Dropped XPS 13 - Torx T5 mounting post broke

[ShivP]

Hi all

Crap day for me. Dropped my XPS 13 9350 whilst it was balancing on something onto a carpet floor. The lid was open and it was on.

The power button does not rest in the correct place anymore and the laptop switches on/off when I open close the lid as the power button gets pushed

It appears one of the Torx T5 mounting posts has broken off





This post is on the opposite side to the power button

Does anyone have any good ideas on next steps? Shoudl I take this to a shop to be repaired?
I understand this post is part of the palmrest

Thanks

 

[chipps101]

If it has left a flat surface you could maybe super glue some nuts together and make a new post that way.

I did something similar when i broke a mounting post for a foot on a turntable and it worked.

 

[p1RATE]

I had this same thing happen to my 9550.

I glued it back on, you can replace the carbon shell pretty easily though, about £30 iirc. I replace the aluminium bottom because of that drop as it warped that slightly too.

 

[ShivP]

I had this same thing happen to my 9550.

I glued it back on, you can replace the carbon shell pretty easily though, about £30 iirc. I replace the aluminium bottom because of that drop as it warped that slightly too.

OK, how did you glue it? Did it stay in place pretty well? Superglue?

If it has left a flat surface you could maybe super glue some nuts together and make a new post that way.

I did something similar when i broke a mounting post for a foot on a turntable and it worked.

Hmm OK, I guess I would not be able to attach this to the laptop though and the nuts would be just loose

 

[chipps101]

Hmm OK, I guess I would not be able to attach this to the laptop though and the nuts would be just loose

No, you build a new post with the nuts and then glue in place of the snapped post.

The increased area of the nut should make it stronger than trying to glue the original post back into place.

 

[ShivP]

Hello all

No, you build a new post with the nuts and then glue in place of the snapped post.

The increased area of the nut should make it stronger than trying to glue the original post back into place.

OK, thanks. If I can't get a reasonably priced palmrest I will consider this...however my ultimate aim is to get a new palm rest fitted. I was quoted £35 to fit by local laptop repairer

Also...
I was informed by an ebay seller that the PCCX7 (9360 palm rest) is also compatible with the 9350 (DJ64X palm rest). This seems to be the case with some of the other ebay sellers listing both PCCX7 and DJ64X as compatible e.g. -https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-XPS...569976&hash=item2adf6c6b97:g:WPEAAOSwp5leJeHY
Is anyone able to clarify further?

 

[ShivP]

Hi chaps

Me with more bad news
So I sourced a genuine DJ64X and had it fitted at local laptop repair shop
All fitted fine, however the trackpad is now basically unusable. It does not 'click' correctly like it did before, and the left and right click buttons don't work. The movement of the mouse works fine, as well as the "tap to click" but the click is wrong.

Is this something that could be caused by it being fitted incorrectly or is it likely the trackpad is bust?

Thanks

 

[chipps101]

I'd say it was most likely incorrect fitting if its using the original trackpad that was working fine.

 

[ShivP]

OK, I will take it back tomorrow

 

[ShivP]

Do you reckon it's worth having a look myself first?

 

[chipps101]

If you gave them a working trackpad and the correct palmrest for the machine i'd be putting it on them, either they have fitted it incorrectly or have damaged it while swapping over.

 

[ShivP]

OK so took it into my own hands...

Thats the old palmrest. You see that greyish coating? That is not there on the new one

It seems that layer is a little thinner and thus it doesn't click properly. Am I right in assuming this is some kind of grounding material to help the touchpad detect what side is being clicked?

 

[chipps101]

Cant see the pics

 

[ShivP]

Oh sorry
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yTrc4KqJfaPdT9qN6
This any good?

 

[chipps101]

Just by looking at it the only thing i can think is that maybe the grey material is meant to push the trackpad up a bit.

Does the trackpad sink into the palmrest while pressing it ? Does it feel spongy at all ? Does it actually click and do nothing or is there no click at all ?

 

[ShivP]

So I have fixed it now
You are pretty much right there it seems, what I have done is used a small amount of masking tape as a "washer" to increase the thickness of the palmrest.
Now it works great

 

[ShivP]

What I hadn't realised is that the trackpad has just a single metal button on the bottom, and it detects left/right click from where your finger is on the trackpad

 

[chipps101]

Glad you got to the bottom of it and that it's working properly again

 

[ShivP]

Thanks for your help all