ode to red light district

February 21, 2008 8:16 PM

Is there a way to avoid geek'd laptop hinges?

It seems as though every 6 months or so I need to call Dell to replace my hinges on my LCD because they get loose. I have recently seen a few IBM Thinkpad users with the same issue.

Is there some way to avoid this? Or is it simply a woe of the power user?

posted by SirStan to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

How far do you open your laptop screen? If it's more than about 100 degrees, it puts too much pressure on the hinges and they will get loose. If you need it this way to make it comfortable for how you sit (such as on a bed), try putting something like a pillow under the screen to take some pressure off the hinges.

That said, Dell makes pretty cheap laptops, and I had the same problem with my 2001 Inspiron 4000. No such problems on my 2004 IBM Thinkpad T41.
posted by radioamy at 8:21 PM on February 21, 2008

Sounds like a bad model or bad engineering. As Amy says, Dells are notoriously cheaply-made. I doubt that all laptops have the same problem.
posted by rokusan at 9:45 PM on February 21, 2008

My last laptop had a hinge that completely busted. On my current one, an Apple PowerBook, I've not yet had problems but the experience made me more cautious. I generally try to treat it "well" and open/close it with less force. I also don't often close it unless I'm going to be taking it somewhere; I can access sleep from the menu. I figure that saves unnecessary wear-and-tear on the hinge when the computer is just going to be sitting in one spot and will be used there again later.
posted by 6550 at 10:23 PM on February 21, 2008

I've used Thinkpads and Fujitsu Lifebooks daily on construction sites for years, where I treat them pretty roughly (prop them up on boxes, set them on concrete floors with the screen open as far as it goes, hold them precariously in one hand while operating them with the other, move them frequently from place to place closing and opening the lid each time,) and never once have I had any problem with a hinge.

My suspicion is that either you've got a lemon of a Dell like everyone's saying, or you're manhandling the LCD somehow. One thing you should never do is use the LCD as a handle to lift or reposition the whole computer; this puts way more weight on the hinges than they're designed to take. I've noticed that even though most people know they're not supposed to do this, many do it anyway. If you do have this habit, breaking yourself of it should greatly extend your hinge life.
posted by contraption at 10:26 PM on February 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

My 6yro Toshiba is typing this-after 4 hours a day on weekdays. My daughter uses a 10yro toshiba for CDROMs etc. Neither have hinge issues.
posted by bystander at 2:14 AM on February 22, 2008

On my lifebook, there are some small screws on the bottom rear edges of the laptop which secure the hinges. Once, one of the screws fell out. I have tightened them every few months since then.
posted by beerbajay at 3:51 AM on February 22, 2008

The best way to avoid it is to treat your computer gently like the precision device that it is.

In defense of Dell- their cheap laptops are indeed cheap, just like any other manufacturer's cheap laptops. Their expensive ones are well made.
posted by gjc at 6:00 AM on February 22, 2008

The best way to avoid it is to treat your computer gently like the precision device that it is.

We had loads of hinge problems with our IBM X21/22/23 - the plastic just didn't seem strong enough. I ended up drilling holes through the lid part and attaching short machine screws and nuts to the hinges - it solved the issue, but clearly this will void your warranty and is probably a very dumb idea.
posted by true at 6:12 AM on February 22, 2008

The way you said 'call Dell to have them replaced' rather than 'picked up some new hinges' makes me wonder, and feel I should ask - have you ever tried tightening them? (Even if there is a design flaw, keeping everything snug and secure will cut down on the damage caused by coming free).
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 8:46 AM on February 23, 2008