screw caps

[l.butler]

Recently, I replaced the inverter card on my t22. Most screw caps have lost their adhesiveness when exposed to air. I have lost many of them as they have fallen off since the repair.

Can someone recommend a trick to re-use the screw caps or am I forced to choose between buying the entire screw kit (FRU 26P9654) or putting up with exposed screw heads?

[An aside: I was able to diagnose and fix my display problem using previous threads on this topic. Cheers! to all contributors.

A second aside: the old, defective inverter card would work fine for some time after pressure was applied to the lcd bezel near the "lid closed" tab above the right hinge cover. This suggests the problem is a broken connection or solder joint. Is it worth trying to repair this defect? ]

[Harryc]

The screw kit is inexpensive, plus you should have used a new kit when you disassembled the TP to replace the inverter anyway. The new screws have waxed ends that prevent them from coming loose easily. I don't know of a way to get just the stickers unless you get lucky on EBay or you could ask on the Marketplace forum here,

[rkawakami]

I have found that you can keep some of the "stickiness" of the screw covers by placing them on a piece of waxed paper or the backing to any self-adhesive label. It doesn't always work, but it's better than leaving them "face up" and getting exposed to the air and dust.

And to answer your question about a bad connection in the inverter... It probably wouldn't hurt to take a close look at all of the soldered joints and re-touch any that look marginal. As there's no easy (and safe) way to measure the output voltage and since the inverters are fairly cheap, I wouldn't spend too much time and energy trying to troubleshoot the problem.

[Kaervak]

Here's my solution for keeping screw caps sticky. Remove all the old adhesive from the cap. Take a piece of double sided sticky tape and put the cap on the tape and then cut out the cap from the tape with an x-acto knife or other sharp blade. Granted it's not the most elegant solution, but it does work.

[Harryc]

... then cut out the cap from the tape with an x-acto knife or other sharp blade. Granted it's not the most elegant solution, but it does work.

You must have tiny fingers and very good eyesight

[l.butler]

Here's my solution for keeping screw caps sticky. Remove all the old adhesive from the cap. Take a piece of double sided sticky tape and put the cap on the tape and then cut out the cap from the tape with an x-acto knife or other sharp blade. Granted it's not the most elegant solution, but it does work.

Thanks, I'll give that a try with the remaining screw caps.

[Kaervak]

... then cut out the cap from the tape with an x-acto knife or other sharp blade. Granted it's not the most elegant solution, but it does work.

You must have tiny fingers and very good eyesight

Good eyesight yes, tiny fingers not at all. I have rather large hands. It takes a bit a patience, but it does provide a nice result.

[Robbyrobot]

Remove all the old adhesive from the cap. Take a piece of double sided sticky tape and put the cap on the tape and then cut out the cap from the tape with an x-acto knife or other sharp blade.

I tried this out for the first time today, and it worked beautifully. Cut the tape under a magnifying glass to make sure the edges were clean, pried up the screw covers with the tip of the knife and placed them on the screws. Resourceful suggestion

[The Spirit of X21]

Very cool tip, Kaervak. Thanks!