Drilling stripped screws out

Question

Motorola Moto Z Play

The Motorola Moto Z Play (model number XT1635-02, XT1635-01 and XT1635-02) is a droid smartphone that was released in September 2016. The Moto Z Play can be easily distinguished by the word “moto” placed at the top and the square home button placed at the bottom of the front of the phone.

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Haitham @haithamofficial

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Kho 2, 2019

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Drilling stripped screws out

Hi there, I have some T3 screws, at least it used to be until it's pretty much stripped.

I have try tipping the screwdriver with cyanoacrylate, hammering the screw head with a flathead screwdriver to create a slot, rubber band.

I'm seriously considering to drill the screw since some are recessed, so I can't dremel it.

Here are the specification of the screws.

1.38mm stem diameter

2.68mm head diameter

counter clockwise to unscrew

I'm considering to use a 1/16" drill bit.

Some questions I wanted to know the answers before proceeding.

Will some of the screw left behind so I can't install a new screw into the hole?

Does the rotation of the drill bit matter?

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Drilling the horribly damaged screws: You really have to start with the smallest drill bit you can find. Drill a small hole, run the drill slowly and be very careful to not break the bit or go too deep. Start really small because it might help save the threads. I had this happen with a repair I was doing, the screw was jammed and I could not budge it. I started out small, and straight (very important) and going slow and steady. I got the drill through the first time and tried to get a thin tapered piece of square stock in and it didn't grab, so I went with the next tiny size larger bit, and finally got enough of the screw removed so that the taper was able to back the rest out. The threads were nearly perfect, and a new screw fit and held. Just use patience, and do not go too big with the bit. Ruining the threads won't be repairable and you would have to glue the guts back in. Most big box hardware stores have really small drill bit kits, or Amazon. etc.

crwdns2934271:0Yan 5, 2023crwdnd2934271:0 RobCow crwdne2934271:0

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Nick @nick

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Kho 10, 2019

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Drilling isn’t for the feint of heart - be careful you don’t damage the PCB. However, it can be done if you take precautions. Cover the PCB with kapton tape so you can shake the shards off and blow on the board for good measure as well.

What you need to do is drill the screw out until it looks like the top is compromised - do 2-3 20-30 second runs (5-10 for mobile devices) to ensure it is truly broken off before going to the big bit, because you need this to break off cleanly to avoid damaging the PCB. Once the head is compromised, take the bit one size up and drill it until the head breaks off. Once you see it snap, stop or you WILL do damage to the PCB.

NOTE: If you use a modern 20V Lithium drill, cut the listed times in half - I still use a NiCd drill. The 20V Lithium drills are more torquey then old ones like mine, including 18V Lithium.

That’s all there is to it. You will never be able to get a screw in again (most likely), but you can remove the board. Only do this if it's not critical.

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Polyimide Tape

$9.99

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crwdns2889612:0crwdne2889612:0 2

crwdns2934285:0crwdne2934285:0

Drilling the horribly damaged screws: You really have to start with the smallest drill bit you can find. Drill a small hole, run the drill slowly and be very careful to not break the bit or go too deep. Start really small because it might help save the threads. I had this happen with a repair I was doing, the screw was jammed and I could not budge it. I started out small, and straight (very important) and going slow and steady. I got the drill through the first time and tried to get a thin tapered piece of square stock in and it didn't grab, so I went with the next tiny size larger bit, and finally got enough of the screw removed so that the taper was able to back the rest out. The threads were nearly perfect, and a new screw fit and held. Just use patience, and do not go too big with the bit. Ruining the threads won't be repairable and you would have to glue the guts back in. Most big box hardware stores have really small drill bit kits, or Amazon. etc. — RobCow