Apparently wobbly hinges

I think that is a oversight of Framework’s development team. Instead of using a “bolted” hinge they used a “pressed hinge” (previous post) which mean that 1. the tension cannot be adjusted and 2. There is no way to compensate for the wear on the joint and 3. there is no mechanical “snap” when the hinge is completely closed.

Yeah that would be a tough one to swallow. But unless you have a desk vice/press there is little you can do either.

Both of the issues are present (especially on the display side) but it seems like there are more posts complaining about the hinge being loose.

If you look at post 10 and post 3 nrp was basically saying that Framework don’t think a unadjustable hinge is an issue. Which is acceptable by me (since I haven’t ordered mine yet), but can be an issue for people receiving the units prior to the launch of said “stiff hinge” marketplace item.
I still believe an adjustable “bolt on” hinge will eliminate all of the problems as well as increasing repairability. Which is why as I said it seem to be an engineering oversight, considering that other laptops not exactly renowned for their repairability (dell, hp, fujitsu, asus, lenovo) have been using adjustable ones quite extensively.

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I guess I can make sure my screen’s always leaned against something to keep it open. Sort of defeats the purpose of having a laptop, though.

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Nah, that’s crazy @Richard_Tango-Lowy – you can definitely expect your hinges to work as laptop hinges are expected to work! 99.9% of us have hinges that work perfectly fine and several people who have had problems with the hinges have had the problem fixed by FrameWork.

If you aren’t having any luck there try again – collectively we’ve found they are extremely interested in keeping everyone happy, but sometimes it takes a bit of time.

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I just emailed the following back to Framework, hopefully with a bit of (hopefully) constructive criticism.

I spent a good chunk of my career doing customer and tech support consulting for companies like HP. Framework needs to get some sort of basic support structure in place. Doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive, but it needs some formal processes to ensure cases are logged, managed, and resolved.

Per my emails of January 11 and 12, please send me a new hinge as soon as possible, as my screen no longer stays open without being propped up.

I realize you’re busy making laptops, but support of them is equally important, and the support I received was lackluster. I’d reference a ticket number from the email you sent, but it doesn’t look like you have an incident management system. Selling laptops is one thing, keeping happy customers is another. If you want to survive in the longer term, you really want to get your support organization in order.

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I’ve seen far too many organizations fail for lack of effective customer management.

The Ongoing Saga of the Hinge…

I sent another contact form message to Framework about my hinge. I received an email (again) suggesting that I purchase a new hinge. I responded (again) about why I wasn’t going to pay to replace my defective hinge.

I then received an email requesting a video (VID_20220120_193421.mp4 - pCloud) of my wobbly hinge, which I sent. That was last week and I haven’t heard a word.

I consider Framework support to be a pretty complete failure at this point.

I suspect the reason that you’re getting the cold shoulder from support is because your video doesn’t demonstrate your claim. If it does then your definition of “typing” must be a lot different from mine. :joy:

Yes, if I shake my laptop like that it will also go from 140 → 180 degrees. I don’t believe that’s a manufacturing defect.

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I suspect the reason that you’re getting the cold shoulder from support is because your video doesn’t demonstrate your claim

I’d disagree honestly. In the video, he only wiggles the laptop side to side. That should not be enough to cause the screen to sag.

It’s a laptop. People use it on their lap, not always on a perfectly stable surface. The laptop should be able to handle some amount of movement without sagging. People also use laptops on buses and trains, where vibrations and bumps are common.

I’ve never used another laptop with such a loose hinge as my Framework. And based on that video, Richard’s screen is even looser than mine. I would consider that to be defective.

You will not reproduce this issue on a Macbook, Thinkpad, Surface, or even a cheap Chromebook.

Just posted the following to support, and I use the term loosely (sort of like my hinge).

I’m typing to you on my framework laptop, which is on my lap. Every 3-4 minutes I reach over and pull the display back up.

I was hoping to eventually replace the Thinkpads at my business with Frameworks–I like the Company’s mission and ideals. I don’t buy Thinkpads because they’re the best laptop in the industry; I buy them because they’re solid and they’re the best supported laptops in the industry. I don’t expect Framework to be at that level, but I expect the support to be timely, courteous, and professional. I expect the product to work in a usable manner, and if not, I expect the company to fix it.

I was in the tech industry for thirty years, much of it in high-level support and consulting; I don’t appreciate being treated like an idiot nor an amateur. Until now, I’ve been an avid and vocal supporter of Framework. At this point, I’ve pretty much lost patience.

Kind regards,

Richard

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Nope. Just tried it on my XPS13 and one of my Thinkpads. Shook them harder. It’s not like I haven’t used a laptop every day for the past 30 years.

I’m typing this on my lap and even with the wobbling going on, mine doesn’t fall. But I’m with @Richard_Tango-Lowy. Seriously just send the man a couple hinges and avoid 100 people reading this thread in the future. I even have a Framework but it makes me worry about any issues I may have in the future that need support, let alone if I stumbled on this thread while considering a purchase. Things like this take the luster off - especially hearing they don’t even have a ticket system - that’s kinda scary :skull:

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Maybe they do, but I haven’t seen sign of it. In any case, we want Framework to success, so let’s just see if we can nudge them along in the right direction.

Btw, after several weeks and many emails, I received the following a few minutes ago:

We’ve escalated your ticket for return and/or replacement processing and one of our staff will be back with you soon with a prepaid return label and additional instructions.

Oh, well at least they do have a ticket system

Then it might be a reasonable idea to provide the customer with a ticket number, to provide some sense of continuity.

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This is the email I sent them and they gave me a new hinge.

“Hello, I have a batch 3 Framework Laptop and it has a very loose and wobbly hinge like this post shows: https://redd.it/rxigg3u0hh881
I heard that they should be tighter than this and was wondering if anything could be done about it.
Thank you for your time and have a nice day.
-Josh Ham”

Under what use case does a lateral rotational shake at around 2-4 Hz with around +/- 1-2cm displacement (along the plane of the main chassis / keyboard) come in? Just thinking if that is reasonable expectation at all. (e.g. operational environment)

Lateral rotation isn’t a common case. But lateral rotation should have less of an impact on the screen than vertical movement, which is what would be expected on a bus, or if somebody with fidgety legs uses it on their lap.

I think demonstrating that lateral rotation is enough to drop the screen emphasizes just how loose the screen is.

Also notice that the video didn’t show the top left corner of the display

Are you implying the video is staged / someone is pushing the lid down? Look at how many other people in this thread are complaining about the loose hinges. We know that there’s a range of tolerance in the hinge tightness. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that Richard got a laptop that’s on the looser end of an already loose average. I don’t see any point throwing out baseless accusations.

Hi, just clarifying that we do indeed have a ticketing system internally, and all tickets are directly associated by the email address that you are using, which also lets us reference order numbers and the hardware that you have. If the support form submission states a different email address, we’ll request your order number in order to merge the profiles.

On the hinge, we’ve tuned the hinges to enable one-hand open while also staying stable when the system is stationary. It’s possible that the hinge will move when the system is used in motion, like on a vehicle or when typing on your lap. That said, we can provide a replacement hinge under warranty, but we can’t guarantee that this will be significantly different than the hinge you currently have (assuming it does hold when stationary. If not, that is definitely out of spec). We are also currently developing a higher-force hinge that will be available as a Marketplace item for those who prefer higher hinge stiffness, but with the tradeoff of compromising the one-hand open experience. We’re adjusting our support policies around hinges to clarify this.

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Looking forward to the stiffer hinge option!

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@nrp When the new hinges are available, can they be added to the configurator as well as the marketplace? Given the option I would have spec’d my Framework with a stiffer hinge from the get-go.

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Please consider the tradeoffs of this in future revisions. The complaints in this thread about hinge looseness are not unreasonable. These are not people who have never had a laptop before, with unreasonable expectations of what it should do. In all the laptops I’ve owned, I’ve never had this constant frustration with the screen falling down.

To make matters worse, the Framework isn’t even openable with one hand for me. Because of a combination of the magnet being too strong, the feet too slippery, and the groove on the front not deep enough to get my finger under.

Any time I try to open the Framework with one hand, I end up sliding it on my desk, because I need to apply force on an angle. The Macbook doesn’t have this problem because it has a much more pronounced indentation on the front which allows you to get more of your finger under the screen so you can provide more updward force without pushing the laptop.

The Macbook has a stiffer hinge than the Framework, but is still significantly easier to open with one hand.

Edit: I apologize if I’m coming across as overly negative. I greatly appreciate that the Framework team is working on an optional stiffer hinge. That’s already a much more positive response to feedback than I would expect from any other laptop maker.

I’m simply trying to be as honest as I can about my experience so the team can make informed decisions based on feedback.

Thanks so much for the Framework team for everything you’re doing. You’ve built a right to repair respecting laptop that in its first revision is almost compromise free. And I’m sure within a few revisions, you can work out the remaining compromises.

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I think there is merit to both setups. Personally I have been able to open my framework with one hand every time and I have NOT noticed the “wobbly” you speak of (I might now though, thanks). Having the option of hinge is the best… well… option.

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