Broken Secrets

You Can Easily Buy Tamper Proof Screwdrivers

January 26, 2010 at 1:50 am Chad Upton 4 comments

I have a long history of taking things apart; as a Child I had a reputation for never putting them back together. There is some truth to that, but somethings are more fun in pieces.

Before I understood how they worked, I saw things as magic boxes. I wanted to know how the engineers solved all of the problems that made the product useful; what were their secrets?

As an adult, I still like taking things apart. Sometimes, I want to know how it works; other times it doesn’t work and I want to fix it, or break it further.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to disassemble things.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably tried to disassemble something and then realize you don’t own a screwdriver that can turn a triangular notched screw-head. Or, maybe you have noticed funny looking screw-heads in public restrooms. Not the people, the metal screws used on fixtures and cubical walls. If you don’t recognize the pattern on the screw-head, they’re likely what we call “tamper proof” screws.

When you’re not supposed to disassemble something, the manufacturer or installer uses obscure screws to make it very difficult. What they don’t want you to know is: the proper tools are widely available online.

You’re not going to find these tools at Home Depot — trust me, I’ve looked. But, a couple of clicks on the internet and you’ll be tightening gaps on bathroom cubicles by the weekend.

For example, to pickup a 101 piece tamper-proof screwdriver set for less than the price of a couple pizzas, click here .

Then you can disassemble your old Nintendo or procure that automatic flush fixture you’ve had your eye on. Just promise you won’t get into any trouble or steal cable TV, it’s not worth it when you can get HDTV channels for free.

Broken Secrets

Written By: Chad Upton

[available on Kindle]

Entry filed under: Around The House, Demystified, Gadgets and Toys, Geek, Hacks. Tags: disassemble, driver, hdtv, hex, kit, proof, screw, screwdriver, screwhead, tamper, tool, torx.