Hi,

Sometimes I wonder if using these "tamper proof" screws has the opposite effect of what was intended. They seem to challenge people to try to get them out, and they certainly do not stop the people that know how to fix things already, and those are the people who would want to get them out. So who are they stopping.

That was my question. Whom is it suppose to stop?
Considering that bits for removing tamper proof fasteners are easily available.

 

The head of the screw was deeply recessed in a hole. There was no opportunity to grab it from the sides.
I had to make a tool that fitted the slots.

I had a device like this too which had screw heads that were very weird and they were recessed so there was no access except with a special tool, and I had to wonder if there even was such a tool. This made them more like rivets than screws. I did not need to get them out right away so I did not remove them, but because they were more like rivets I would have drilled them out, which still would render the screws ineffective. It it was very important to remove them and even that would not work (maybe hardened steel) I would have cut through the plastic case with a Dremel tool in places just around the plastic recess. I had to do this one time with a can opener that started making a very loud grinding noise after only one or two uses. There are many ways to repair the device after that too such as epoxy. The can opener had no grease on the gears that was the main problem. I did get a 50 percent refund.
A big pain in the butt, but I like to fix things too not throw them out. It's also interesting sometimes to see what they used inside.

 

That was my question. Whom is it suppose to stop?
Considering that bits for removing tamper proof fasteners are easily available.

Oh right, ha ha ha, that makes it even nuttier. Maybe these screws are for the super dummies out there with a butter knife and a hangover from the night before

 

That was my question. Whom is it suppose to stop?
Considering that bits for removing tamper proof fasteners are easily available.

Lawyers. They're sort of like vampires but are stopped by a special screw [Deleted by moderator].

 

The whole concept fills me with the urge to def---cate

 

The whole concept fills me with the urge to def---cate

Tear down the wall!

 

 

https://www.extremetech.com/electro...-grants-dmca-exemption-for-ice-cream-machines
US Copyright Office Grants DMCA Exemption for Ice Cream Machines

That means restaurant owners and independent repair professionals will be able to bypass the software locks that keep kitchen machinery offline until the "right" repair services get involved. This should lower prices and speed up repairs in such situations. Public Knowledge and iFixit express disappointment that the wider expansion was not granted, but they're still celebrating with some delicious puns (and probably ice cream).

"There’s nothing vanilla about this victory; an exemption for retail-level commercial food preparation equipment will spark a flurry of third-party repair activity and enable businesses to better serve their customers," said Meredith Rose, Senior Policy Counsel at Public Knowledge.

 

 

He's right. It's a contract dispute. He's also right about his "customers" and the media.

 

The last time I took electronics to a shop for repair (over 30 years ago) they wanted 85USD up front for "evaluation" to be deducted from the final bill. That was in the 80's when repair shops were mostly gone and he was the only guy around and 85USD was a lot more than what it buys now. I never darkened their door again. Never considered "storage" and I do seem to remember a clause on their repair contract that "items left over 90 days will be disposed of". Not sure if that meant trashed or sold to the local pawn shop. I do remember a guy over 50 years ago that was in the electronics repair business telling me that his most important diagnostic tool was the piece of foam rubber cushion on his bench. After a quick visual inspection of a piece of gear and seeing no obvious signs of electrical fault, he would attach power and antenna (if needed) connections and bounce it a few times on the cushion and see what happened. For mobile equipment, a good percentage of the time it came back to life and all it needed was some touching up of a few solder joints. Then he could put on the bill whatever he thought the guy would stand for on the ticket for repairs and if it got left it went to the pawn shop where he had a deal with for their repairs or trashed if it just wasn't worth it.

 

I would think that the examples sites thus far are a bit odd. When in the business myself, I charges a diagnostic fee which was used against the repair should the repair be requested. From a business perspective, look at it like this: If I have a day where the only transactions are for estimates, than an entire day of work will yield zero (0). No business can survive that. I would say that the business referenced here (ACME) is a bit more extreme. Having storage charges of $25 per day seems a bit high especially when talking about small devices (binoculars for example). Yes, storage can cost money, but if you accumulate that much, either you don't have sufficient staff to repair anything or something else is wrong.

As a business owner, I can see both sides here. But... some parts of this story are missing.
Dan

 

I would think that the examples sites thus far are a bit odd. When in the business myself, I charges a diagnostic fee which was used against the repair should the repair be requested. From a business perspective, look at it like this: If I have a day where the only transactions are for estimates, than an entire day of work will yield zero (0). No business can survive that. I would say that the business referenced here (ACME) is a bit more extreme. Having storage charges of $25 per day seems a bit high especially when talking about small devices (binoculars for example). Yes, storage can cost money, but if you accumulate that much, either you don't have sufficient staff to repair anything or something else is wrong.

As a business owner, I can see both sides here. But... some parts of this story are missing.
Dan

They showed the contract in the video. That is all a judge will care about.

 

You can always "line out" and initial any part of a contract that you disagree with. However, to do so may cancel the contract being offered or lead to further negotiations. It's always your choice but ALWAYS read the contract before signing and "line out" anything disagreeable to you. Caveat Emptor

 

You can always "line out" and initial any part of a contract that you disagree with. However, to do so may cancel the contract being offered or lead to further negotiations. It's always your choice but ALWAYS read the contract before signing and "line out" anything disagreeable to you. Caveat Emptor

It's difficult (actually, impossible) to strike out terms on a digital "click thru" contract.

But, yes. Read everything. No matter how seemingly inconsequential.

 

I do all kinds of repairs at no charge, both electronics and non-electronics. The reality is any repair business would have to charge $75 up front for diagnostics and a minimum of another $75 to do the repair.

It is usually cheaper for the owner to trash the appliance and go buy a new one.

I recently repaired a CPAP machine that would have cost over $1000. I have lined up for repair two Sony radio/CD/tape players, a Bose wave music system, a Paradigm subwoofer, and more. I also recently repaired an electric pencil sharpener by 3D printing a new gear. I would imagine that the kids in the classroom just love to go sharpen their pencils just for a distraction.

I do this because It keeps my diagnosing skills sharp and I feel good about it. I ask for nothing in return but people leave me gifts, a bottle of wine, gift cards, $25 and even $50 once.

 

I too perform many repairs for nothing. I had hoped to have s small shop, but with the cost of it, the number of repairs needed (at a reasonable cost) would exceed what I could do in a day. Unfortunately, this results is more E-waste, but nothing will change. Even simple repairs at the component level where the "parts" cost is small need to be somewhat expensive because of the needed labor rates to survive these days. I don't see this changing either. Sad to see this as repair is often a challenge and fun.

 

Last Saturday, our local Repair Café grew to 10 volunteers doing general household, electrical and electronics repair and another 10 people doing other types of repairs such as mending, sewing, furniture repair, and knife sharpening.

 

My GMC Yukon’s Brake Light Went Out, I Thought It Would Be About $10, But Now the Dealer Tells Me It’s $1500 For Both Sides


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"The tail lamp assembly is a fully sealed unit and was not designed to be repaired," the case expounds. "If there is a problem, the lamp is replaced as a complete and very expensive unit."

 

Repair Café

That is a ferociously great idea.

ak