I purchased a used XV-5080 module and (only after it arrived) I noticed it has 2 very strange flat-head spanner screws on the expansion board cover that I have no idea how to remove (see the attached picture) so that I could install my 2 SRX expansion cards. The other 2 screws looked normal and I could easily unscrew them with a standard Phillips screwdriver. I downloaded the XV-5080 manual and there is no mention of any screws like that in it. Do you have any suggestions?

That is a "spanner" screw, not to be confused with the UK term spanner as in a wrench. They have tips that fit the two holes and come in different sizes, but they are very rare and I'd have to guess that the person who closed it up last was an elevator repairman because that's the only place I know where these screws get used regularly.

To get them out you could buy the right driver, but another trick is to use some really narrow needle nose pliers in the two holes and slowly work it around. The only other thing I could suggest is drilling through it, but I can't recommend it because I don't know how close the electronics are under the cover.

Here's a link to the kind of driver tips I'm talking about...

http://www.hudsonfasteners.com/sec/sec_sp_scrdrvr.htm

...and if you get them out I would replace them with something more standard, but I'm sure the frustration has already made you come to that conclusion yourself ;)

drill them out. You have space to work with but just keep your drill bit as short as you can.

It's actually not the space that I'd worry about, but rather any stray metal filings. They are not so good for delicate electronics.

PiaKnowGuy
Please listen to 'Pirates' done entirely on the Fantom X8


PiaKnow

Do you have a cut-off wheel (like a Dremel tool or better)? If so, you could cut a single slot into each of the screw heads. Then you could use a ordinary slotted screwdriver to remove the screws.

PiaKnowGuy's warning about stray metal filings would certainly apply to this method, too. So you'd want the mask off as much of the XV-5080 as possible to catch any shrapnel.

Did you ever get the the spanner screws out? Are you in the USA?
I know where you can get the spanner drivers to get them out.
Let me know!