Omnimaga
Calculator Community => TI Calculators => General Calculator Help => Topic started by: AzNg0d1030 on February 13, 2012, 08:13:00 pm
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I've been trying to open my calculator, but I can't seem to do it.
What I have been able to do is remove the two screws on the bottom back of the calc as well as the 6 screws that are under the battery in the battery compartment. What do I do from here? Are the two screw-looking things that are under the battery cover but not under the battery part of the process? They don't seem like any normal screwdriver would be able to take them out...
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THey most likely did like SNES cartridges and used screws that are as less common as possible to ensure as less people as possible can open their calculator case.
I haven't checked how the screws in the battery part looks like, though, becuase I can't even find any screwdriver that can open the screws at the bottom of the calc in the first place here anyway.
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the screws at the bottom can be opened with a really small flathead screwdriver. I happened to have one :P
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They do? When I tried that with my 83+ a few years ago, they wouldn't bother turning at all and I broke them. ??? But again my calc was old and it acumulated dust in the holes.
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Hm. the two screws on the inside are like the ones on the outside bottom but with only 4 points in like a helix shape. idk, hard to describe
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I would be happy too to discover how to remove these weird screws ...
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I've done so much taking apart that I have pretty much every size of every type of screwdriver on the market.
But, before I had those, I used an amazing trick that has sketchy results (takes practice.):
Grab a lighter and a pen with plastic at the end, not a clicky pen. Melt the plastic at the end until it's a gel/liquid and firmly press straight down (CRUCIAL: It CANNOT be at an angle or it will probably break.) and wait for about 15-30 seconds. Now start screwing gently and if the screw is deep enough, you should have a screwdriver that can unscrew any other screws of the same type for about 10 uses before it wears down. :) Congratulations, you just MacGuyver'd a screw.
THIS WAS INVENTED BY ME! TAKE THAT EHOW!!
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The weird screws are known as torx screws. Torx has sizes, so there are T5, T6, T15, etc. To open my 84, I got a cheap screwdriver set from Harbor Freight which had all of the small torx sizes, along with any number of other tiny screw drivers. The size that TI uses on their calculators is T6.
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Dapianokid, people have been using that method to open gameboy cartridges (and probably many other things) for well over a decade now ;) Still, it works pretty well to open those weirdly shaped screws.
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@fortytwo
I know the torx ;) I hoped that i've had this size but unfortunately, it's not the case. So I think that I will use a flat screw driver for theses ...
Nevertheless, I was talking about the helix shaped crews ;)
@Dapianokid
Yep ! I used this trick on my gamecube ;)
I don't know why but I was reluctant to use it on my cx ...
But, thanks to you, I will use it and my cx will be taken apart until the evening !
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The plastic pen method doesn't seem to work on the cx ...
1) There isn't enough space around the screw (so you can't turn the pen-screwdriver once solidified).
2) There is a "step" before the screw ... So the pen take the form of the step + the top of the screw (but without enough of the inside of the screw)
I have tried a flat screwdriver too but mine's doesn't seem to be sharp enough ...
Raaaah, I'm becoming mad !!!
edit : I will try to find help in watch shops tomorrow ...
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Well like AzNgod said, what do we do after? I was able to remove the screws with a t6 but I'm afraid to pop open the case just in case there are some hidden screws.
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_Nicco_ , did you succeed to remove the Clutch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-way_screw#Clutch) screw (near the battery) ?
I bet that theses are clutch but I'm not sure, they are so tiny ...
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_Nicco_ , did you succeed to remove the Clutch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-way_screw#Clutch) screw ?
I bet that theses are clutch but I'm not sure, they are so tiny ...
you are right, so it is basically a truck :p
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So my trick doesn't work on CX CAS's.. my friend taught me it for opening Gamecubes, Yamashita. :) Well it's old but gold, but all it takes is creating a deeper crevice for it to be useless.
A tri-wing works on these, as will an appropriately sized philips head. But really, get a Torx 6.
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So my trick doesn't work on CX CAS's.. my friend taught me it for opening Gamecubes, Yamashita. :) Well it's old but gold, but all it takes is creating a deeper crevice for it to be useless.
A tri-wing works on these, as will an appropriately sized philips head. But really, get a Torx 6.
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Yep, opening GC remind me of the good time ... How to have a chipped GC and DREs :D Glad to have dolphinemu on this matter ^^
I hate TI ! They have gifted us with a fine calc but have it locked everywhere ...
By the way, I don't understand why you are telling me to get a Torx 6 ... My problem isn't the Torx screws but the Clutch screws ...
For the record, I have some Xbox 360 sized Torx keys but they are huger than 6 ... But T6 screws can be opened with a flat head screwdriver, so it's fine ;)
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:) good call, Yamashita! The Clutch screws can be opened with a firmly and meticulously placed flathead, as well.
TI has good reasons for locking it down, and I understand the feeling, though I personally love TI.
I have fixed many a broken wii and gamecube
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You can open the CX with a 1.6mm flat screw driver, like the one I used in this picture :
https://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5055#p79193
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THIS WAS INVENTED BY ME! TAKE THAT EHOW!!
So my trick doesn't work on CX CAS's.. my friend taught me it for opening Gamecubes, Yamashita. :) Well it's old but gold, but all it takes is creating a deeper crevice for it to be useless.
A tri-wing works on these, as will an appropriately sized philips head. But really, get a Torx 6.
So you lie and take credit for things that you didn't come up with?
_Nicco_ , did you succeed to remove the Clutch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-way_screw#Clutch) screw (near the battery) ?
I bet that theses are clutch but I'm not sure, they are so tiny ...
I'll try to remove the clutch screws after my homework gets done.
Thanks.
After those screws should the top come right off? Also do the clutch screws need to be put back in?
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Nicco, not really invented. It was just a thing I didn't have to look up too get. My friend didn't teach me it, but he recommended finding a malleable substance and I perfected it for him.
So we did it together.
Chill.
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I'll try to remove the clutch screws after my homework gets done.
Thanks.
After those screws should the top come right off? Also do the clutch screws need to be put back in?
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Oh yeah !!!
I suceed to remove the clutch screws with a 1.2 mm flat screwdriver. It's was so easy with the right tool :)
Maybe there are hidden screws under pads ... I will see that later ...
edit :
Okay that's it ! You have two more clutch screws under the top pads. Once you have removed them, push the battery area to remove the motherboard part ;)
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Write a tutorial with pictures, man!
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I'll do it in one month ;)
Now, I have a ton of homework to do ^^
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Ahh I wasn't able to get the top clutch screws out. I'll try again some other day with a different screw driver
I have a fear of stripping them. They look really easy to strip.
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One thing sholud be told... If you opens your CX/CAS with very small screwdriver, be aware that 2 pieces at reset hole don't get lost. A very small black round plastic with small pin has to sit in the reset hole with pin pointing to hole and a small grey rubber button has to be placed on it, the inner side with black conductive rubber pointing to small golden contacts at the board (and if it's adhering at the board, take it to a safe place, it may fall down by moving the Nspire board). By opening the Nspire both will fall out, when the back is hold upside. So look that the upper part with keys is upside and after opening, look for both pieces. They have a weight close to 0 and you know, such pieces can jump over incredible distances... So better to do this all on a wide table. When putting the Nspire together, replacing of the 2 parts is tricky. Put the black piece at his place and and put the grey button in right way on it, as I told before. Use a forceps, with fingers it's to difficult. Be careful, make not to much vibration by mounting back (of course laying at downside), otherwise the both pieces will change their position. When all seems right, try a reset before turning all screws in :-). Sorry about my very simple english.