Repairing a laptop with broken hinges
can be a lot of fun. Or it can be a frustrating project that may tempt you to put on your old footy boots for one last kick. Lets discuss the Acer Aspire 5742 laptop.
When the hinge broke on this machine it wasn't just the hinge that needed replacing, it was the base as well. The mounting points where the hinge attaches are not solid points of contact but small columns of plastic with metal threads inserted. When the torque in the hinge becomes greater to turn because of wear the stress increases on the base causing cracks. Combine this with the fact that a mobile laptop takes a few knocks from time to time and damage can come easily.
Repairing requires the laptop to be completely dismantled. Be aware that there a LOTS of screws with slightly different sizes that need to go in their proper place. I like to lay them all out on a sticky pad so that they all go go exactly from where they came at reassembly time.
Prices for parts vary enormously. Ebay is usually the cheapest but not the most thorough and the wrong base can roll up on your doorstep. Then there is the whole attempting to get a refund thing which can be difficult. Not all laptops carrying he same model number have the exactly the same base. The same is true for most of the parts within a laptop.
Assuming all the parts are right reassembly can be uneventful or stressful. Say for example the wireless card wires crimp points are damaged. What then? Soldering iron? Use care because the
heat can damage the circuits.
One important note. Use an anti static strap. Its cheap insurance.
If you have a laptop and sitting in front of you in a very sad pile. And you're feeling kind of down because for some reason its gotten out of hand. Ask for help, especially if the information on the HDD is of crucial importance to you. I like to use youtube for help but sometimes they just make it look so easy when in actual fact its not.
My Acer is now fully assembled working fine. But Microsoft does not sell replacement stickers. The original sticker is glued on well. There are two options. The first is to leave it as it is and the second is to try a blow dryer to loosen the glue. Either way I believe the licence is still valid for that machine. Just keep the old base.
So there you go. If you're thinking about tackling that laptop with broken hinges watch out for the pitfalls.
can be a lot of fun. Or it can be a frustrating project that may tempt you to put on your old footy boots for one last kick. Lets discuss the Acer Aspire 5742 laptop.
When the hinge broke on this machine it wasn't just the hinge that needed replacing, it was the base as well. The mounting points where the hinge attaches are not solid points of contact but small columns of plastic with metal threads inserted. When the torque in the hinge becomes greater to turn because of wear the stress increases on the base causing cracks. Combine this with the fact that a mobile laptop takes a few knocks from time to time and damage can come easily.
Repairing requires the laptop to be completely dismantled. Be aware that there a LOTS of screws with slightly different sizes that need to go in their proper place. I like to lay them all out on a sticky pad so that they all go go exactly from where they came at reassembly time.
Prices for parts vary enormously. Ebay is usually the cheapest but not the most thorough and the wrong base can roll up on your doorstep. Then there is the whole attempting to get a refund thing which can be difficult. Not all laptops carrying he same model number have the exactly the same base. The same is true for most of the parts within a laptop.
Assuming all the parts are right reassembly can be uneventful or stressful. Say for example the wireless card wires crimp points are damaged. What then? Soldering iron? Use care because the
heat can damage the circuits.
One important note. Use an anti static strap. Its cheap insurance.
If you have a laptop and sitting in front of you in a very sad pile. And you're feeling kind of down because for some reason its gotten out of hand. Ask for help, especially if the information on the HDD is of crucial importance to you. I like to use youtube for help but sometimes they just make it look so easy when in actual fact its not.
My Acer is now fully assembled working fine. But Microsoft does not sell replacement stickers. The original sticker is glued on well. There are two options. The first is to leave it as it is and the second is to try a blow dryer to loosen the glue. Either way I believe the licence is still valid for that machine. Just keep the old base.
So there you go. If you're thinking about tackling that laptop with broken hinges watch out for the pitfalls.
If you have a problem with the laptop, first check the performance of the individual components of the system, then update the drivers http://bitdrivers.com/manufacturers/acer/notebooks and monitor the temperature during the operation of the laptop. This way will allow you to extend the life of your laptop and its components.
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