Help Needed: How to Loosen or Lube Notebook Hinges on HP Pavilion dv4340us dv4000 Laptop Series to Open and Close More Easily

roadskater's picture
Submitted by roadskater on Thu Apr 2 2009 12:14am
0
Hey. I have a laptop where the hinges slowly have gotten ever stiffer until snap went the plastic that holds the brass nuts that hold the beautiful screen to the flimsy HP dv4340us notebook. I've repaired the power supply three times, and had to open the unit up a couple of times to retighten the screws that held the screen and top to the base, and eventually it all gave up and snapped. I tried marine epoxy to repair it, and it went ok considering the damage, but it couldn't hold, mainly because the hinges are so hard to operate. I've found the hinges and the brackets that hold the hinge screws on eBay and plan to purchase, but I also wondered if anyone knew some hinge tricks. I think one side is splined (if that's the right word) and the other is likely the free part. I had the hinges down in some Liquid Wrench spray with PTFE (Lubricant and Penetrant...sounds like a fun product at least), but it seemed to have no effect. I am not above a major USPS cardboard and Tyvek and Shipping Tape monster fix as a piece of art, but would like as secuare a solution as I can effect before that. I've already covered the hp logo with a AAA sticker, but am considering just the word, sucks, below the original hp logo. But I like the printers I've had (once I learned to get around their attempts to stop home refilling the ink cartridges). My HP-34C reverse Polish notation programmable calculator was awesome but made like crap, though. I was way disappointed when it failed on me halfway through "Programming Differential Equations with the HP-34C" class, or some such vague memories of the physics building. Anyway, if you have some more stuff for me to try while I wait on used parts (HP doesn't offer these hinges new), I'm open to your ideas.
‹ One Last Night of Analog Television with the 1987 Sony Watchman FD-10A as Digital Transition Forces Obsolescence Go Conficker, or How Conficker (Downadup, Kido) Can Change Your Life, plus Help from Secunia PSI and Disabling AutoRun ›

Search & shop for anything to help Roadskater.net!

Comments

timv's picture

Pick any two...

Submitted by timv on Thu Apr 2 2009 1:44am.

Light, cheap, durable... You can have any two, but not all three. Laptops only get you the first two and they're not designed to be repaired when they break. I've had a few but never cared much for any of 'em for just that reason. I can swap parts on desktop machines and they'll running forever or at least until I don't need them any more.

If you have a line on replacement hinges, that's almost certainly the way to go. Because of the leverage that your hand on the lid has over the mechanism, the mechanical load on it is a lot higher than you might think, and I don't see much chance of a Macgyvered fix surviving. Maybe a really great adhesive job would work, if it's a perfectly clean break and the parts fit together with approximately .0000000000" gap.

But you're much more persistent with these kinds of projects than I am so maybe you'll come up with something. Good luck with whatever you try.

roadskater's picture

The Current Situation Involves a USPS Box and Some Tape

Submitted by roadskater on Thu Apr 2 2009 11:38pm.
Ha. I've taken the hinges out and pieced the parts back together somewhat, so I can "close the lid" and it actually latches. Some provisional clear tape in the fold and outside the fold of the laptop is keeping things in line a bit! I also took a flat (a box not opened up and not folded to make a box) and made a little L-shaped desk, folding up the sides and overlaying them to make the right angle and to help with rigidity. It's not perfect by any means (I'd like to make a foldable version, heh), but it is better than tossing out a computer that cost way more than they do now. I agree about the mechanical load, especially after trying to crank those hinges without any mechanical advantage. I was wondering if there'd be a way to disassemble and maybe do some sanding on the smooth pin of the hinges, but I figured that unlikely to be done properly...either too much or too little. Anyway thanks for the thoughts and we'll see if my "best offer" for the hinges and another for the brackets are accepted on eBay. I'd still need to do some filling in behind the bracket with either JB Weld or Marine epoxy (or some other epoxy that claims filling properties), but it could all come to naught of course. The next best alternative would be to create a permanent installation of some sort and use it as a desktop PC, but I'm liking the idea of showing up at Panera Bread sometime with a red, white and blue Frankenpostal taped up computer...with a gorgeous screen still, I'll give it that...the 15.4" WXGA is supersweet like a roadskater.net jersey zipper. Thanks for the thoughts.
Bryan's picture

New Project!

Submitted by Bryan on Tue Apr 7 2009 12:46pm.
Sounds to me like its days as a conventional laptop are nearly done. But all is not lost, you can always turn it into a tablet computer or something even wilder if you put your mind to it.
roadskater's picture

Tablet Mod Way Above My Skills; PB B'Laster Penetrant Might Help

Submitted by roadskater on Thu Apr 9 2009 1:05am.
Oh those Mac Mods seem cool. Timv showed me some Palm IIIc mods I would like to have tried some time back, but my IIIc went missing at some point. Anyway, I've made a cardboard laptop desk of sorts as I think I noted, and that's working well enough. Meanwhile I made a bid on hinges and a frame part but it wasn't accepted. I'll look again on eBay soon. I realized I should have been trying various soaking agents after the Liquid Wrench (just the spray) seemed to have no effect. I found some old PB B'Laster penetrant (it's hard to tell what it's called from that crazy label but that's what I got out of it). After a day of soaking I think the hinges are working a bit better. I'll give it some more time and see if it's really true later. Then I will need to clean them as much as possible and have a go at an epoxy job. After that fails, I'll probably be more in the mood to look for more parts, or to turn it into a desktop (again, as it spent some time constantly on...for several months before I got me server woes settled). If anyone has thoughts on what might help those hinges, do chime in. It looks like I might even be able to make them a bit looser (maybe too loose) with some leverage in a couple of spots on the hinges, but I hesitate to make a serious effort at that, because going too far would be entirely possible.
Syndicate content Syndicate content