Scott Yang's Playground

Hi Scott,

I have a Dell Latitude D600 and have the same problem, can you please give me more info as to where you purchased the hinges from and provide descriptive steps of how the hings need to be changed as I have no hardware experience.

Oh man, i’ve been looking for something like this! Thank you. One question however. my hinges actually broke so that one part is still in the base of the computer. how would i go about getting them out so i can install the new set?

Can I just take off the whole screen and keep it plugged into a moniter? My screen is really destroyed and its a pain to have it there when I plug into a moniter. Can I snap the to off?

ermm… i have the same problem,
but i think mine is worst because the screw connection base in the laptop body is broken, i mean i cant screw the hinge to the laptop body as the screw base in the laptop body is broken. Can you suggest any solution?

Scott,

I had exact same prob with my d600 as you – your site & pics helped me out bigtime so I thought I’d relay my experience to help others who do a google search. It took me about 1/2 hour of labour, but about 5 hours of searching to figure out how to fix the prob, what parts I needed, where to get the parts, and diagrams to show how to get everything apart. Hopefully these steps will save several hours for a few people. BTW, my first call to Dell, somebody tried to sell me the whole display assembly for $250. You don’t need a new assembly, just the cheap parts.

1. Bought parts from Dell (wasn’t sure 3rd party suppliers would send right part & if not, was it money wasted. Same issue with Dell, but I knew I could return it, at least.
2. Called 877-372-3355 (parts not available online)
3. Part numbers are 4m752 for left hinge and 8m672. 12.99 each + shipping
4. I was expecting two hinges, but they sent the display cover with both hinges already screwed in. (better, because it saved me a step)
5. Referred to service manual at http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd600/sm/index.htm
6. Remove central control or hinge cover – see part 2 here: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd600/sm/system.htm#999507
On the right hand side of the cover is a little indent – use a screwdriver to pry it out.
6. Unscrewed hinges.
7. Discovered that part of the hinge had been sheared off. It’s the bottom part of the hinge, running perpendicular to the rest of the hinge – it slots into the computer. You can see it clearly in the 3rd diagram on this page: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd600/sm/display.htm#1001090
Turned notebook upside down and the sheared off pieces fell out easily.
8. Referring to the same page, diagram 4 shows everything that needs to be unscrewed to get the display bezel off (i.e. the plastic border around the display) and lift the display out. Note, the power cable does NOT need to be removed.
10. Used a very small slothead screwdriver to pry the bezel off.
9. Because Dell sent me the whole display back with hinges already screwed in, I just slotted the hinges into the slots and screwed them down.
10. Screwed display into display cover
11. snapped the bezzle back into place
12. Screwed everything back in and put the hinge cover back
13. Good to go. Hopefully I’ll get another year out of it and then I’ll likely replace it with a macbook pro.

Hi David or Scott ,

I think I have the same problem as my left hinge is broken in the back. Therefore, when the LCD screen is open fully, the broken hinge can not be seen. However, I am unable to close the laptop.

Can I send someone a picture and you can tell me whether or not the hinge is fixable. I called Dell and they are asking 400 for a new LCD panel. :(

Any help would be appreciated!!

Bernard

One of the best things about Dell, is that their support site (support.dell.com) has manuals on how to take apart just about any Dell model. Buy the parts on eBay, and than look up on the Dell site to figure out how to replace them.

As “beaxcon” mentioned, I too have two broken hinges AND the right side hinge base. I know I need new hinges but what do I need to replace the base were the hinge screws’ threaded hole resides? Thanks in advance.

Anthony, the very same thing happened to me. If you found the part # for the right side hinge base, can you post here? Thanks.

hi!

i have a dell c600 and im not sure if it is the hinge that is broken, but the plastic around the hinges…any help on this?

Hi,
My brother’s laptop (Dell Latitude D600) broke and my laptop (Dell Latitude D600) has two broken hinges, since my brother’s broke, we were going to use his good hinges and place them in my laptop. Exactly how would i get this hinges out of his? I know you unscrew the screen, but how do i get them out of the silver hinge “compartments”? does it just pop out?

-Ryan

I’m sure this is a stupid question, but on the hinge I was sent, the “perpendicular piece” that looks like it should fit into the base is locked in a up position (as in, would appear to be pointing up/away from the base). Any ideas on how to turn/loosen the “perpendicular piece” so that it points downward (or rotates)?

This is my first hinge replacement, so if this is some easy fix, please let me know!!

Thanks!

AN

I wanted to send an answer I received to my question from elsewhere. The hinges are really stiff – a little WD-40 at the rotation point will loosen the hinge so the “perpendicular piece” can be rotated to the down position.

By the way, the step-by-step instructions on this site are great.

AN

Wow, I am realy glad I came across your posting. I too had a broken right hinge on my D600 laptop. In addition, I broke the center control power button cover. After reading your post, I searched on line for parts and came across a web site that deals only with Dell Laptop parts and they have great photos of each part. I was able to order only the right hinge since the left one was still ok.

Parts-People.com was the website. I ordered my parts on 5/21 and they got here on 5/24 via Fedex and I only used ground shipping. I needed the parts asap since I use this laptop for work too. $18 bucks for the hinge and $19.95 for the power button cover. 20 minutes after the parts arrived, I had it up and running, (even though I kept dropping the smalls screws…doh!)

I am so glad I got to keep my laptop and not deal with porting over data or getting a new one. Thanks everyone for the information!!

Tom

First of all a big thank you for this article. Without it I wouldnt have had the guts to open my laptop! I have the d600.

It was so easy!! I almost took it to the shop to be repaired till I read your article.

Found the hinges no problem. It took me about 45 mins or working carefully and noticing what went where.

If I can do it, anyone can!

THANKS!!

Laura

Scott,

Just did this procedure for my girlfriend’s laptop. She was a bit sqeamish when I opened it up at first, but it got done with minimal trouble. Thanks so much for posting this article. It was a big help in getting the thing fixed and in convincing her it could be done. Also, we got the left hinge from Dell as a refurb for just over $10 w/shipping. Totally worth it! Thanks!

Word of warning – sometimes when the right hinge snaps it cracks the alloy frame inside the base of the D600 when it breaks (i.e. the bit that the pointing-out hinge pin sits in and to which you screw the new hinge). For space reasons there is only one screw on the right hinge, so it is weaker than the left one. You will know if the frame is broken because the screw mounting point moves a bit if you prod it with a screwdriver.

Be very gentle with the new hinge once fittted if this is the case, otherwise the new hinge will quickly break again and probably snap out the piece of the main laptop frame with the screw-hole. Replacing the frame in the D600 case is possible, but entails taking almost everything out and can be a bit daunting. You can buy these frames on eBay or from Dell. For what it’s worth, Dell have fixed this design problem in the later versions (D620, D630).

Great article! The hinges on my D600 broke too. I called Dell and the first customer service person said that I had to buy the “Back cover Kit” (part J9623) which includes the hinges for $21.95. However the part sales rep sold me the hinges separately (Part #’s 4m752 for left hinge and 8m672) for $4.95 each + shipping. Much cheaper than any other website including e-bay!!

I’m waiting for delivery with the laptop casing open and ready for the “transplant”.

Hi Scott/David,

Really your information help to get my laptop D600 hinges replaced. I called DELL, they said the parts are no longer available, but technician advised me to check on internet. Then I got PChub.com based in singapore, they delivered me one pair of hinges within 3-4 days. Still leftside is spared with me, if anybody want let me know, i am in melbourne.
Your experience help me a lot otherwise i might have broken either bezel or something else. if you keep patience/cool then it canbe done without much problem, it took me 1 hrs to back everything. No need to go any refurbishment shop for hinges replacement which may cost upto $150. I could able to replace hinges without removing pul up cable. if anybody want more information let me know.

Vijay

I just replaced a hinge on my D600 with encouragement from the advice offered here. It was extraordinarily easy, and I only have a couple of points to add:

1. I ordered the hinge from http://www.parts-people.com (mentioned above) and they shipped it the same day, which was just the day before yesterday. The hinge made it from Austin, TX to my home in Chicago in two days using their cheapest shipping option.

2. It is handy to have a razor blade for removing the rubber bumpers that cover the screws on the bezel. You do not need to remove the two long bumpers along the side of the display because they do not conceal any screws; only remove the six round bumpers. The razor blade was also useful for prying off the face of the bezel after I had removed the screws.

3. The small black screws that hold the hinge into the computer are not all the same size. They look pretty similar to one another, though, so be sure to make note of which screw came from which hole.

The whole job took me less than twenty minutes. The only tools required were a phillips-head jeweler’s screwdriver and a razor blade. I have no prior experience disassembling computer parts, and except for being good at bicycle repair I have no special mechanical skills.

I thank the previous posters for their advice and I encourage others to go ahead if they’ve got a broken hinge.

Thank you to you folks. You have saved me from having to buy a new laptop. I spent £20 (inc postage) for a set of hinges (left and right). Following the instructions given on this website, I managed to replace them without any problems. It took me about 2 hours to do. Follow the instuctions carefully and step by step. For a laptop that is 5 years old, I should be able to get another few years life again.

Thanks once again.

need to know how to get the rubber pieces out so that you can take the top apart on the dell 600 to put in the new hinges?

Hi,

Thanks a lot for this article. The hinge on my D600 is not broken yet but has somehow become very stiff – the result is that the smaller parts (plastic and metal in which the hinge is inserted and screwed) are destroyed. Also due to this, I see a slight crack in the palm rest behind (above the usb port below the screen).
So I think I need to change the hinge and possibly the palm rest to save from further damage.
Can anyone help me with specific terms for the smaller parts (the plastic and the metal which screws to the hinge) so that I can order them too to replace them…Is it called “frame” ?

I also suspect that the center control power button cover is also broken at the small latches where it attaches behind to the palm rest. Or I am not sure if it originally has any latches to join with the palm rest….Can anyone help me with that too ?

Thanks a lot
Himanshu

Himanshu this part is called the system frame. Dell does not sell it, but I found one on Ebay for about $20. Only problem is that it requires you strip literally everything from your laptop (i.e. memory, processor, etc.) and move to the new frame. It’s a lot of work but doable.

The Laditude D600 and Inspiron 600m are basically the same computer. The hinges are interchangable.

I have a Inspiron 600m and about once a year the hinges get stiff and after almost 2 years, they break. Ebay is a nice source for replacments.

If you use it as a desktop-replacment computer, you can actually unplug the video cable, unscrew the hinges, and lift the entire display off. Then, just re-assymble the keyboard / decorative plastic and connect VGA to an external monitor and you’re in business. I’ve done this when my hinges break without warning and I need to use the comptuer.

Here’s a summary of the steps:
1. open display 180 degrees
2. pry the plastic cover off (where the power button is) – it starts from the right and lifts across, then lifts out
3. remove the 2 screws on the keyboard and lift that out – then you can unplug/unscrew the video cable
4. remove the 3 screws that hold the hinges to the frame and lift the lid away
5. remove the “bumpers” around the LCD – they hide screws you need to remove
6. pry the LCD plastic apart, starting at the bottom. Be carefull not to stab too far so you don’t damage the circuit-board or LCD.
7. replace the actual hinges
8. reverse the above steps to put it back together

Great little article. I followed it and it worked like a charm. $15 us for hinges and latch on ebay + 20 minutes to fix.

Thanks

People. One of the most common questions here is not ‘how to change out the hinge?’, but more ‘what part number is the hinge base?’. To clarify: the Dell hinge assembly is made up of two (left and right) bars that run up the sides of the monitor. These bars have a swiveling post that is inserted into the main laptop body. This is the ‘hinge base’ that most people have broken off inside. The post (hinge base) is NOT a separate part. It IS the hinge.
It is completely attached to the whole assembly you will be buying on eBay or Craigslist.

In my (and most other’s) case, the screws on this post assembly sheared through the fatigued metal.
Laters.

Thanks man. BIG help!

Hi all,

from the other side of the globe! This is a great web for replacing the hinge on DELL D600. I am facing the same problem now. The first offer I got from official DELL support in my region, Slovakia, EU, is for 170 EUR for set of back cover and a pair of hinges including labor onsite. They told me on the phone, that they do not deliver the separate hinge part. So I was a bit said, as I saw on parts-people.com that a single hinge in USA costs only 15 USD. Then I found service manual for DELL D600 on DELLs web and was thinking about to try it myself even I did not do such job before, but I can do some hand-works around electrical devices, but not the fine ones. I got another offer for 33 EUR from one local small company for to “try” to repair it. They took out the broken hinge to look at it and compare it with the one for Latitude D610 which they have as a broken machine for spare parts. But as I saw their technician work by taking out the broken hinge I will not put my computer in their hands anymore. They could not take out the broken part of the hinge and finally it slipped somewhere into the inside of the laptop. So the technician took the laptop in his hands up with display opened and mounted only on one hinge and keyboard attached just on cable and was shakig the whole bunch to drop the broken part of the hinge out. I was qiute full of adrenalin when I saw this work and asked them to put the computer back together again and left. At home, according to the service manual I disassembled the laptop and took out the broken part from it. After putting the computer together, it worked normally. Later I was looking for a closer supplier of the hinge around Europe than parts-people.com. I found http://www.ubattery.co.uk, ordered the pair of hinges for around 16 GBP plus shipping. I got the tracking number of hongkong post, so probably behind the http://www.ubattery.co.uk is not a UK company but a hongkong one. Anyway I hope to receive the parts in few days and then I will repair my DELL myself.

This a good experience for me, but worth one. It is always good if there still exists people which share their experience with the other once. All the best for all of you, especially for Scott Yang, who published this page on web.

Peter, Slovakia, Europe.

A HUGE THANK YOU for suppyling information on how to deal with the process of changing the hinges. I had been considering a full replacement which would have been so wasteful – many tks for the tips on how to work through. I have spent two hours changing the hinges this morning – including time to purchase a new screwdriver – and now my laptop is fully functional. My boyfriend cannot believe I did it !! Girls can do it too !! All thanks to your support.

This site is a great source of information that I stumbled upon, thanks.
A question that seems to be frequently asked and forgive me if I am wrong but not answered, is; “What do I do if the part that the hinges fixes to on the Laptop is broken?”
Well I was in this situation and with close inspection I discovered that the offending broken base is actually part of the whole of the Laptops frame which requires complete disassembly to replace. It looks quite daunting to do but as long as you are methodical and keep all the bits away from the kids and the dog you should be able to but it back together the way it came apart successfully. Don’t even worry about the tiny wires running around the frame, they come with it.
I bought mine from ebay. Search; “dell d600 frame.” There are a few on there at the moment for £25.50 including postage.
I hope this helps anyone to get their D600 back to full operation as mine now is.

In order to change the hinges and power cover plate (dell d600) what all do I have to remove? Is it just the 6 screws in the display assembly? Or do I have to take keyboard and everything apart to change out hinges? I need to find out everything before I start because I won’t have a computer to go to for help after I get started. Thanks

I could replace the old hinges, however when I put the new ones in, and try to flip the cover to make sure they are swiveling and closing the LCD flap as they should, at this point, the new hinges are not swiveling and the cover seems stuck at 90 degrees to the laptop base. What should i do so that the hinges are rotating! (lattitude D600 by the way).

Thanks in advance.

Never mind! I fixed it. In case someone else have the same problem, then just use some force to rotate the hinges (before putting them in to avoid damage to the LCD etc). The hinges were just too tight. Once I rotated them by hand using force, they worked perfect.

Thank you so much guys for helping out each other. It was a great help to me and without this message thread I could not have been fixed my laptop.

Appreciated a lot and keep up the good work helping each other out…..

-Thanks

thanks for the information on hinge change for my dell d600. Hinges supplied from Hong Kong very cheaply. The instructions you supplied were very useful. Job took 36 minutes from start to finish. Computer up and running with really good hinges again. Many thanks from Roger in the UK.

PLs help
my dell latitude d600 power connector button broke from the motherboard. It can’t powerup again. please help. how can i get and alternative way to power up my pc? or can i trace two wires on the board that can be joined to power the pc.
thanks
pls reply

dan -

When you say the power button broke, do you mean the power button (i.e. above the keyboard) or the power-in socket. If it is the power button next to the volume controls and keyboard lock lights, do you mean the plastic button is broken or do you mean the small board underneath the button is damaged?

If it is the former, you may be able to superglue the arm of the button back. You can lever off the cover by putting a screwdriver into the little slot to the right of the right-hand hinge and easing the whole strip up carefully.

If the button is damaged but the board is not, as an emergency you should still be able to switch the laptop on and off by pushing the contact pad beneath the button. If the baord is damaged it is quite easy to find a cheap replacement board (it is attached to the motherboard by a small connector in the top righthand corner and retained by two obvious screws).

Kevin

thanks this also applies to the inspiron 600m model which also has similar hinges and tend to break easily, why make it sout of cast iron which is easily snapped?? Thats dell for you.

Thank you to everyone’s input. This is like reading an Encyclopedia. It’s great to find a site such as this one where everybody from around the globe just want to help each other. Really fantastic! Thanks to Scott Yang for beginning this site. At my workplace, we have 5 Dell Lattitude D600 Laptops that all have broken hinges on the right side. I am just in the process of sourcing supplies thanks to all you lovely people.

Regards,
Raki.

Dear kevin, thanks 4 ur concern. I do not mean the plastic that can pressed. I mean connector on the motherboard that connects the button to the board. The one that has many legs soldered to board

dan,

I still don’t quite understand. The Dell Latitude D600 has a power button that pushes onto a pressure switch to power up the laptop. This also has two green LEDs on the switch assembly. This pressure switch is mounted on a small board that is attached to the motherboard. This board also has the microphone and volume up/down/off buttons and keyboard lock LEDs. The switch is not actually on the motherboard itself. Is your problem with the pressure switch, the switch board or the motherboard please?

Kevin

Dell increased prices of their replacement hinges to $48.99 US each! THis was confirmed on two separate calls to 877-372-3355 on 9/28/09, parts #4m752 and 8m672. http://www.parts-people.com still has them for $15.00 US which is where I ordered them. They have NEW batteries too.

I let you know how the swap goes after I get the parts.

Just wrapped up the hinge repair for my Dell Latitude. Replaced left and right hinges, 30 minutes tops no issues. The ease of the job was all due to careful review of the tips I found here. Thanks to all the previous posts. The information is both accurate and very welcome.

What a great article. Our D600 is broken (both hinges). Have ordered some replacement hinges and will follow the advice in this article to install them.

Thanks!

Thanks, Scott & everyone for taking the time to share your experiences. I’m going to give it a go!

Hey Scott,
Great details, so much that a novice like me was also able to figure out stuff and save a lot of money. The one problem that I am still facing is that all the hinges that the websites sell seem to have a longish arm to frame/support the screen too. I have looked and looked but can’t find one without it. When I asked Dell, the parts are well worth $60 or so, and that seemed a lot of money particularly when the others sell for around $10. Any comments/ ideas to help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Not sure whether Scott is monitoring but, to speed things up for you, the hinges you see with the long “arms” are probably the correct hinges. The long arms are fitted inside the casing that houses the screen and their purpose is to spread the stress rather than focus it on the weak part of the screen housing by the hinge site and also support the screen structurally.

Unfortunately, you cannot escape taking the screen housing apart too fit new hinges (see Scott’s instructions above), so you do need these hinges with long arms. The Dell parts are probably the same as the cheap ones you have found – I have used several sets of cheap ones and they seem to be OK quality.

Hi,

I am planning to try fixing the hinges for my mom’s old D600 (and maybe 2 others later), but I was wondering how it works out with the covers? Unfortunately I don’t have the Dell around to check, but I thought the covers themselves started to open up, so they’re probably broken or bend over is some way. Did all other laptops just open 180 degrees wihtout the covers opening, or are the covers just really flexible?
BTW if anyone finds or has found cheap hinges (for shipping to Holland), please post it. If that’s allowed.

Thanks!

hi,
i have a problem with my latitude d600.i pictured my problem at fallowing link. is that a broken hinge problem too? what should i do? pllss help me?

http://forum.donanimhaber.com/m_36036083/tm.htm

Cherek,

Yes, when broken the tops of the hinges do usually push up the hinge covers which are part of the strip that includes the on-off and other switches. Best thing to do is check by levering up the right hand side of the strip with a flat screwdriver and carefully pulling the strip off from right to left. You will then see the hinges.

Check that the metal chassis frame that the hinges fit into is not broken as well before buying the hinges. This is rare but does happen. If the frame is broken you will have to replace that too.

Damla – yes, that does look like a broken right hinge. Look on Ebay (search “Dell D600 hinge”) to buy and then follow Scott’s excellent instructions above – it is quite easy. Good luck!

Cherek – Yes, the hinges do push up the hinge covers when they are broken. Best thing to do is to get a small flat screwdriver and lever up the right side of the plastic strip that included the on-off and other switch then carefully pull it off from right to left (see Scott’s instructions above). You will then see the hinges clearly. If the screen is not loose, then it is probably just the right hinge that has broken but check both before ordering as the work you have to do is roughly the same to replace one hinge or two.

Check that the metal frame the hinges fit into is not broken – this is not common but can happen.

Ebay is pretty good for finding hinges – the Hong Kong suppliers deliver anywhere at reasonable cost (but pick one that has lots of recommendations!).

Thanks for all your helping guys! as soon as possible I will accomplish your suggestions and keep you informed my notebook’s final situation=)

Thanks for the advice Kevin. I will use that checklist as well. I’ll be sure to post my results.

Hi I replaced my hindges on d600 but the screen still won’t stay up. repeated all again and still have same problem, hinges look fine, what am I doing wrong or is there another piece broken, help
thanks
Colette

Colette,

If you have replaced the hinges as described above and the screen still wobbles about, it sounds like the metal frame into which the hinge pins fit is broken. It is quite brittle and can snap when the hinge breaks. If you take off the power switch strip you will see the bits of metal frame separated around the hinge area(s). If OK, the frame should flex slightly but not move substantially.

This happened to me and the problem is fixable, but requires you to buy a new frame for the D600 (it may be cheaper to buy a scrapped case, but make sure you confirm with the seller that the frame is intact) – search on eBay. BUT . . . . it does require you to take the entire laptop apart (the service manual on Dell’s website tells you how very clearly), but this is perhaps daunting for some people. If you follow the instructions, it does work. Let me know how you do.