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my hinge on my macbook air seems loose, if i am using it and there's minor movement, it will slowly open all the way almost 180 degrees. if i pick up my MBA too quickly the lid will also flip wide open. can it be tightened
MacBook Air, OS X Mavericks (10.9.3)
I have seen this on many MBA when the customer has a 3rd party cover on the LCD.
I once tried placing a 1" thick steel plate on the lid to protect my MacBook Air 13-in Early 2014 ( i live in a rough neighborhood bullets fly frequently) but found it too heavy to lift after a long day at the office.
100% normal.
if i pick up my MBA too quickly the lid will also flip wide open. can it be tightened
100% normal. They will ALL do that. Theres a reason for that, thats rather detailed if you need me to get into it.
Tightened, NO, its a FRICTION HINGE
That was a quick reply. I wish it wouldn't flop open so easy or there was a way to tighten it. Darn
Actually you DO WISH it would "flop open", ........ theres detailed reasons for that
The Air is NOT MEANT TO EVER be MOVED while the display is open.
Close it, move it, then open it again if needed.
the hinge on the Air is designed to be "loose" for good reasons, and LOOSER-THAN that of the Pro. 😉
No, you cant tighten it, NOR WOULD you want to if you knew why (LCD flex etc etc etc).
Youre lifing your Air up and claiming that the monitor will flop open at or past 90 degrees. Normal.
Learn what you can do if you experience one or more of these issues with the hinges on your MacBook Air.
END from Apple.com
Due to the thin nature of the LCD backlit LED monitor on the Air, you would NOT WANT a very tight hinge.
Why? Excessive hinge resistance would cause the screen to BOW (and possibly crack), especially on a longer fulcrum from the hinge in the case of the 13" screen...... Ergo it is designed logically to be “looser than” a traditional macbook Pro's hinges for a very good reason.
Friction Hinge:
A device with torque between two parts on a common axis.
A friction hinge is also commonly known as a:
Constant Torque Hinge, Position Hinge, Clutch, Torque Hinge, or Detent Hinge.
I suggest that you bring the MBA to an Apple store genius bar and have a technician examine it for FREE. It simply may require an minor adjustment.
Ciao.
do you have an older one? wouldn't hurt to take it to g bar and see if they will make an exception
No it's only a few months old. Maybe next time I'm in the city I'll drop In. But if others say it's made that way I might not bother.
huntinguy wrote:
No it's only a few months old. Maybe
It is within the warranty period then. Any repair would be free.
Ciao.
huntinguy wrote:
No it's only a few months old. Maybe next time I'm in the city I'll drop In. But if others say it's made that way I might not bother.
There is NO NEED in this instance to drop by.
As from Apple.com:
if you experience one or more of these issues with the hinges on your MacBook Air.
END from Apple.com
The friction hinge in the Air has remained the same for YEARS, ....however if you want to waste a trip to the Apple store, it will be that, .... in this instance of that you can be sure.
huntinguy wrote:
if i pick up my MBA too quickly the lid will also flip wide open. can it be tightened
Again, thats 100% normal.
Yes, examination is free, yes IF there was a problem, the work would be warranty and free.
However you indicate absolutely NO issue whatsoever.
Ive owned 4 Airs, some of the friction hinges are a hair tighter than others, but nearly all (never seen one that wouldnt) WILL IF you lift them up when at a 90 degree angle, ....if you lift up quickly, or tilt it back a bit,...the screen will flop open.
Friction hinge in the AIR see pic below (there are NO SPRINGS in these kind of hinges)
I have three Macbook Airs and one of them is like yours where the display flops open or closes by it self when it is about 4 inches open. Anyway the one that is looser also has a Speck protector shell and makes the display heavier so I think that is the issue for me. Basically, when the Speck shell is on it is more prone to be looser because the hinges are tensioned (in friction) for such a light screen, and not with the Speck shell included. I.e. its heavier so it falls easier. I am not sure if that is your issue but for some it is the case (pardon the pun).
This is the shell:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/HC997ZM/B/speck-13-smartshell-satin-case-for-m acbook-air?fnode=50
I like the case but there is an ultra light thin one and a slightly stronger, but ever so slightly thicker one. I still recommend the thicker one because the thinner ones crack around the edges (I have a few replaced). But definitely they are heavier.
I have a macbook air 11" and it's a 2014. I put the spectra case on it too and found that it closes on its own if it's at a 20 to 15 degree angle (about 2cm open) with the spectra lid on it. If I take it off, it does not. It will stay open 1cm, or less without self closing. Since I am a bit 'obsessive', I went to the apple store and just rested my lid of the case on a few in store units. Result: They also behaved the same if I rested that additional weight of the case lid on the air. It closes.
I tend to agree that there are slight deviations in the production lines. I wish mine was a bit stiffer because of the lid. However, how often do I really need to keep it 2cm open. I did notice that if you are in a car, with it on your lap (or seat) and a bumpy road it flops open. FYI.
I'm tempted to bring it in but, I keep reading above 'don't waste your time'. If I do, I'll post. If someone else does, post...
Thanks.
PlotinusVeritas - you seem insistent that you are right but there is not a lot you are offering to substantiat your claim that there is nothing wrong. Most people would logically agree from the images of the hinges you posted that there is potential for mechanical failure or wear and tear to hinges like that. The original poster has highlighted what might be a problem but when pressed your response was
Theres a reason for that, thats rather detailed if you need me to get into it.
The full article from Apple includes:
“Learn what you can do if you experience one or more of these issues with the hinges on your MacBook Air,” Apple states on the Support area of its web site. Knowledge Base article TS2948 continues with a list of possible scenarios:
- Unable to close lid completely.
- Broken or cracked plastic near one or both of the hinges.
- More than one inch (2.54cm) of free play while opening or closing the lid.
- Lid falls freely into closed position from a 30-degree open position. (From a closed position, open the lid approximately 30 degrees and let go.)
Should one of these situations apply, the customer can take their MacBook Air “to an Apple-Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store for evaluation and repair if necessary, even if your product is out of warranty.” The Mac maker then adds: “If you previously paid for a repair for hinge-related issues that were not caused by accidental damage, you may be eligible for a refund. Contact Apple for more information,” the document reads.
There are many reports of 'hinge issues' on the macbook air so the original posters complaint is not an isolated incident. Further there are many reports that can be obtained to demonstrate that a friction hinge can fail. Repeating that "its a friction hinge" seems to be an argument that there can be nothing wrong with it simply because it is a friction hinge.
Huntinguy, I have three macbook airs in our house (2 x 13inch and 1 x 11 inch) and they are nothing short of pure awesome. The products are the best of this type I've known and have known a lot of laptop/notebook or whatever you want to call it. Two of them have never had an issue before at all and hopefully never will, however one of the 13 inch machines have over the past year started to have an issue with the hinge whereby it will slowly open from 130 degrees to about 170 degrees without touching the machine, or through simple typing. This to me would be an issue, and it well could be something that my daughter has caused by the way she carries it or lifts it (ie often by the corner). This however is complete speculation.
I would urge you to take it in and have them look at it, they can only say no, but from what you describe, particularly:
if i am using it and there's minor movement, it will slowly open all the way almost 180 degrees
indicates a problem, our other two macbook airs, and my two macbook pro's have never done this and remain firm at the position you open it to regardless of any typing, pick up and move activities.
Everyone in this thread who is experiencing this issue needs to contact apple support and log a case.
The only way this will be added to the support database as a thematic issue is if people log enough escalation cases.
I just agreed to pay $330 for my macbook air to get repaired because of this problem. It is literally an ergonomics issue for me when I set the macbook air on a flat surface and I can't angle the screen to look at my face. The screen falls back and has placed strain on the unibody because of how often this happens. it isn't extremely bad ...yet. but its visible and the aluminum is becoming deformed.
I encourage you all to log visits to apple store and or log tickets with apple support so that there is more visibility to this problem. it only took 10 minutes of my time.
Would it help to put a little ThreadLock™ on the hinges? The ones on my 11" Air have long been loose. 'Course that fact that I throw the thing as far as I can when I'm p-o-ed at it may not have helped. There are notable dings and dents and the back cover shows daylight to the innards. But naw -- that hasn't a thing to do really. The danged hinges have been floppy for too long and I can't buy the theme in the posts below that that is 'just the way it's made ' -- and even less so for 'technical reasons'.
To me this IS a case where Apple's mania for tight, minimal design has crossed a little too close to the outer limits of useability and robustness. That said my wife is mightily impressed at the lickin' my Air has taken, and still just keeps on tickin'.
loose hinge
