So I did this with two of the screws on the keyboard assembly (not the KB screws) and should’ve checked the community first. I see I should’ve been extra careful (even though I thought I was) but darnit, Phillips head screws??
Anyway, I’ve ordered new screws, but can’t get the last two out to do my keyboard swap.
Currently doing the rubber band thing, but no luck so far, and trying to not make it worse with haste.
Suggestions?
Get a Vampliers electronics screw remover. I previously stripped a screw on the trackpad and the tool made it really easy to get it out.
For smaller screws, I recommend using something like the iFixit kit which allows you to put a lot of downwards force when undoing screws. With the right bit, it minimizes the potential of stripping.
Thanks @TheTRUEAsian, just ordered the Vampliers now, I’m sure they’ll be worth it.
Now I just need patience, guess I’ll go back to the Cooler Master build for my old mainboard.
Just some advice on when using it. Since some of the screws are really thin, you want to make sure that you’re applying a lot of force so that the tool can bite into the screw and have something to latch on. Then, unscrew it very slowly. When I was initially unscrewing it, I thought the tool was slipping but it actually managed to do it.
Vampliers did the trick, thanks again.
Great to hear!
Yep, searched “framework stripped screw” and saw that it’s the exact same screw as the one I stripped. I’ve been using the iFixit kit, which hasn’t caused me problems in the past.
I’m convinced there’s some inherent issue with either the part or the screws being used.
Phillips are just terrible. They love to strip.
While Phillips is more prone to stripping than other screw types, I think it’s often user error causing stripped screws. One common error is not applying enough downwards pressure when trying to screw it in. This increases that chances you’re applying too much lateral force and contributes to screw wear. In addition, trying to overtighten screws can cause you to slip and strip the screw. Another mistake is unscrewing/screwing in screws too quickly and using electric screwdrivers.
For the Framework laptop, one thing I’ve done to minimize the chances of overtightening screws is to use 2 fingers at the very end. If you feel resistance when using 2 fingers, then the screw is already tight enough.
That’s a lot of things that can go wrong for a mere bolt. With electronics it’s really hard to know how much downward force is appropriate.
Given that its’ the exact same screw in the exact same corner, I’m inclined to there are other factors at play here.
There’s a lot of things that can go wrong because there’s a lot of different ways you can strip a screw. There isn’t just one way to strip a screw
You don’t need to apply a lot of downwards force. What I’ve seen people do is only rely on weight of the screwdriver to act as the downwards force while they unscrew a screw which increases the chances of stripping it.
Well it’s a smaller Phillips screw that’s even more prone to stripping than the other screws on the Framework. And not a lot of people attempt keyboard replacements.
Yeah, I apply a lot more than that. So that’s not it.
If it’s documented, it’s a supported use case. So I don’t know that that really means anything.
Managed to get it off with pliers.
I wonder if I can just get these screws off Amazon, because clearly these ones are made of tofu, and shipping is another $20 just for a bag of screws, of which I only need one.
Probably more like they use the wrong philips head for the given screw, with the right head you should not need too much downward pressure (especially in the case of machine screw into threaded hole) but since a lot of philips heads do kinda work with the wrong head it’s hard to tell and even if you can I often can’t be bothered to switch to the right one. If you got the wrong size torx or hex driver, it just won’t work. If you have the wrong size Philips or flat head it’ll kinda work and has a much higher chance to do damage to the screw.
That is highly likely. people do not realise there are three common standard for what are loosely known as ‘phillips head’ screws.
There are the genuine Phillips Head, which is denoted by having extra ‘points’ between the slots. There are corresponding 'V’s on the screwdriver. The screwdriver also has quite a pointed tip on it.
Then there is the other ‘cross head’ screws you come across in the western world. These do not have the extra ‘lines’ between the slots. The screwdriver has a very blunt tip.
Then there is the Japanese or Asian cross head screw, commonly found in the western world in PCs or other Asian assembled items. These are different again to the two types above, and to correctly use these there is a different screwdriver to fit them. There is a standard for these but I cannot remember what the number is. I have never seen screwdrivers for these screws for sale in the Western world. This is quite likely the type used in FW machines where Torx screws are not used.
A screwdriver designed for one type does not correctly fit the other two types.
There may well be other standards from other areas as well.
No, I checked that it’s PH0 and double checked it against the driver that came with the Framework.
Low quality screws are a thing. Not everything is PEBKAC.
I actually suspect the issue may be with the quality of the framework tool rather than the screws. I stripped three of the five screws on the bottom. I was doing it by hand and I didn’t think I over tightened them. I was freaked out and thought I was stuck until I remembered I had the tool kit shown in the photo from some years back. I used the same size and shape of bit, but from the tool kit in the photo and it worked great for the two unstripped screws and was able to back out the three strip screws with a LOT of downward pressure.
