A simple trick for finding tiny screws that changed my bench time

For years, I'd just dump a device's screws into a small dish or a magnetic tray. I'd spend what felt like ages, maybe 10 minutes on a laptop teardown, just trying to match them up at the end, holding each one up to the light to check thread pitch. The change came about six months ago after a frustrating repair on a 2017 MacBook Pro. I was tired and put a screw in the wrong spot, which stripped the post. Now, I use a piece of plain white paper and a pen. I lay the paper flat, place each screw in the order I remove it, and draw a quick circle around it. When I'm done, I have a perfect map. It adds maybe 30 seconds to the start, but it saves me from that frantic searching and costly mistakes. Does anyone else have a simple, low-tech method that saves them a headache?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_gibson277d ago

Honestly my buddy does something similar with an ice cube tray. He got so mad after mixing up the screws on his PS5 he started using one. Tbh it looks kinda silly but he hasn't messed up since.

michaeld487d ago

I totally get why your buddy started using an ice cube tray, @elliot_gibson27. Mixing up those tiny screws is the absolute worst feeling. It seems silly until you're the one staring at a pile of identical parts. That moment of panic when you can't remember which screw goes where is real. His solution might look funny but it's actually pretty smart. I've been there myself and now I keep a piece of cardboard to poke screws into so I don't lose my mind.

ruby_jones7d ago

Your buddy got mad enough to buy an ice cube tray.