Security Bits (was: Re: What fun from a Macintosh SE)

From: Arno Kletzander <Arno_1983_at_gmx.de>
Date: Thu Aug 26 02:16:46 2004

Tony Duell wrote:
>
> ...The one that's hard to get is
> the System Zero. This looks like an inverse torx (The screw head is
> male, with slots round the outside, the driver is female), but it's
> designed so that nothing but the right tool will get it out (the sides
> of the screwhead taper slightly so that you can't grab it with pliers or
> a Mole Wrench (self-locking wrench), for example).
>
> Yes, I have a set of those tools -- one of my EPROM programmer [1] is
> assembled with them, for what reason %deity only knows.
>
> [1] A thing called a Ferret. It's a combined EPROM programmer, breakout
> box, RS232 / current loop / centronics converter, Z80 computer, strip
> printer, etc in a portable case.

Nintendo also uses them on their Super NES / Famicom Deck housing and game
cartridges (not sure about the original NES/Famicom). They managed to pretty
much defeat their purpose by placing them in "wells" in the plastic so you
can wedge a pair of correctly sized tweezers between the well wall and the
screw head and apply enough traction to get them out. Been there, done that
(to investigate how to replace coin cell for save-game feature).

-- 
Arno Kletzander
Stud. Hilfskraft Informatik Sammlung Erlangen
www.iser.uni-erlangen.de
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Received on Thu Aug 26 2004 - 02:16:46 BST

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