I just opened my phone up to fix a simple connection problem, which I did successful.
But then when I screwed everything back together, I went a little hard on screwing one screw into the hole and “Over-screwed” it a little bit.
Nothing is damaged but I would to know if someone can tell me if I can buy replacement screws for myself and if there any information which especially I need to buy (length,…) if I want to or better, if I have to.
I mean just don’t over screw it but if it happens it would be nice to have a little replacement screws laying around just in case. Also you can lose one.
If you overscrewed it and now the screw just turns then you’ve probably stripped the thread in the “female” part, but first check the screw itself - can you still see the threads? If yes, then you probably stripped the threads in the body of the phone, which is a pain!
However, before you go any further, will one of the other screws from the phone fit in the same hole? Will it tighten? If yes, then you just need a new screw - I suggest taking it to an electronics repair shop, they may have a spare they can sell you. Failing that, you need to find the screw dimensions to buy a new one. I suggest that you message Fairphone support, but whilst waiting for them to reply you can try and measure it yourself. For this you need a micrometer and a thread gauge which you can get from a tools shop. To use them to measure the screw I suggest you look for videos online.
If another screw doesn’t work then you’ve probably stripped the thead. There are two ways to fix this, neither straightforward:
“Tap” a new thread into the existing hole. This will then require a larger diameter screw, matching the new thread you tapped in
Insert a helicoil… this may also require that you tap in a new thread as well, maybe not.
Again, these require tools from a tools shop - a tapping set, a helicoil and maybe some other things… again, best to look online for videos.
Or you can find the screw dimensions on iFixIt
(Phillips #00 4mm length screws for the display) _I just hope, that the #00 is a measure for the width of the screws as well.
The teardown unfortunately doesn’t give the screws dimensions though.
Photo attached: Left screw is a M1.4x4mm screw, center screw is a FP3 screw and the right screw is an M1.4x3mm. The 4mm screw works ok but bottoms out in some holes (a hair too long) and the 3mm screws feel like they only engage a few thread so I don’t know how strong they’d be.
The slightly bigger screw heads don’t seem to be a problem.
Sounds suspiciously like the M1.4 x3.8 as used in Lumia 930 would fit and will report back when have had a chance to investigate. Can confirm that provided a T5 Torx screwdriver is available that this Nokia/Lumia screw albeit 3.8mm as opposed to 3.5mm of FP3 screw appears to be a perfect fit especially upon the periphery of the device; although have not tried all thirteen locations.
Slightly OT as it’s about the FP2 and not the FP3: some time ago I bought one hundred M1.4x5mm screws off eBay. They’re exactly the right type, even though the heads look a bit different (I may have ordered button heads instead of flat heads). Here’s a comparison shot, FP2 screw on the left and eBay screw on the right.
@formerFP.Com.Manager: Could Fairphone please consider this?
If people are supposed to take the plunge and unscrew the screws … some screws could get lost, the heads could get worn out so they couldn’t be handled with confidence anymore, the coloured Nylon (?) layer to keep the screws from unscrewing themselves could disappear over time, etc. … would be nice to have a reliable source for the exact same screws.
@formerFP.Com.Manager
I’d even go further: perhaps you could also include some spare screws when selling the phone (10 I’d say) in case one loses some. It would even show further your will to allow the user to repair his phone easily. And I believe it would really be appreciated by many who just lost one screw and have to buy hundred without being they will fit perfectly.
Replacement screws, that hardly anyone will ever use? And should they be needed, they most likely will be lost.
It might be my fault, for taking my own experience for an example, but I really doubt, that many people will need those screws.
Doesn’t seem very sustainable to me.
Selling some seems more like the way to go. But handling and shipping costs have to be way lower of course.
At some point I badly damaged a screw on my FP2 in such a way that it was stuck. I wasn’t able to unstuck it. I contacted support for a replacement, and received multiple (IIRC about 6), it just took a while (~2 months). A few months later, the stuck screw was unstuckable. Kinda weird…
I will need replacement screws for my FP3 very soon.
This post is helpful to pick the right size, but the screws you are showing do not have pre-applied threadlocker (the blue “glue” in the threads).
I think the threadlocker is important. It is used to prevent loosening of the screws due to vibrations (normal life vibrations, like having the FP in the door pocket of the car).
I think if we don’t pre-apply threadlocker we will risk having some loose screws after some time. That’s why selling official screws would be great, they would come in the proper size and with the proper products applied.
On the meantime, my best guess is that this product would work: Loctite Threadlocker 242. It’s blue and is used for screws that need to be disassembled eventually.
Beware: The product I’m suggesting is a best guess. I don’t know anything about electronics… We normally use this for big machines. Would be great to get Fairphone feedback here!
that’s a great suggestion but it will work only once your screw is already damaged.
I’d love to prevent this from happening. I know how difficult it can be to remove a worn out screw.
However, the link to the other topic is relevant. I think there’s a way of indicating similar topics on the forum. It would be great if some forum admin would link both topics.
