this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
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Right to Repair

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Whether it be electronics, automobiles or medical equipment, the manufacturers should not be able to horde “oem” parts, render your stuff useless if you repair it with aftermarket parts, or hide schematics of their products.

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Basic blender went bad (motor ran but spindle wasn't rotating). I wanted to disassemble to see if it could be repaired. Three of the four screws were Phillips head. I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn't unscrew the fourth. It was a slotted spanner.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If you have a Dremel, I bet you could take out the center bit and use a regular slotted screwdriver.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

$10 says it was recessed before op cut the base off, making it impossible without damage to slot the screw with a Dremel.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (3 children)

So you use the dremel to cut a groove into your screwdriver instead.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Damn, I didn’t even think of that. It would be ruining a good screwdriver, but you could just use an old worn flat-head drill bit.

Good call, either way.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

👆

Where’d you get such a big brain

Edit - ah, since you can’t see the screw until you cut away at the product, the company is still going to frustrate even the crafty DIYers

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

make a print with a bit of putty on a stick ?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Great idea! Much more reasonable than trying to get a fiberoptic kind of camera down there.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

$30 bucks. An endoscope is $30 bucks, and well worth it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

At that point, just buy the correct bit for the job.