How do I swap out my laptop's hinge so the screen can rest on a little stick like a tree branch?
How do I swap out my laptop's hinge so the screen can rest on a little stick like a tree branch?
Hey all, back one year ago my MSI had a problem where one hinge wouldn't let go. I tried some online tutorials to free it up, but it just stuck there again! Now that side is only supported by the plastic part, like a little strip on top of the computer case. The second hinge has also failed and won't hold weight anymore.
MSI says you need at least 400 euros for a replacement, which I don't want to pay. My MSI machine is three years old now, so I'm really worried about how long it lasts before breaking completely. Even with just the screen sticking up because of books behind it, that's not enough support and it looks cool but isn't great at all. Since I can only use this setup from home, I feel like I need to get creative.
I thought about using trees! Trees have these stakes when they are sick or too weak to stand on their own. Would a computer screen stake look the same? Would you build something like that for me? How would you do it? Thanks so much for reading your answers! Here are pictures of the broken hinges at the very top of this post.
The actual hinge parts work perfectly well. You need to get a whole new plastic back casing, and this isn't a repair job you can easily handle yourself with just a few quick fixes.
Yeah, there's nothing here standardized in any way that would help make this laptop more usable. And the hinges look fine; it's the case around the screen that's been obliterated. You may be able to engineer some janky solutions with braces or brackets and maybe a bit of sheet metal to get it all into one piece, but a solution that would keep it a laptop that opens and closes and isn't a real oddity is much harder. But this is a pure DIY category. I cannot imagine being able to walk anyone through improvising a solution. Probably the most practical is checking on ebay and seeing if someone is selling a dead version of this laptop and transplanting your motherboard to it. If the filthiness of the laptop from what we see from the image reflects the general condition of it, I'm not sure I'd sunk much money into this if any.
Thanks for your help. If by filthiness you mean just looking old because the case is missing so we see the dirty bits, I did my best. I usually take off some dust and dirt since I move things a lot, but I can't get anything better than that. I'll try to see if I can find a plastic shell to put back on it, even if the computer died or isn't working anymore, but do you think I should fix this myself?
I'm not talking about where the case was taken out. I'm talking about the lower spot, right above your keyboard, which is very dirty. If this shows how well you take care of your laptop, then it makes sense that some parts are broken. It's probably just one more way the computer is getting old and tired. In that situation, paying a lot to fix it wouldn't be worth your money.
It isn't dirt after all. It's just leftover stuff from a sticker that got stuck there and I never took out completely. The case is broken too, because one of the hinges got stuck on me and I couldn't fix it myself. I had to put the hinge down and cut some plastic off so the computer could close properly. I didn't have enough money to pay 300 euros for a pro to do it right. I understand people might judge quickly, but that's not always fair, sadly.
I'm not blaming you personally; I'm looking at your laptop's state. It looks really worn based on what you've shown us. How things work depends heavily on how well the device is kept. I'd prefer to fix a broken part of a good machine than replace one that needs serious repairs. No, don't blame me for just a few sticky marks. There are deep grime spots and scuffs right at the hinge that make it look damaged all the way down to the keys. To be fair about this, I need to think about everything. With those plastic cracks and the obvious dirt, I'm pretty sure this thing hasn't been cared for well. Maybe the rest of it is new and perfect, but we only see what you can show us right now.