Logo

Display hinge damage, usually caused by a drop or fall, is a common reason leading to replacement of older, otherwise working, laptops. This article explains an inexpensive method, which doesn't require specialized repair tools or skills, which can extend the life of a laptop if its display hinges are too weak to hold up the display. It isn't for the case where the display has totally broken off the body of the laptop.

Steps :

1. Read the entire article, and check that your specific laptop can be repaired in the way presented. Especially check that the fishing line can be placed in a location which doesn't get too much in the way of your normal use (heavy users of the mouse buttons or touchpad might have problems here), and that there are locations more or less in the center of the laptop where gluing the Velcro will not affect the use of the laptop (that no access doors or ventilation holes are sealed).
2. 

   Closeup of the Velcro glued to the display
   

   Closeup of bottom Velcro
   Cut two strips of the fuzzy Velcro and round the corners (rounding the corners will make it less likely that the Velcro will detach after gluing).
3. 

   Placement of glued Velcro and size of hooked Velcro
   Read the instructions for the epoxy glue; mix it and use it to glue the two strips of fuzzy Velcro, one on the back of the display, and one on the bottom of the laptop, such that the two strips are co-linear (in other words, the alignment of one strip, when extended, coincides with the alignment of the other strip. Try to make the line of the two strips be as perpendicular as possible to the axis of the display hinges.
4. Wait for the epoxy glue to harden fully. This can take 24 hours or even more. See the instructions for the particular epoxy you have used. Don't confuse the setting time of the epoxy (which can be as quick as 5 minutes) with the time until it reaches maximum strength.
5. Close the laptop display, and cut a strip of the hooked Velcro more or less to the length required when sticking it to the two glued strips in their entirety. Actually, what is more important is that the length of the hooked strip totally utilize the glued strips when the laptop display is open. Do not use the Velcro with an open display before the glue has hardened to its maximum stremgth.
6. After the glue has hardened to maximum strength, check that the Velcro can now prevent the display from falling into the closed position. Laptops with large or heavy displays may require gluing multiple strips of Velcro, or wider and/or stronger Velcro (Velcro comes in a range of sizes and bonding strengths). The laptop in the images has a 12.1" display.
7. Take the fishing line, and tie it into a loop which exactly encircles the laptop when the display is open to the working position. I used an "improved blood knot" for this. Instructions can be found in various places on the Internet.
8. Check that the fishing line loop is strong enough to prevent the display from falling into the fully open position (fishing line comes in a variety of strengths, use a relatively strong line which will not stretch under the load).
9. 

   Closeup of sticky foam tape used to retain fishing line
   Glue a small strip of two-sided foam tape (like used for mounting things) on the edge of the laptop where the fishing line should rest. If it is a bother, make the adhesive on the outside less sticky by touching it repeatedly.
10. 

    Closeup of notch made in bag closure
    

    
    

    Closeup of bag closure used to adjust the fishing line loop size

Warnings :

When gluing the Velcro, be sure not to seal up access doors (e.g., to the memory modules), ventilation holes, or access to screws which might be necessary to remove to enable future maintenance. To restore access to screws, it may be possible to make a small hole in the Velcro after gluing, but this is a risky proposition, especially since the epoxy might totally clog up the screw access hole if you apply it too liberally.

Things You'll Need :

• Velcro (both fuzzy and hooked). Velcro with preapplied adhesive is not recommended because the adhesive is usually not strong enough.
• Strong epoxy glue and the ability to use it properly
• Fishing line and the ability to tie it into a loop.