95LX exploding hinge

[Dave Britten]

(11-05-2021 12:20 AM)Helix Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 12:28 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  This has me both perplexed and perturbed. I've got a pair of 1 MB 95LXes, and both of them within the past year have blown out the right hinge.

I've had the same problem with one of my HP 200LXes. So now I have a spare spring and small parts from a broken hinge. Nothing is visible with the hinge cover.
The most puzzling thing is that there is still a good resistance when I move the screen part, as if there were no break at all!
I have another HP 200LX with the classic crack near the hinge, so I know the difference.

It seems that the plastic used for these machines brittles over time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wLD24qZpiI

That's my big fear, that these old plastics are just generally becoming too brittle to be viable as carry-around devices. Hopefully I'm just being paranoid... I need handheld Lotus 1-2-3 and databases!