842
days inactive
5845
days old
30 comments
17 participants
participants (17)
-
alexandre-listas＠e-secure.com.br -
arcarlini＠iee.org -
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
cclist＠sydex.com -
cisin＠xenosoft.com -
doc＠mdrconsult.com -
eric＠brouhaha.com -
glen.slick＠gmail.com -
gordonjcp＠gjcp.net -
jlobocki＠gmail.com -
jrr＠flippers.com -
jules.richardson99＠gmail.com -
lproven＠gmail.com -
madodel＠ptdprolog.net -
Paul_Koning＠Dell.com -
ploopster＠gmail.com -
rtellason＠verizon.net