acer tmc301xci hinge trouble

i have recently noticed my hinge slowly spreading apart away from the body of my tablet. has anyone else had this problem? is this fixable by me or does it need to be done professionally (i am somewhat experienced with disassembling it already but i'd prefer leaving the tough stuff to the pros) ? my machine is well out of warranty, where could i get it fixed for a reasonable price? is this even a major concern as i think it is. here is a pic. hope you guys can help. thanks.

 

Your image doesn't work. You need to have it hosted on a site (can't just drag and drop).

But regarding the notebook, if the hinge just seems to be separating it could be loose screws. You would probably just need to screew them back tight and you'll be set. But if it's breaking and you're having some trouble with the hinge (other than it separating), then you may need it replaced.

Since the unit is already out of warranty, and you say you have a bit of experience, you may want to give it a try with the help of a service manual. If it's just a loose screw, then you can fix that easily, but if you find out it's a broken hinge, then you'll need to send that to an authorized Acer repair facility (you need to find one in your area) and see how much it'll cost to repair (may cost you more if you ship directly to Acer).

Good Luck!

-Vb-

 

yea i realized the problem with the picture a little too late. oh well.

thanks vb

the hinge looks like it just clips on, there doesn't appear to be any screws. it's the acer tablet c300 so the hinge looks flimsy anyway. it is pretty small and unlike a normal laptop it opens and spins. the gap grows when i try and close the screen and it prevents me from propely locking it. would bestbuy or circuit city be able to help me. i know it wouldn't be onsite but the more i think about fixing it the more i realize that i don't want to try and end up making it worse

 

I don't know if CC & BB are authorized to repair Acer notebooks. They may lack the technical knowledge to repair this notebook and you may actually have a bit more experience then they would. You need to check with Acer to see if they can recommend any authorized repair facilities in your area. You can then drop it off to them and get a quote on the repairs. Just remember, it's gonna cost you to have them take a look at it since it's out of warranty. Even if you decide you don't want it repaired, you'll have to pay a service fee to them. That's why I said for you to try first, if you make it worse, it'll probably still gonna cost you the same amount to fix it (unless you snap the plastic all together, hope that doesn't happen).

-Vb-

 

I posted the service manual for the 300 series along with many detailed disassembly photos from another source all as a zip file here for you:

http://homepage.mac.com/brucemillerphoto

 

hey thanks those pics and the description look really helpful. i'm gonna try fixing it right now. i think it's just the cover popping off

thanks a bunch both you guys.

 

so after dis-assembling the machine guess what i found! a massive hinge failure. the hinge has snapped in two. already contacted acer and replacement hinge is coming in2nd day air for a grand total of $25.52. thank you again for your help. hope i won't need it again but with my luck i will.