DS Repairs: Stripped Tri-Wing Screws

[Khift]

I bought this DS used and on the cheap, paying only $31 after shipping from eBay as I was the only bidder (seller listed it without the right keywords, no picture). I knew it was going to need a new outer case, so I ordered that, and when the both of them had arrived I spent a whole evening replacing the casing. It should not have taken so long, it's not THAT complex of an undertaking, except one of the terrible shitty soft metal Tri-Wing screws holding the back plate in stripped, giving me a hell of a time. I ended up having to tear the shit out of the old case, isolate the screw, then pull it out forcefully with pliers.

Fast forward to today. The console's been working great for about a month now, when suddenly this morning it decided to make everything green. I know what it is, it's the ribbon cable acting up -- had this happen when I first made the swap and fixed it by re-seating the cable in it's connector. Problem is, I went to open the case up... and another of those shitty Tri-Wing screws stripped on me. First thing I did was take the third (and final) of these screws and throw it away, but now I'm stuck with a DS that displays everything with a heavy green filter and cannot be opened.

Has anyone else had any experience with this? That two of my three outer case screws stripped makes me think this is not some rare occurrence. If you have, how did you deal with it? And, before anyone asks, yes, I am using a Tri-Wing screwdriver. I'm not dumb enough to try and open one of these up with a phillips head.

It's not a bad DS, it's just the ribbon cable is in poor shape and I can't even get it open to try and mess with it. I would really like to get this one working again as opposed to buying a new one.

(Also, mods, if there's a better forum for this please move it; I put it in Off Topic because I didn't see any better forum for it.)

 

[THE_IRON_...KENYAN?]

I first read this as Stripped zerowing screws

 

[wickdaggler]

oh hey look another non-sequitur TIK post

 

[THE_IRON_...KENYAN?]

Its pretty much virtually impossible to successfully call out anyone with that avatar

 

[NatGeo]

It's virtually impossible to take someone serious with that avatar

 

[Fatecrashers]

It's virtually impossible to lick your own elbow.

 

[THE_IRON_...KENYAN?]

What if you cut your arm off

 

[THE_IRON_...KENYAN?]

OP: nobody is going to help you

 

[az]

hi wickdaggler please stop trying to call tik out it makes me throw up in my mouth a little every time

 

[mattj]

Do whatever you have to in order to get the stripped screw out. Just keep fiddling with it if you have to. Then, go to any large hardware store with the screw in hand. Replace it with a similar, or slightly fatter Phillips head screw. You won't have the problem again. The difference in size/thread really won't matter in the long run.

[edit]
Try googling "stripped screw remover" or something like that.

I had to buy something like this for one stripped screw on a Waterpump on my van one time. They work really well. Best 10$ I ever spent.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

OP, I feel your pain. I've been working at an IT place the past three weeks, and shitty screws are officially my nemesis now.

It really just comes down to having the right tools, I'd ask on some sort of computer forum, as they would be more likely to know what works best for this.

 

[Bad Ass]

this hasn't ever really worked for me, but i hear a lot of good stories about this one.

take a cheap, clear bic pen, and heat it with a lighter until it's melty. then, press it down into the screw and hold it there for five minutes. it should work like a screwdriver.

 

[moot]

'virtually': in theory, but not in practice

 

[jrrrrrrr]

This usually works for me, although I haven't tried it on something as small as a DS screw must be.

 

[makiri]

I first read this as Stripped zerowing screws

That is actually currently in post-production, should be on store shelves in the next month or so.