Apparently wobbly hinges

I am sorry to hear that! Could you please DM me your ticket information like email?

Our response time is around 1-2 business days at the moment but I can absolutely escalate your ticket to our team ASAP :orange_heart:

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Okay, they finally wrote to me. Sent them a video and they told that it is ok wobblingā€¦

For what itā€™s worth - my original hinge went from ā€œreally weak but usableā€ to ā€œliterally cannot stay open at a comfortable angle on my lap while Iā€™m typing without me holding it upā€. Framework sent me a new hinge for free, and itā€™s significantly stiffer than the old ones (even when they were new, from what I remember).

It seems like thereā€™s two issues mentioned in this thread:

  1. Some hinges are so weak the top half of the laptop literally falls back, flat, during normal usage. Or at least slowly tilts back more and more until itā€™s flat.

  2. The screen wobbles a bit when typing - but the hinge doesnā€™t move. I do notice this somewhat- but I donā€™t really mind it, so.

But 2. can make 1. worse - because that ā€œwobbleā€ will make a weak hinge move more, sort of a static v.s. dynamic friction situation.

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@Mimir stated it pretty well. The hinges in some FW laptops arenā€™t strong enough to keep the display open. These hinges are defective; the company should suck it up, acknowledge the problem, and take care of it quickly and easily when it comes up. Screens that wobble a bit but stay in place might not be ideal, but might not be a significant issue. In any case, FW should make appropriate improvements for upcoming versions of the laptop. (Based on how theyā€™ve responded to overall issues in the past, I suspect theyā€™re already on this).

Just received my replacement hinges today. I hope to have some time Sunday to install them and give them a try. Hereā€™s hoping for a ā€œperhaps wobbly but stays putā€ new hinge.

can you share the video in this thread?

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I just wanted to share that in my opinion the screen hinges are a little too loose for my preference. If I tug the laptop forward quickly with my screen at 90 degrees from the flat surface itā€™s on, it will continue to open more and more. While working on a flat surface it is no problem, or while not handling it on the couch or in bed itā€™s not a problem. Since I use my computer mostly for desktop productivity, I donā€™t really have an issue. But I have noticed that there is more ā€œwobbleā€ than there is say in my ThinkPad or other laptops that I have when working from a reclining position with the laptop on my stomach or legs. I think I may post a video to show what Iā€™m experiencing, and see if this itā€™s normal. If there is a stiffer hinge option, it would be my preference. I feel like Iā€™m splitting hairs here as Iā€™m very happy overall with my product, but I do think there is some marginal room for improvement here. I think because the monitor is taller than a regular 16:9 display, there may be some weight / balance differences from your typical laptop as well.

UPDATE: here is a link to my video https://photos.app.goo.gl/kK83f62jKmknubhY8

I just finished installing the replacement hinges Framework sent me last week, and the new hinges are far superior.

Before I put in the new set, I compared the stiffness to the two sets. The new hinges were difficult to open and close by hand, while the old set were pretty loose. My screen is now much less wobbly than it was, and is now completely acceptable.

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Richard, thanks for the update. I think Iā€™m going to request a set. Iā€™m typing now on my 2013/2014 era thinkpad with the same intensity that I type on my framework, and there is a discernable difference in wobble. On my t440p, there is nearly none, while when I switch to my framework, there is a slight bit of wobble. Definitely noticable.

New hinges will not make the wobble go away; wobble is the tradeoff for one-handed open. My new hinges wobble, but only when I shake or knock around the laptop (like when itā€™s on my knees and Iā€™m typing). Under the same circumstances with my old hinges, the display would have fallen open.

My Thinkpad display stays exactly where I put itā€“no wobble, no slippage. But you canā€™t open the laptop with one hand, either.

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Richard,

I get it. There are trade-offs. I did a little more research on this subject. I think Iā€™m okay with things as they are; my only concern is if the hinges get any looser, I donā€™t think Iā€™d be happy. I think there are compromises that have to be made with this design, and overall Iā€™m pretty darn happy with the Framework. I think I was just spoiled by that old mil-spec ThinkPad. The Framework is a different machine that is lower profile, newer, and differently engineered - and definitely easier to work with in most ways.

They were the definition of an ā€œindusustrial laptopā€, with plenty of ports, very high modularity, easy-swappable components (battery, RAM, HDD). Swappable Optical Drives in a 13 inch? Check. Parallel and Serial port? Ethernet? Phone jack, headphone jack, microphone jack, 3 USB, and two PCMCIA slots on top of that. All in a thick, robust chassis.

Then it was purchased by Lenovo and slowly turned into the useless ā€œultrabookā€ that donā€™t even have an ethernet jack. It does, but itā€™s mini RJ45, so you still must get a proprietary dongle (since nobody else uses mini RJ45) for that. But nobody will, so it effectively donā€™t have one.

In my experience, higher-end Thinkpads are still built like bricks and nearly indestructible, even under Lenovo.

For those complaining about the display leaning outward as they type/move the laptop around. I think I have found a good solution.

Grab a long piece of thin string (like the ones used to sew things together). Open the laptop to about 100 degrees to 110 degrees angle (optimal viewing when level). Remove the magnetic bezel and one of the screws (on either side) near the top of the display panel. Wound the string around the removed screw and tie it to itself. Put the screw back in. Remove one of the screws on the bottom cover, repeat. Re-install bezel.
This way you have a piece of string that will prevent the laptop screen from falling backwards when the laptop is in the open position.

Initially I intend it to be a plastic strip, but since they donā€™t fold well, or if they do fold well they dont have sufficient strength I discarded the idea.

A slightly more makeshift-y idea (but less messy) is to use tape. Open up the laptop to 100 degrees, stretch tape from top cover to bottom cover. Then stretch another run to cover up the sticky inside.

The other way will be to mount a rather stiff ā€œL bracketā€ onto the bottom cover to prevent the display from opening further. However due to the smaller leverage the bracket will need to be pretty stiff and thus probably metallic, which will create dent and scrapes on the aluminum/magnesium chassis/plate/cover.

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Wobbly hinges is also an issue for me, looking forward to getting the sturdier hinges if/when they come to the marketplace.

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Still liking the replacement hinges. My old hinges were much looserā€“the new ones stay where I put them.

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The replacement hinges cannot fix the wobble, you realize this when you change the hinges itself. The hinges have a C-shape that connects to the base of the notebook and the hinge is only screwed in at the bottom of this C-shape. So whole whole hinges can move a little up and down and thats where most of wobble comes from. :frowning:

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No, but they can reduce it a lot.

I donā€™t know when this was added, but the hinge kit on the marketplace now has a 3.8kg designation. Anyone know if this is a change from the early batch hinges or the same?

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Yeah. a non-adjustable hinge is ā€¦ em. Not very good.

And to be fair, because how ultrabooks are lightweight I donā€™t remember a single one where you can open the display by one hand. And I have used at least 8 different devices in the past 6 years. (some of them is work for other people)

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Iā€™ve had my laptop for three days and was able to sit criss cross apple sauce with my laptop on my legs with no issue, I noticed today that when I try to do that now even the slightest adjustment of it will cause it to open all the way to 180 degrees. I really hope that framework releases a stiffer, more adjustable hinge.