Smile on my face - Page 4

I recently scored a load of cable boxes and DVR receivers. All Motorola. I was sooo excited after I got them home and unloaded. I got a nice work area all cleaned off and started ripping into them .... DOHH... I have never seen this security screw before. At least nothing I have come across in my scrapping as of yet. I went through every tool box I have and nothing would even come close. Off to Mr. Google I went.



Turns out there are many types of what they call "security" screws. I found a nut driver made for the Motorola cable boxes but they wanted $20 for ONE driver..... um .. NO. Further research told me Motorola borrowed this security screw from gaming systems and cartridges from back in the day, Nintendo, Saga and such. So I dug out my old NES and low and behold... victory, same screw. Anyways, they make a gaming repair set with the said drivers I need for my boxes. $7 and change. Received it yesterday and we are back into business.

With the money I get from this load, it should be enough to get a 180 piece set I have my eye on that has all the security drivers and bits that exist.... hopefully.

This is one of the Motorola cable boxes

Motorola DCH200









Question: You guys that do alot of e-waste with the RF coax connections with what I call, RF "cages", how much of the shielding "cage" do you remove? Just the lid?
Pulling off all the tin edging is a pain because alot is soldered if not all of it. On these, i'm pulling the lid off because of that nice copper shielding under it, but not all are like that tho.

Also I don't know much about these Motorola M-Cards. Are these greater than scrap?

Nice score there!
I remove the shielding in the same way, never had a problem or been downgraded.
I too have run into those screws...usually some cussing and then BFH time!

Originally Posted by mthomasdev

Interested in that 180 piece set you mentioned. Can you post a link?

Wow it must have been late when I typed that. Sorry

The set I was looking at is this one at 103 pieces. Its got the gamebit and tons of other security screw bit. affordable too

https://www.newelectronx.com/proddet...er-bit-set-103


The set I ended up with was this small kit plus 2 driver bits

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N8XIG4I...a-383713256565

https://www.amazon.com/Security-Scre...CETCXFM72RRPQW

Last weekend I went to a Warehouse Auction and they had tones of Ewaste. Got a little over my head but hopefully I will make a good profit. This is just HALF of what I have. About 4 more pallets of towers, around 60 monitors and about 100 phone units not pictured. Total investment; $150

Time to get busy

At that rate it is impossible not to profit. The very best way to do auctions is what you have done on this one.

My favorite saying passed on to me "Profit begins when you buy not when you sell". If you buy it cheap enough you can be assured of making a profit. Thanks for sharing. 73, Mike