PowerBook 160 help (broken hinge mount)

It is possible to use a flat metal screw to hold the two halves together, if the plastic post breaks off inside the monitor housing. Use a very small bore drill bit to very gently (a hand crank drill is best, really) go through the hole all the way through to the other side, then get a phillips or torx screw that is just the right width. I did this recently for a PB150 that had a bad hinge, and it turned out looking pretty good. I did not have to use a nut and washer on the face side, as I thought I would - the screw base is exactly flush with the top surface of the PB so it looks quite decent. On the inside, you need a screw head that is just slightly larger than the recess, so that it tightly presses the two sides of the monitor housing together. Total repair cost was about .45 for the screw. Not too shabby.

The hinges themselves cause the plastic at the screw areas in the LCD housing to break.

The old grease in the hinge, between the spring and the shaft, has hardened over time and instead of keeping the hinge lubricated, the old grease is now making the hinge very difficult to rotate and puts too much force on the fragile plastic with the 4 screwholes in the LCD bessel.

Best solution is to take the hinges apart, remove the old grease from the shaft and spring with WD40, and then soak in White lithium grease ( the foaming kind ). This will loosen up the hinges again.

Nico

Good idea. Maybe at the same time, us with good plastics still we could probably use metal hardened epoxy and just re-enforce the standoffs.

i fix these with JB Weld, and the cool thing is, its already the same color as the plastic, if mixed properly!!

i use the same method when you open up these 100 series power books to find broken stand off all over. i just goop some jb weld in there pop post back in the way it was originally and let it sit over night... in the morning strong and good as new... !!!!!

If you can get some photo of the exact piece your referring to, I could probably make a custom one and/or fix yours. Uniserver can speak to my machining skills. If you can post something let me know.

The problem is that the hinge mounts on the 100-series PBs are part of the top display case. To make a true replacement, you'd have to make the entire back case. It may be possible to machine a replacement "block" that you could cement into a prepared area surrounding the original mount location.

something like that or tap/thread the current one with a larger, more robust screw. Bore it out and epoxy a steel inserted threaded rod in there and use a larger screw. Lathe down the screw head size so it will fit.

So what was the conclusion on this? I got a 165c that has busted insert retainers in the hinge area and was going to try JB Weld. I dont want to use the screw method because the site of a screw coming out the toher side is devastating to me. lol. I am picky like that.

I would try solvent welding. If you need filler, grind up some compatible plastic with a file and mix the filings with solvent. It will meld with the original plastic and make a very strong bond. Just don't spill any solvent, that stuff will instantly mark anywhere it drips. The stuff I have is Methylene Chloride, it's sold for welding acrylic but it works well on ABS too. Plumbing cement for ABS pipe ought to work too.

Well there isnt anything left of the posts, they have all crumbled away leaving only the jagged remains on the base.

Anyway, Where to get solvents? only thing around here is lowes and home depot is here too but its a haul.

I guess I have to experiment with acetone and old pieces from leftover powerbook parts. Problem is, I have to leave the brass fittings and etc in place because theres nothing left, its all crumbled and busted away, so ill have to melt the plastic as a slop in acetone, and brush it in place.

Problem is, What brush? arnt brushes plastic too?

I am most likely going to do it this way:

http://www.1000rr.net/forums/lounge/56168-do-yourself-abs-repairs-cheap-solution-fixing-fairings-2.html

Only problem is, I know using acetone or other solvents for welding is a problem because it creates air bubbles in the plastic as it hardens and drys. Problem with that, its in the hinge area so that can weaken it enough to re-break you think?

Also what brushes or spout style bottles would be ok with acetone sludge? Almost need 3D printers to extrude new posts. And just use ABS glue to insert the post onto the original plasic, and use a bit of acetone to soften the replacement post to insert the brass ring. That would be ideal.

The only way I've done this before was to take what I could of the old bits of the threaded socket and lightly superglue them in place. I then scored the area around it with an xacto knife. I made a rectangular form as large as would fit inside the empty space around the standoff before filling it with JB Weld. After fully curing, I filed and fitted the JB block to fit snug with the hinge.

I had to rebuild the bezel side also as the cylindrical area had cracked out. With that side, I completely filled it, then used a drill press to recreate the hole. It has been nice and solid since but admittedly, I've also been rather ginger with it too.

I'd be rather careful with dichloromethane, it's not particularly nasty, but it's certainly not a friendly substance. You can't really work with much of it unless you're in a very well ventilated space or a fume hood.

Dichlorowhatsahoosit isnt abs compatible.