One thought on “The A+ says you can’t use magnetic screw drivers inside computers but I see people who do. Is it okay to use magnetic screw drivers now?”
This is a touchy subject among the newer techs and the techs of the early 90s or late 80s. Yes, still today the A+ certification exam specifically mentions you are not supposed to use magnetic screw drivers in or aroundelectronic devices. So for the purposes of the exam or if someone (such asan employer) asks you, just say no. Pretend it’s the worst thing that any technician can do and then quietly go back to your work area and pull out that hidden magnetic screw driver you have.
More and more technicians are using screw drivers with magnetic tips on them inside their computers. Should they? Probably not, but it works. Chances are good they will never inadvertently cause a hardware problem on their system by doing so. I have personally witnessed computer technicians from Dell and HP use not only magnetic screw drivers but automatic ones! In one situation one of the technicians stripped out numerous system board screws and the entire unit had to be shipped back to the manufacturer for repair. Oddly enough, more and more service technicians aren’t even using ESD devices anymore either- but that is a different topic all together.
Our electronics are built a little differently now. The idea that magnetics will destroy the components still lingers because that’s what itused to be. It is one of those hard rules the old timers still swear by but in practice, at least with the technicians who started in the last 10 years or so, are ignoring. The magnetic screw drivers shouldn’t have that much of a charge to have a negative effect on a system as they have just enough charge to pick up a couple of screws and not much else. Now it is probably better for the computer if you would use magnetic screw drivers instead of having the small screws land on the system board and in other locations they aren’t welcome. Who hasn’t accidently dropped a screw insidea fan before and had to go through the process of removing it?
So should you use a magnetic screw driver? It’s really up to you and your comfort level (or what your employer says). If anyone comes out and asks you, simply say “no” like you should and move on with whatyou were doing. To date I’ve never had someone tell me they’ve ruined a computer because of the magnetic screw driver they were using. My general rule of thumb is this: If it isn’t my computer, use a normal screwdriver. Otherwise go ahead and pull out the magnetic one to save time.
This is a touchy subject among the newer techs and the techs of the early 90s or late 80s. Yes, still today the A+ certification exam specifically mentions you are not supposed to use magnetic screw drivers in or aroundelectronic devices. So for the purposes of the exam or if someone (such asan employer) asks you, just say no. Pretend it’s the worst thing that any technician can do and then quietly go back to your work area and pull out that hidden magnetic screw driver you have.
More and more technicians are using screw drivers with magnetic tips on them inside their computers. Should they? Probably not, but it works. Chances are good they will never inadvertently cause a hardware problem on their system by doing so. I have personally witnessed computer technicians from Dell and HP use not only magnetic screw drivers but automatic ones! In one situation one of the technicians stripped out numerous system board screws and the entire unit had to be shipped back to the manufacturer for repair. Oddly enough, more and more service technicians aren’t even using ESD devices anymore either- but that is a different topic all together.
Our electronics are built a little differently now. The idea that magnetics will destroy the components still lingers because that’s what itused to be. It is one of those hard rules the old timers still swear by but in practice, at least with the technicians who started in the last 10 years or so, are ignoring. The magnetic screw drivers shouldn’t have that much of a charge to have a negative effect on a system as they have just enough charge to pick up a couple of screws and not much else. Now it is probably better for the computer if you would use magnetic screw drivers instead of having the small screws land on the system board and in other locations they aren’t welcome. Who hasn’t accidently dropped a screw insidea fan before and had to go through the process of removing it?
So should you use a magnetic screw driver? It’s really up to you and your comfort level (or what your employer says). If anyone comes out and asks you, simply say “no” like you should and move on with whatyou were doing. To date I’ve never had someone tell me they’ve ruined a computer because of the magnetic screw driver they were using. My general rule of thumb is this: If it isn’t my computer, use a normal screwdriver. Otherwise go ahead and pull out the magnetic one to save time.