SternWake
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- Joined
- Nov 30, 2013
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From many years actually used on my lap, the laptop screen had gotten so loose and wobbly there was about 1.5 inches of slop before resistance kicked in.
I thought it was going to be as easy as removing the trim around the screen and tightening a few screws.
I was wrong. Sorry for the blur.
The frame which held the LCD screen to the hinges was cracked. The plastic exterior of laptop seemed to be glued in parts to the screen and also provide some rigidity, but this too was cracked and failing.
The tiny machine screws were so short, one could not use them through a thicker material to boost the strength of the frame across the weak spot. Access was limited. There was no Obvious easy fix. If not repaired the screen would break off the laptop, and do that soon.
Dell laptop engineers were cursed profoundly, and for longer than necessary, but no 'dammitt' tools were grabbed and thrown with enough frustration to achieved suborbital velocities through immovable objects.
The search began. I found some preformed aluminum corners from other devices. Some were from the first power supply which I used as a battery charger and destroyed for science, and other aluminum preformed corners came from my Silverstone fm121 fans, designed to mount a speed controlling potentiometer in a desktop computer.
I used some small wire cutters to nip away all the access limiting plastic, and roughed up the plastic and aluminum behind the LCD screen for maximum mechanical tooth for the adhesive.
I was able to get a razor blade behind the plastic and aluminum, and gravity assisted my injection of superglue between plastic and screen backing and cracked framing. 'Amazing Goop' was my adhesive choice for the aluminum corners and plastic. If my surfboard epoxy would bond to the plastic that would have been my choice, but experience tells me it was unlikely.
I wound up using another corner piece of aluminum, for 2 on each hinge, to brace the joint from both sides. it would have been wonderful to have some C channel of perfect depth and width, But without that, 2 "L" pieces would have to do
Anyway, the result is not pretty, but the Function cannot be argued. The screen is now tight and firm, Which of course is much superior to loose and wobbly and about to break catastrophically rendering the laptop useless.
I later used a black sharpie to cover the aluminum and 'Amazing Goop' squeezing out the edges.
Done and Done.
Money expended to complete this task and save laptop from imminent failure:
$ 0.00
Time expended, well I got plenty of that.
No matter. I could have spent less time but roughing the mating surfaces for maximum adhesion was time consuming, and filing and cutting the aluminum and bending it to fit tightly was trial and error.
I thought it was going to be as easy as removing the trim around the screen and tightening a few screws.
I was wrong. Sorry for the blur.
The frame which held the LCD screen to the hinges was cracked. The plastic exterior of laptop seemed to be glued in parts to the screen and also provide some rigidity, but this too was cracked and failing.
The tiny machine screws were so short, one could not use them through a thicker material to boost the strength of the frame across the weak spot. Access was limited. There was no Obvious easy fix. If not repaired the screen would break off the laptop, and do that soon.
Dell laptop engineers were cursed profoundly, and for longer than necessary, but no 'dammitt' tools were grabbed and thrown with enough frustration to achieved suborbital velocities through immovable objects.
The search began. I found some preformed aluminum corners from other devices. Some were from the first power supply which I used as a battery charger and destroyed for science, and other aluminum preformed corners came from my Silverstone fm121 fans, designed to mount a speed controlling potentiometer in a desktop computer.
I used some small wire cutters to nip away all the access limiting plastic, and roughed up the plastic and aluminum behind the LCD screen for maximum mechanical tooth for the adhesive.
I was able to get a razor blade behind the plastic and aluminum, and gravity assisted my injection of superglue between plastic and screen backing and cracked framing. 'Amazing Goop' was my adhesive choice for the aluminum corners and plastic. If my surfboard epoxy would bond to the plastic that would have been my choice, but experience tells me it was unlikely.
I wound up using another corner piece of aluminum, for 2 on each hinge, to brace the joint from both sides. it would have been wonderful to have some C channel of perfect depth and width, But without that, 2 "L" pieces would have to do
Anyway, the result is not pretty, but the Function cannot be argued. The screen is now tight and firm, Which of course is much superior to loose and wobbly and about to break catastrophically rendering the laptop useless.
I later used a black sharpie to cover the aluminum and 'Amazing Goop' squeezing out the edges.
Done and Done.
Money expended to complete this task and save laptop from imminent failure:
$ 0.00
Time expended, well I got plenty of that.
No matter. I could have spent less time but roughing the mating surfaces for maximum adhesion was time consuming, and filing and cutting the aluminum and bending it to fit tightly was trial and error.
