M11x Hinge/Screen touching Keyboard Discussion (R1 & R2)

My LCD can't get scrached as the lid remains opened... That notebook only moves between my office and the living room, even on a recent trip to NYC it stayed home.

Yes and I bought the M1530 for the same price and it was a freaking furnace. At least they got the cooling right on the R1. Again, it was an issue then, people somwhat complained, Dell didn't listen and we have the M11x with the same issue.

Not mad by the way, frustrated though because every time someone comes here to say it's a non issue it give Dell less incentive to increase the quality of their products. Alienware is supposed to be a top brand and now sadly it just another Dell.

 

Trust me bud, I know how it feels, but then again I also want Dell to keep the price lower for pretty good product. Only thing I do make sure on all Dell product is to get 3 yr warranty MINIMUM.

 

Maybe on the warranty... My mint 2 year old M1530, 1680x1050, 8GB sold for $600 with a full year left on the warranty. While it may add to ones piece of mind I'm not convinced it makes a big diffrence on the resale value as technology becomes obsolete so quickly now a days...

 

Well I get the warranty EXPECTING the dell laptop will give in about 2-3 yrs, and get a newer replacement in the future .

That's the only reason I tell ppl to get Dell warranty anyways.

If your 1530 had died/repaired more than 3 times, you could've ended up with 1640/1647 by now.

Only Dell laptop that's built like a tank in my experience is the M90.

 

One of my friend's M1330 had the MB replaced twice because the nVidia GPU died. Told her the next time to request a new system.

But back on topic...

Like my daughter would say... hoo, hoo Dell where are you? Hoping to eventually get answer...

 

I use a sheet of A4 paper to cover the keyboard. No scratches on the screen since I've started doing this.

 

Ahhh! A photo of Achilles' polka-dot boxers... I was not prepared for that!

 

LMAO. I had no clue there was a name for that lol. I had to send an email to the tech I was in touch with!! I knew the undie was gonna back fire when I was taking the pic.

 

My R2 failed the paper test but as far as I can tell the screen isn't touching the keys. I can't see any marks on the screen thus far.

 

wait until you eat a slice of pizza with your hand and need to put on an away message on aim with your grease dripping finger

 

Olivia Munn made up for the boxers a little bit at least.

 

It is very easy on the M11x to have things out of place. Wiring or retainer clips etc could certainly cause KB height to vary.

If your kb is not even or keys above case line after press, then IMO you can likely fix it without getting parts. Difficult to see how manufacturing tolerance could account for uneven kb.

As for the rubber "bump stop" screen holder-upper thingies, I have added some large ones to the palm rest. Looks stupid, functions great. Any hinge stress from fulcrums is eliminated. Does NOT fix faulty hinge design though.

Oh, nice boxers btw!

 

I'm going to do a teardown tomorrow to take a closer look at the keyboard. I'm curious as to why there appears to be less support on the left side, which in my case corresponds with keys contacting the screen. Neil McRae reported that there are some retaining clips that might contribute to what some of us are seeing.

 

Thanks for taking a shot at investigating. Perhaps you will be the next "Brian"

I just re-ordered hoping for a better build--but got i5 version as I got it for 700 bucks and i would feel comfortable keeping a dud(if it happens to be one) for 700 bucks. I just need a small laptop with a discrete graphic for portability/performance.

 

There are KB mounting screws under BOTTOM cover. Likely there isnt one on the left...

 

There are 4 screws on keyboard. 2 up top under the bezel w/ power button, and 2 under the battery. After unscrewing those 4, you just pop it toward the LCD, but becareful since there are 2 ribbons secured under the keyboard.

 

Check for loose/missing screws or anything binding. The kb tray is VERY flexible so anything under it can cause distortion as well as not being clipped in place properly.

Documentation

 

I see grease marks on my keys already but like I said no marks on my screen.

 

Then your keys aren't sticking up like a lot of ours are. Do the keys on the left side - WEASD area - have move give than the right side? A number of us have noticed this to be the case on ours.

 

Thanks, GNandGS. We'll see how it goes.

 

My keys do not stick up higher than the chassis, but yes, the WEASD keys have more give to them than the other keys. They are also raised slightly higher than the other keys, but do not touch the screen.

My hinges do not creak. The gap between the base and LCD on the left hinge is less than the gap at the right hinge. I never would have noticed it if not for this thread though.

I use the kabuto mouse pad as a screen protector whenever I close the lid anyway, just to be safe. I have an i5 R2.

Stain

 

I think you're right.

I took the keyboard out but didn't see anything underneath causing it to stick up, and I tried repositioning it a few times with no difference.

Besides the lack of a screw on the left side, there's nothing wrong. If there was a screw on the left side, it'd be held down, but as it is, it's free to stick up.

 

Double Sided Tape!

 

Thought about that but I don't think it will work because the back of the keyboard is loose plastic only sealed at the edges, which is there to catch liquid spilled on the keyboard, so the tape would just pull the plastic down flush, not the whole keyboard. If you took the plastic backing off, then tape would work though (I'm not willing to do that because that plastic backing saved a laptop I spilled a drink on years ago--only had to replace the keyboard ).

 

i think the best idea so far is to just use the little piece of film they give you when you first open your laptop

 

You shouldn't have to come up with your own method to protect a machine that clearly has a design flaw--At least not when you are paying a substantial amount of money to own one

 

Agreed but there isnt any easy fix or certainty that replacement parts are better. Unless selling it or returning it the options need sorted out.

 

Reading all this makes me scared to open and close the lid

 

It pays to be oblivious sometimes.

 

Rhodan i think it would be helpful if you summarize hinge/screen touching keyboard on your original post so that people don't have to go thru 28 pages

 

I'll summarize the situation and update the original post this evening. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

My screen is not touching the keyboard. I was kind of surprise because i was at the Anime Expo and I was bumping into people all day long.

 

A tech just came in to fix my hinge and I have to say, I'm very satisfied with the job he did. Although there is a bigger gap on the left hinge connecting to the base then the right, I'm sure it'll be fine. I had 1 year basic plan btw.

 

That's good news.

Can you tell if the black levels on your replacement panel appear to be any better/worse/different? Curious if you know which panel you had before, the AUO105C or the SEC5441. One user who recently had their LCD replaced got the 5441 and reported that the difference was pretty impressive with the replacement.

 

I never payed much attention. The colors do seem more vibrant though. I received it about a month ago if that means anything. Also when I close it, the panel snaps in place!

 

I talked to alienware the other day about my left hinge splitting and moving alot. They are sending me a brand new unit. After having mine since the first came out this is the first problem with the machine I have had. Pretty happy with the machine sofar, also, I was only on the phone with them for about 20 minutes, most the time was waiting for him to get the order in the the new one.

 

A brand new laptop or LCD assembly?

 

Brand new laptop

 

Wow. R1 or R2?

 

r1, when I get it I have to swap my upgraded HD and wifi cards over.

 

Hmm... Maybe they're running out of replacement LCD assemblies.

 

I've just got a replacement lid on my m11x r1 and after a day or so. I've started noticing some problems with it:

1. Uneven gap of left and right hinge.
2. When lid is closed, it's uneven with the base as in some of the lid is protruding out of the base.
3. Either I'm paranoid or it's actually happening, I see the left hinge moving back when I close the lid.

This is really frustrating that I have to deal with this hinge problem yet again and would either ask for a refund or a replacement.

 

My first one had the problem of LCD not lining up with the body of the laptop.

That was the main reason I got it replaced. Replaced for the second time due to a bad installation by the field tech.

Now the LCD lid and the body is aligned, but I dont think you can do much about the left and right hinge being not even. All 3 had uneven hinge gaps between left and right.

 

So on the left side mine also has less of a gap than on the right. Should I worry? I tried the paper test but I can only pull the paper out and not back in.

If you look at the side of the machine when closed, you can see that it is physically impossible to be able to slide the paper back in as the screen and the base are touching. With my old hp there's a huge opening between the two, the lid doesn't close all the way.

Fortunately I do not have any keyboard imprints on the screen. When I begin to close the lid it slightly creaks for a second (almost like a pop) but then stays quiet the whole way down. When opening it there is no sound.

The reason I sound like I am panicking is that I'm visiting the states right now and am leaving in a month. If the hinges break after a month, I am screwed. So are there any stories of people who have had their R2 working for a good amount of time? Will it eventually get worse? I guess I am just shooting blanks here and there really is no real answer to these questions...

 

If it gets worse, I would sell the laptop before hinge actually breaks. Or look into 3rd party warranty if that is an option for you. I wouldn't count this laptop to last several years if you are hearing the creaking noise already.

 

Why should he take the extreme measures and sell, and pass the burden to a new owner when the fix is fully covered by Dell/AW??

 

My hinge gaps aren't even as yours.

If creeks bother you, contact the support and ask for a repair. I don't think there should be such noise. They will most likey replace the whole panel assembly.

 

he should sell because he will be out of the states after a month, and he won't get aw support. What would you have recommended? trash it when it breaks?

 

he should sell because he will be out of the states after a month, and he won't get aw support. What would you have recommended? trash it when it breaks? The warranty is not a global warranty

 

Get it repaired while you're here. The popping sound is not normal and people have had their LCD assembly replaced under warranty for less than that.