Hard Drive Cover Screws (Resolved)

[Trixie]

Are the two screws that attach the hard drive cover to the hard drive caddy the same size as the screws that attach the drive to the caddy? I have four screws, they attach the drive to the caddy perfectly but appear to be too small to attach the cover to the caddy securely.

[rkawakami]

The two screws that keep the hard drive cover attached to the caddy are the same size as the ones which are opposite the cover. They have a head size which allows the metal arms of the cover to float. The cover is able to rotate around the screws about 120 degrees (if you push the cover back over the bottom of the drive). If the metal arms on the cover are not perfectly aligned to match the width of the drive or they are bent slightly outwards, then there's a chance that they will slip off the screw heads. This is about the same thing that can happen with T2x hard drive covers but in those cases I install a split-ring lock washer to make the screw head sit a little bit higher.

[Trixie]

Thanks for the info. I'll use the washer if the problem occurs again next time; right now I have it attached so I suppose all is well for now.

[RRHODY]

This is mainly for rkawakami:
Your mention of the ability to increase the height of the screws that connect to the HD cover is interesting; I've been concerned about the wiggly room of the cover on my T series. My experience has been such that the other two screws opposite the cover play a role in seating the drive. It seems to me that if they're too big the drive won't seat properly, but I've not been able to determine just what size is required. It has been hit or miss with me. I have several caddies and lots of screws that fit hard drives, but the head size of the two at the other end from the cover seems critical. Are there specs as to which head size will guide the drive into the proper position for mating?

[rkawakami]

The "inner" (the ones closest to the drive's interface pins) two screws indeed are guided by the hard drive rail and must be of a certain diameter; 5mm. Any bigger than that and you stand the chance of gouging the plastic HD rail or not being able to insert the drive at all. The thickness of the head is 1mm and seems to be a critical dimension as well. If I back out those two screws a tiny amount, the drive does not want to slide into the bay. I too have had sellers supply the wrong sized screws for T2x systems. Those (slightly) bigger screws were probably meant for other Thinkpads.

Getting back to the split-ring washers for a moment: I've used the split-ring washers only on the T2x hard drive covers screws. The plastic arms of those T2x covers are thick enough to include a washer and yet keep the screw head from extending past the outer surface of the arm. Those washers are 0.2" (just a smidge over 5mm) in diameter, with an inside diameter of 3mm and are 0.02" (0.5mm) thick when compressed. That extra half a millimeter is enough to firmly keep the arms of the cover from slipping off.

[RRHODY]

Appreciate the details. Getting the T42p 15 inch drive cover to marry properly has been the most difficult. The longer "arms" of the cover must increase the probability of a sloppy mating. The specifics on the size of the inner two screw heads is valuable - thanks.

[blackimpala]

Now that this has been resolved I hope no one minds if I hijack the thread. It is about the screws though. I removed the bottom of my T43 to add RAM Three out of the four screws came out but the one was like I was using the wrong size Philips screw driver, I got it out but the head was so bad off that I couldn't put it back in. Are those screws a special head size? Also how important is it to use new screws every time you remove them?
Thank you for any help.
Floyd