Tutorial powerbook 1400 hinge fix

[MacUp72]

starting from Chadwicks great pruda files here I just gave it a shot..
what could probably get worse than that? this was the 1400 when I got it this week and then after the fix:




the standard disassembly is on ifixit .
Then from there:

top, display
bottom, 3d printed display shim, with four extra clips in case mine would brake during the disassembly( didnt need it)
LaPorta also did a good writeup.





front bezel removed, I only broke one little piece of pastic, but it still closes.





monitor removed, there are only four main screws which holds it in place.
on the right the inverter board.

 

[MacUp72]

the inverter board is wrapped in foil which additionally is attached to the stiff aluminium ground foil by adhesives, pull it off slowly. Before, pull the pink/white cable from it.



board removed, the whole background foil is now fully visible.
carefully remove reed switch board on bottom ( it is melted on the stand offs a little bit, I just cut it off with an exacto knive)







unscrewing of the hinges, one of the screw bushing housings was already broken.





lift up the thick, stiff aluminium back foil, it is glued to the back..
I only would lift it up as far as on the photo, I actually had to bend it.

 

[MacUp72]

now the 'fun' part
brake off all original bushing housings and any other plastic parts that are disturbing the shim from laying completly flat on the display back.
here I removed the bushings with a soldering iron. keep the brass bushings.





place the printed shim onto the display back and take care of the correct alignment of the new and original bushing holes.
This is critical because 2mm too far left or right and your three metal hinge screw holes dont lign up anymore.
( I actually marked the bottom of the old holes with a silver marker)








I had to do a lot of aligning, cutting, arranging, realigning, cutting again to lay completly flat, get it all lined up correctly and actually fit without any shifting.




when everything is ok, glue it in. I used my trusty Pattex transparent contact glue. Apply glue on both surfaces, let it dry and then press it together quickly. The adhesive power of this glue is equivalent with its applied pressing power in the first few seconds, so I quickly clamped everything up. I actually clamped it too strong, so a new crack formed..I quickly applied some new glue into it, reclamped and cleaned it all up.





After 24 hours I scraped off the few glue residues..sorry, that I didnt take photos of the last steps.
Important notice:
-Because the shim has a certain height ( just a few mm), the stiff aluminium foil now doesnt reach to its original position at the bottom.
I had to cut of the foil just a few mm at the bottom at three places to be able to place the foil back. I cut it with a normal but strong hobby scissor.
-After that I stuck the brass bushings onto the hot soldering iron and pushed it back into the new holes, it just melts in..be sure they are aligned well with the hinge holes.
reassemble. I thought that it wouldnt go well together again, but it works.
The hinges are much stronger now, also the back. I can lift up my display with one finger now.

have fun

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

Thanks for the guide, I’ve got to do this to mine. What glue did you use to close the cracks? I’ve been trying a few different kinds but I’d like to know what other people use.

 

[MacUp72]

I used this, actually for most of my works, very versatile and fast drying..
the cracks filled up automatically when clamped, there were no spinters missing gladly..

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

Thanks for letting me know!

 

[LaPorta]

Question I have: how long until it starts cracking where the top of the shim meets the original plastic? Not to be a downer, but won't that be the new stress point now?

 

[3lectr1cPPC]

It’s farther up the shell and the plastic should be stronger there, the shim should also spread out the stress more I’d imagine. Who knows.

 

[MacUp72]

Question I have: how long until it starts cracking where the top of the shim meets the original plastic? Not to be a downer, but won't that be the new stress point now?

I have no worries about that, the actual stress area is very low down..you can see that on my photo 10.
There is a weak point, a predetermined breaking point..the plastic housing of the hinges has a slight curve there that extends into the flat back.
The shim reinforces exactly that area there, you will see the difference when you do the shim job. It is very strong now.