Settle and Argument for me: Safe to use magnetic screw drivers to build a PC?

[atomiku]

I'm having a disagreement with my friends, I swear I heard Linus say this at one point, but is it not safe to use a magnetic screw driver in your build? I find them terribly convenient, but my friends are saying that it's too dangerous, and that it will corrupt data on your drives.

 

So, if there is any way you could guys could produce something I could give to them to prove it's safe, I'd appreciate it, I can't seem to find an "official authority" who says it's okay...

 

 

[helping]

Yes, completely safe. They're nowhere near strong enough. 

 

I've said it a few times and I'll say it again, everyones' friends on this forum are mouth breathers. 

 

If they need proof, show them the rest of the replies or simply agree with them, tell them that they are indeed correct, and proceed to use whatever magnetic screws and screw drivers you wish. 

 

Tell your friends to read some books (or better yet, try it to watch nothing happen) before they start attempting to knowledge. 

[flibberdipper]

They're better than non-magnetic ones, since you can't lose the screws as easily.

[Imabigmac]

Do it all the time. 

[TetraSky]

Last time I used a non-magnetic screwdriver... I dropped the screw for the graphic card into my powersupply (fan facing upward, no air vent on the bottom). Never again... Now I mostly use magnetic or big old thumbscrews.

[FranktheDinosaur]

Yes, completely safe. They're nowhere near strong enough. 

 

I've said it a few times and I'll say it again, everyones' friends on this forum are mouth breathers. 

 

If they need proof, show them the rest of the replies or simply agree with them, tell them that they are indeed correct, and proceed to use whatever magnetic screws and screw drivers you wish. 

 

Tell your friends to read some books (or better yet, try it to watch nothing happen) before they start attempting to knowledge. 

 

Well what you'll see in books is that a magnetic field does induce a current, but in practice its nowhere near strong enough. Small bar magnets are around 0.01T which gives an emf of 3e-8V or something

[Glenwing]

That's a myth.  Modern hard drives are heavily shielded so even if you put your screwdriver right up against the drive, it won't harm it.  It takes a really powerful magnet to be able to corrupt any data, and a degaussing machine if you wanted to properly scramble the whole thing.

[atomiku]

Thanks for the input guys, one of my friends says that he did in fact have a hard drive destroyed by using a magnetic screwdriver, that he used one and his drive ended up corrupted, and that didn't seem right to me, but I don't know.

[helping]

Well what you'll see in books is that a magnetic field does induce a current, but in practice its nowhere near strong enough. Small bar magnets are around 0.01T which gives an emf of 3e-8V or something

It was a figure of speech. 

[GoodBytes]

That's a myth.  Modern hard drives are heavily shielded so even if you put your screwdriver right up against the drive, it won't harm it.  It takes a really powerful magnet to be able to corrupt any data, and a degaussing machine if you wanted to properly scramble the whole thing.

So very true. And beside, since when a magnetic screw driver actually holds a screws tightly? The magnets is so weak it drops the screw half the time when you try to put it. somewhere tight.

[atomiku]

Also, another question, potentially useful in dispelling their fears...

 

Aren't there a ton of laptops that use Magnets to hold themselves shut? I know Macbooks and iPads do. Obviously iPads don't have hard drives, but I know the magnets used to keep the smart covers on are waaayyy stronger than my magnetic screwdriver (as in my screwdriver struggles to pick up hard drive screws, it was cheap, ok?!) and it doesn't seem to damage the flash media in iPads, and the magnets that keep macbooks closed can't be too far from the hard drives, and they too are much stronger than my screwdriver, so am I nuts, or would this argument work?

[Glenwing]

Also, another question, potentially useful in dispelling their fears...

 

Aren't there a ton of laptops that use Magnets to hold themselves shut? I know Macbooks and iPads do. Obviously iPads don't have hard drives, but I know the magnets used to keep the smart covers on are waaayyy stronger than my magnetic screwdriver (as in my screwdriver struggles to pick up hard drive screws, it was cheap, ok?!) and it doesn't seem to damage the flash media in iPads, and the magnets that keep macbooks closed can't be too far from the hard drives, and they too are much stronger than my screwdriver, so am I nuts, or would this argument work?

 

That's true as well.  Those don't cause hard drives any problem either as we see.  On a side note, flash media works on different principles and isn't affected by magnets.

[jezza39]

I used them to change parts in my MacBook Pro & my PC. It's pretty difficult to buy small screwdrivers that are not magnetised. You will be alright.

[jaggysnake57]

Well what you'll see in books is that a magnetic field does induce a current, but in practice its nowhere near strong enough. Small bar magnets are around 0.01T which gives an emf of 3e-8V or something

 

that last bit might as well have said aklfjgsjk;fljdfgl;fj;jlsdfjlgjsl;fgjldfj;jsfsf;g;lfkjgfkgdfkl;gj

 

and yes ther fine

[iNothing]

Its safe and much more easy to build with them

[Jedicake]

100% safe.

[TheProfosist]

Another option would be to magnetize a normal screw driver instead of using one with a magnet in it. I'd consider it a touch safer I guess.

[TheProfosist]

So very true. And beside, since when a magnetic screw driver actually holds a screws tightly? The magnets is so weak it drops the screw half the time when you try to put it. somewhere tight.

This is one issue I don't have.

[Thorium19]

Tell them James May said it is safe.

[juretrn]

I know for a fact that some control unit computers for different machinery come equipped with rather strong neomydium magnets to  be attached to metal surfaces. And it does no harm to them.

[euniqe]

you'd need an electromagnet hooked up to like a car battery to do any real damage.

[D4RK]

the only way to damage the drive, is if u move ur screw driver/magnet along the drive multiple times just like if u are trying to magnetize it.

[Ech0location]

I use them when modding headphones, which means, at least on a comparative scale, they should be safer than normal

[razor767]

Not only is it safe to use magnetic screwdrivers, it's recommended as your less likely to drop or loose screws.

[TheProfosist]

you'd need an electromagnet hooked up to like a car battery to do any real damage.

yea no you just need a relatively strong magnet, like say one strong enough to pick up the drive.

Magnetic screwdrivers are a god send. No more dropping screws into your PSU! 

flip your PSU upside down and problem solved

I use them when modding headphones, which means, at least on a comparative scale, they should be safer than normal

headphones hare basically magnets...