The plastic frame that holds the LCD screen on my Acer Extensa 5420 has cracked in two places. The result is that screen won’t stand up on its own, but the LCD screen still works.
My temporary solution was to get a bookend and place it behind the laptop. Now I’m looking for some permanent fixes. My local computer shop said that manufactures won’t issue replacement frames, but only the entire LCDs - which would cost me $200.
Is there any way I can fix or replace the plastic frame?
Might be able to find the part from another source – there’s a steady trade in parts salvaged from broken laptops. You might also be able to buy someone else’s broken laptop of the exact same model and use it for replacement parts. eBay is a decent place to look in either case. You’ll probably pay a decent amount for either option, but you can probably save a lot compared to buying the entire $200 lcd.
Super glue or duct tape?
A quick Google search shows a used laptop for $240 and a screen for $79 here:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=acer+extensa+5420&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=5231167572624917183&ei=ypbiTLXGCISPnwfxx8jrDw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDQQ8wIwBA#
When I repair items I try to apply two fixes at the same time. Depending on the location of your break, I would apply both a mechanical and epoxy fix. The mechanical fix could be a metal or plastic bracket with screw into the frame. I would apply JB-Weld under and over the patch. Another mechanical type fix is to drill small holes, under 1/16", and run steel wire between the two cracked pieces and twist them tight. Then apply JB-Weld over the patch.
PS. I have a small repair shop with tons of leftover junk to pull pieces from, which makes almost everything repairable to some extent.
you could put epoxy into the cracks. you could also epoxy thin metal or plastic patch over the crack, you would need to do this with regard to being able to close the laptop if desired. this would be what a home user inexperienced with laptop repair could do.
Order a couple of friction hinges or lever lock hinges from some place like McMaster Carr
and epoxy them in place.
The cracks are on the back cover, not the LCD. I found back covers for sale, and they range from $70-$100. Better than $200, but I think this problem can be resolved for even less money.
Here is an image of the back cover, and I added red lines to show where the cracks are. The hinges are right under the cracks, so when I move the cover it doesn’t move the hinges with it.
