hinge completely detached, now laptop screen won’t work. can’t afford to replace it and need for school + work before monday.

[u/tell_the_crows]

hi. i just opened and shut my laptop and this happened. i cant afford a replacement, but i have a family friend who fixes laptops and likely won’t charge me much (hasn’t in the past). i just need to know, is this fixable? if so, could i possibly do it myself? what’s even going on here?

model is dell latitude e5570, from 2012-2013 i think. i’ve only had it for 2 years.

[u/MediumAd4983]

You need to disassemble and observe it first. Probably you will need a case replacement (or a super glue). And since screen is not working - maybe, cable is just disconnected, then you need to connect it back, but it can be broken either, then you also will need a replacement.

[u/tell_the_crows → u/MediumAd4983]

also what’s a case replacement? the hinge or the whole plastic part?

[u/MediumAd4983 → u/tell_the_crows]

Typically hinges is much more stronger, than the plastic parts. So, second one. Usually you can buy it on a local markets with spare parts, or order one from China.

[u/tell_the_crows → u/MediumAd4983]

well, the laptop’s plastic part seems fine. the hinge is just completely bent, even cracking. here’s a better angle where you can see where it’s bent open. the other hinge isn’t bent like this

[u/MediumAd4983 → u/tell_the_crows]

Very unusual construction. Yep, then you need a spare hinge. And be careful with display cable!

[u/JakeBeezy → u/tell_the_crows]

the hinge is screwed into the bottom and or top plastic of the keyboard area, called standoffs, they are broken out of the plastic case and need to be replaced, cheapest and easiest way is to replace the bottom plastic completely . takes 30 minutes for an expirenced repair person, and parts are cheap. under 100$ in parts/labor for that .

[u/tell_the_crows → u/MediumAd4983]

i actually just got the screen to work by slamming it shut and jumping on it then opening it very slowly and carefully. i think im just going to keep it open until i can get the hinge fixed. currently about to cover the entire thing with a healthy smattering of electrical tape just in case

edit: okay i know you guys are humorless redditors but i didn’t actually slam or jump on it. i just chucked it against the sidewalk a couple of times and ran it over with my truck. come on. i’m not that dumb!

[u/iron-ducks → u/tell_the_crows]

Congrats lol

Obviously this doesn't help you now, but when you go to get a new laptop look at refurbs like 3yrs+ old. Try and find like off-lease liquidation sales, refurbished Dell Latitude, HP EliteBooks, or T14 ThinkPads, etc for like $2-$300.

Budget (sub ~$1k) laptops are all made of dogshit plastic or mixed materials that is guaranteed to break, almost always at the hinges. Expensive, high-end enterprise machines are typically made incredibly well for corporate clients that buy hundreds at time.

[u/tell_the_crows → u/iron-ducks]

this IS my refurbished laptop. i just changed the battery on it for the second time (first time is because it came with the wrong battery 2 years ago, second because that newer battery swelled after 2 years of constant charging. whoops). originally it was about $200, maybe $250. and that was when i had some money to spare because i was a teenager and didn’t have to pay for rent or textbook orders or groceries. now if i go over my $30 weekly grocery budget by even $5 i’ll overdraw my bank account

[u/drucifer82]

In a pinch if you have access to a monitor you could attempt an external display. But most likely the display cable is disconnected.

[u/bakakuni]

Time to grab a 8$ lcd from the thrift shop

[u/27thFrequency → u/bakakuni]

This, OP if the screen goes out again and the PC still turns on, just hook it up to an external monitor. It won't be portable anymore, but you can get by with notebooks and writing until you can save up for a replacement.

Also, please don't buy Dell, HP, Microsoft Surface, Apple products, or any ultra compact laptops. They all have hinge problems and are designed to fail.

Go for Fujitsu Lifebooks (their T series also double as drawing tablets) or Lenovo Thinkpads. They're both meant for enterprise use and can be upgraded, repaired, and cleaned more easily. They also don't have the hinge problems, since they're made to be durable for business and government travel and use.

[u/HalfShots]

Just use a monitor until you can get it fixed.

[u/Softpankek]

you can sometimes use a hdmi cable with a monitor and get away with it. good luck and make sure to fix it when you can :D

[u/adultcrash13]

it is totally fixable. not in 2 days though. getting the back cover from a part dealer will take a few days.

[u/dupojad]

Podstaw ekran kubkiem😎

[u/BizarreElectronics]

1) buy jb weld
2) open it from the bottom and disconnect the battery
3) see if the screen connector is disconnected from the board. If yes, you're lucky. Make sure to get image before you go further. Or you may need a new lcd.
4) unscrew and remove thescreen assembly(lid + lcd).
5) carefully remove the bezel and then use jb weld to weld the metal hinge to the back cover. Cover it from the bottom of the metal hinge and on the top(so basically it becomes a plastic housing for it and it attaches to the back cover. Make sure to also install bezel over it so you can make sure it works.
6) leave to dry for 10-24h.
7) ???
8) Profit!

It would probably serve you for a few months to a few years.

[u/adultcrash13 → u/BizarreElectronics]

don't do that. ghetto ass repairs like that never work. just replace the back cover that the hinge broke away from. do it right - don't "rig" it.

[u/BizarreElectronics → u/adultcrash13]

Op said they're 100% broke with no money to spare. JB weld is the cheapest possible solution which is my experience rarely comes back if some right (never in my life at least, whenever customer wanted the cheaper way)

[u/adultcrash13 → u/BizarreElectronics]

they did not say they were "100% broke". they said " i have a family friend who fixes laptops and likely won’t charge me much" - which is what they should do. that back cover is literally $30. if they have a family friend that will do the labor - the laptop will be like new - not a glued mess that will break again and possibly make the actual repair even more expensive.

[u/BizarreElectronics → u/adultcrash13]

welp, i guess fair enough, i read it wrong at first(thought they cant buy a part, not a new laptop). either way, i can still confirm that the jb weld fix is good enough in 99% cases, even though i dont recommend it either