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Topic: Locking Screws for Speakers

Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 08-22-2002 11:32 PM

Anyone ever heard of (or used) locking screws to secure transducers into speaker cabinets?

Just in case it matters, these are JBL 4000 series speaker cabinets. I am replacing a ton of transducers that were STOLEN and I don't plan on doing this again.

I've heard that a special locking screw exists. The concept is similar to what people are doing to prevent their car tires/rims/hubcaps from being stolen.

~Manny (rock it to me, sock it to me.)

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 08-23-2002 05:06 AM

Manny, yes we went through this -- speaker theft. Any security supplier will be able you to get non-reversable screws. They are only a mild deterrent because there is a tool that can be used to unscrew them. This becomes a real problem if you have to replace a driver and you've lost the tool. We are investigating the cost of a simple heat and motion sensing security system that would throw a beam across the surrounds which would set off an alarm if disturbed. We also were thinking of running an additional pair in the speaker cable so that if the cable were broken at any of the speaker terminals, it would sound an alarm.

We came to the conclusion that non-reversing security screws were not worth the hassle and don't really present that big of a deterrent.

Frank

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 08-23-2002 06:34 AM

Thanks, Frank. I like the idea of setting up an alarm system using continuity.

But...if I wanted to be an evil little troublemaker and get these screws anyway...where might I begin looking and what (exactly) is the name of the product I am describing?

What size screw holds the JBL 4000 series drivers in place?

I am trying to gather info to help my supplier in case these things are "unheard-of."

~Manny (where shopping is a pleasure.)

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 08-23-2002 07:14 AM

Torx or hex security screws with a center post might offer some deterrence as a special tool is required to remove them. Here are some pictures.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-23-2002 07:21 AM

There is an older topic on speaker and subwoofer theft

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Richard Fowler
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 08-23-2002 07:52 AM

There is an aircaft screw we use with two pin heads on the screw head which uses a special screwdriver which will also allow you ( with the screwdriver ) to replace speakers for future repairs. Also speaker grills.
Richard Fowler
TVP-Theatre & Video Products Inc. www.tvpmiami.com

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Barry Floyd
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1079
From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 08-23-2002 01:07 PM

Wouldn't the same type of screws and bolts that are used to assemble restroom stalls work? I've noticed many times while "standing and staring at the wall, that all of the stalls have these non-reversing screws.

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Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 08-23-2002 05:36 PM

quote:
Manny, yes we went through this -- speaker theft.

People steal your speakers?

How? When? During the night? While the theatre is open?

This is a new one on me; the only theft of speakers I have ever heard of was from a closed theatre.

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 08-23-2002 05:45 PM

Stephen:

Happens all the time all across the USA---people steal subwoofer drivers (usually to put in their cars). Sometimes it's an inside job by theater employees or janitors.

Barry:

The screws you are think of are called either "prison" screws or "one way security" screws. This is what is being used here in the Seattle area to prevent the theft and it's working.

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Gerard S. Cohen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 975
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 08-23-2002 05:50 PM

A multiplex I worked numerous times lost 34 speakers to theft in a single day. It was suspected to be an inside job.

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 08-23-2002 08:40 PM

quote:
There is an older topic on speaker and subwoofer theft

Yes, yes...I've been there, read that. But I wanted to know who makes these screws and if anybody actually had used them. Steve's post with a link and pics is exactly what I was hoping I'd get today.

I'm really sorry if it annoys people that I want to discuss "an old topic." But, I researched this and I didn't feel as though it had been discussed "to death."

Thanks.

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 08-23-2002 08:46 PM

Those security Torx screws are very effective. They're often used on exposed areas of pinball machines and video games. But be aware that most well-stocked home-improvement stores like Home Depot sell the special tools for removing them (highly unlikely that a casual thief is going to know this though).

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Pete Lawrence
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 192
From: Middleburg, PA
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 08-23-2002 11:22 PM

Take a look at McMaster-Carr www.mcmaster.com and search for "security screws". Their probably the biggest damn hardware store on the planet, quick delivery, and you can shop on-line.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 08-24-2002 04:22 AM

Just a tip Manny, next time go ahead and pull a Charles Everett and just bump the thread back to the top, instead of starting a new one. That way the entire discussion is fresh for everyone to read without having to search through the archives.

By the way, I saw some kind of bizarre screw with no head on it in some sound racks today. There was one "security screw" in each of the items in the sound rack, clearly to prevent theft. It looked more like a nail that was hammered in actually. Can someone tell me what this is, and more importantly, what kind of tool is required for the day one of those pieces of equipment die and must be sent in for repair?

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Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 08-24-2002 06:39 AM

Speaker theft happens here too. We've had surrounds stolen and even an entire JBL Sub, cabinet and all! How they got that out iwth nobody noticing is beyond me!

Also we get surround vandalism in some places, if they can't be mounted high enough on the wall to escape the attentions of the local knife carrying idiots.

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