Syma Forum

Latest update in this continuing saga is I found exactly the type of tool I'm looking for -- but it's too expensive to be practical.  It's a watchmaker's tool called a pin vise.  Problem is the cheapest one I could find costs $25.  If I had frequent occasion to handle these little screws I would buy one, but I don't. 

Scrounging around in a junk drawer I came across a very small clamp which is rubber-coated and imparts strong holding tension.  It grips the head of the little screws and holds them firmly.  If I'd had it yesterday it would have made the only difficult part of changing the 107's battery much easier.  I wish I could advise on where to get these little clamps but I don't know where it came from.  All I know is it makes the job much easier than balancing a screw on the tip of a magnetic screwdriver with shaky fingers.

I think that's the end of my battery changing drama.

JamDJ said
Mike, 

  After our chat, I neglected to tell you that I work for a home improvement

superstore and headed straight for our tool department after I read your post.

( I was on lunch break ! ) We pretty much figured that no such tool exists or 

would be nearly impossible to find. 

   I wanted to share with the forum that the magnetic screwdriver would be

your best bet. Agreed that battery replacement is no small task, but can 

be accomplished for those willing to try. I was more afraid of frying my

motherboard with my soldiering iron when I replaced mine last year,

but it all worked out. Good luck!

JamDJ,

Using a magnetic screwdriver was the way I finally managed to position those tiny screws.  It would have been much easier if I were younger because one of the deficits of aging is a slight trembling of the fingers when performing any kind of precise task.  This job would be made much easier with some sort of tool which is capable of tightly gripping the screw-head enabling the tip of the screw to be firmly introduced and started. 

Ordinary tweezers are no good because their grip on the screw-head is tenuous.  I lost two screws when the tweezer's grip slipped, snapped down, and sent the screws flying.  As I said, lucky I had ordered a set of replacement screws at the same time as I'd ordered a set of replacement blades and the new battery.  I should mention that I've noticed the screws that come with the readily available eyeglass repair kits seem to be the same size as these mini-helicopter screws. 

I hope you have no trouble finding screws to replace those that rusted.