Whether it be electronics, automobiles or medical equipment, the manufacturers should not be able to horde “oem” parts, render your stuff useless if you repair it with aftermarket parts, or hide schematics of their products.
Summary video by Marques Brownlee
Great channel covering and advocating right to repair, Lewis Rossman
EDIT: I believe I found the answer, it's something turned by this: https://ctatools.com/products/5065
Found some trash on the street that i'd like to take apart, but this screw is in my way.
It's like a hex bolt, but with 5 sides, and rounded (a bit like flower petals).
Here's another picture from the top:
I tried turning it with various tools (hard to get pliars in unfortunately), no success so far. The material is very soft, which doesn't help..
It's hard to tell from the pic, but while that may be epr torx, it also looks like a pentalobe.
Torx
Torx is six-pointed.
Torx plus is 5 pointed, for example https://www.mcmaster.com/products/screwdrivers/drive-style~tamper-resistant-torx-plus/
Pick up the IFix it screw set, it has socket style bits that will fit that, plus most of the goofy screws in electronics, I'm a broadcast engineer and that set is awesome for work and hobby electronics work.
Edit: I just looked at their site and seems like they've grown a bit in the last ten years, they have many sets but here's a link, they definitely have what you need https://www.ifixit.com/Tools
I use the iFixit Pro kits personally and professionally: Would recommend.
Hard to say without a scale reference, but if it's small, I very small might very will be a proprietary fastener for higher security applications. If it's a Tesla battery pack, then the epr 5-point torx is a good candidate. If it's an apple device then searching pentalobe might get you farther.
What on earth is it? Pics? Ruler next to it?
Idk but buy a safety screw kit
Screw iou
Man, I got 5 kids to feed...
Edit again: I was wrong. TIL about EPR Torx. Just search that and you should find the right set.
I can only find pictures of 6-lobed Gamebit screws
Flat head in waiting
thanks, this might be just the comment I needed! Some of the screws are sunk into a very deep hole (~60mm), so it would be tough to cut a slot into those. But i'll give it a try on one of the more exposed screws, just to see if that gets me anywhere.
🎉
That is some variety or another of a “torx star” head. They vary in size and are listed as TS-10, TS-15, etc. your best bet would be searching torx star and buying a set of bits to try out various sizes.
And it's an inverted torx (with 5 points) as usually the screw driver is male and the screw head is female - I think that's the right nomanclature.
https://germantoolblog.com/2017/06/01/torx-and-its-many-variations/
yeah, it is inverted (or "external" torx according to your link). They also made sure to sink the screws into a whole where no pliars will fit...
Oh ffs I didn’t notice it was inverted from the pics. Good catch. Someone really doesn’t want you to open that shit OP.
true, looking at second pic it's very hard to make out. I tried to capture it on the first picture, but it's not that good
That's a star bit screw head. Can find it as a torx star or 5-point star bit.
Torx is 6-pointed tho
People often call variants with other numbers of points "torx" as well. Torx is technically a brand (a trademark) and in that sense, if we were being strict, wouldn't include basically any of the commin TN 6-point driver sets out there, e.g. Wiha and Wera sets. But everyone just says "5 point torx" and so on.