Prospective K3 Owner

[gm3sek]

Bob wrote:
>
>          True Pozidriv screws are not that common on this side of the
>pond.  But you may not want "genuine Philips" either.  The true
>Phillips head screws and drivers are designed to "Cam Out" to prevent
>over tightening.    To prevent that there are Reed and Prince or
>Frearson head screws and drivers.  They have a variation in the angle
>and depth.  Another that also "looks" like phillips are the JIS
>standard that again changes the angles.

According to various online sources, the original Philips cross-head was
introduced to speed assembly in the automotive industry, and to avoid
damage to bodywork due to the flat screwdriver blade skidding out of the
screw slot. Because the early power screwdrivers didn't have any kind of
clutch, the Philips drivers were deliberately designed to "cam out" and
disengage from the cross head once the screw was reasonably tight.

That feature is no longer needed, and "cam out" is now the major
weakness of the Philips system. Many other systems have been devised to
overcome this. In Europe, Philips has been mostly replaced by the
Pozidriv system, which has more parallel-sided slots and blades and will
deliver a much larger torque without camming out.  However, Pozidriv
seems largely unknown in the USA - the irony being that the patents are
owned by the Philips company!


> Using a new screwdriver may only be a partial solution, you need to
>look real close as to which you want and buy and how they fit. .
>
>            The term phillips has become somewhat generic for any cross
>headed screw,  just as any copy is a Xerox.
>
We have to trust that when Elecraft say "Philips", that is what they
really mean!  However, a Pozi driver is definitely the wrong tool for
the job.


>            There may even be more variations out there.   I don't know
>what your old BA stuff was but I'm sure Elecraft isn't using them.
>
BA is a thread form, and doesn't dictate the shape of the head.

Aren't standards wonderful?  There are so many to choose from...


--

73 from Ian GM3SEK         'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek
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[Jack Smith-6]

I'll second Doug's  recommendation of these screwdrivers. I bought a set
of both Phillips and PoziDrive from McMaster-Carr and won't use anything
else now. They are not cheap, but good tools are an investment.

If you work on HP test gear, you'll want a PoziDrive set as they are
used extensively. (Pozidrive screw heads can be identified by the lines
scribed between recesses.) You can use a standard Phillips screwdriver
with Pozidrive screws but it's not a good idea as you will sooner or
later damage the recesses.

Jack K8ZOA
>
> Err, Wiha makes anti-cam Phillips drivers that work well.
> I got mine from McMaster-Carr.
>
>  
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[Tim Heasman]

Hi All,

I had to go find an old Stanley cross head screw driver, as the posidriver
was not a good fit.  Having looked at the old Stanley driver #810 I can see
that the cross sides are quite tapered as compared with the posidriver and
this probably the reason for the better fit.  If anyone is "Camming Out" on
the small screws on the K3 they have got the wrong driver or using far too
much force.

I found out about too much force on small bolts when turning the hexagon off
1/4" BSW bolts when I was an apprentice marine engine fitter, where large
amounts of force are quite often required.

73

Tim

GM4LMH

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[M0XDF]

I second that, I bought a Wiha ESD; US and Metric sets of nut drivers  
and the good screwdrivers (flat & Philips) for use on Elecraft gear -  
not cheap, but they are great tools.
73 de M0XDF, K3 #174
--
They know enough who know how to learn. -Henry Adams (1838-1918)

On 27 Aug 2008, at 15:05, Doug Faunt N6TQS [phone] wrote:

>   Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:25:14 -0700 (PDT)
>   From: "Julian, G4ILO" <[hidden email]>
>
>   It seems to be impossible nowadays to buy tools of any sort that  
> are not
>   cheap cr*p made in China from poor quality steel that gets chewed  
> up at the
>   first tough job it encounters.
>
> Err, Wiha makes anti-cam Phillips drivers that work well.
> I got mine from McMaster-Carr.

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[AC7AC]

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[Cranz Nichols]

Treat yourself to breakfast at a nice Mom & Pop place.  Ask your
waitress/waiter if the cook could let you have a couple of egg trays.  I
think they are 8x8 (I threw mine away after #231 came to life).  Leave
an extra buck or so.

Pretty handy.  Cheap.  Filling.

cln
WB5BKL

On Wed, 2008-08-27 at 04:04 -0400, [hidden email]
wrote:

> Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:09:04 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Joe G
> Subject: [Elecraft] Prospective K3 Owner

>
>
> Well, if all goes well, I will have my K3 by Christmas.  
<snip>
>
>    - Are there any "tricks" at any stage of the assembly that anyone has
> uncovered
>
<snip>



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[Julius Fazekas n2wn]

WIHA makes excellent tools for small screws. They are made in Germany. A bit more expensive, but worth the investment.

Julius Fazekas
N2WN

Tennessee Contest Group
TnQP http://www.tnqp.org/

Elecraft K2/100 #3311
Elecraft K2/100 #4455
Elecraft K3/100 #366
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[David Woolley (E.L)]

Julian, G4ILO wrote:
>

>
> It seems to be impossible nowadays to buy tools of any sort that are not
> cheap cr*p made in China from poor quality steel that gets chewed up at the
> first tough job it encounters.

This has very little to do with where they are manufactured, and a great
deal to do with how little people in West are prepared to pay,
especially the people who buy from DIY superstores.

Modern marketing practices, which consider actually educating the user
either too boring or likely to raise their FUD (fear, uncertainty and
doubt) about the purchase, may also contribute.

If you take the sort of cordless hammer drill that the man in the street
or cowboy trader might buy, you might pay GBP 33.  If you buy the sort
of hammer drill one would expect a professional tradesman to use, you
might be paying GBP 209.  (It is possible, though, that screwdrivers are
so cheap that tradesmen treat them as consumables.)

You get a similar problem with ISPs.  The reason that they tend to use
overseas call centres which tell you to re-install Windows  is that that
is all you can afford to do at the prices that customers are prepared to
pay.

--
David Woolley
"The Elecraft list is a forum for the discussion of topics related to
Elecraft products and more general topics related ham radio"
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