yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[G2 and Desire Z General] Beagan:
anywhere else i can buy these springs? i cant buy them because im not in America! Anyone know?
[G2 and Desire Z General] nemiroG1:
I did this, using the spring in the McMaster-Carr link. The package comes with manufacturer info on it. For those who need to find an alternative source:

Gardner Spring

1-800-331-3263

GC0120-022-0500

0.12x0.022x0.500"

I found that leaving the main PCB in place, and simply swinging it up allowed me to do the job without destroying or damaging the label. I also found that the hinge itself needs to be swiveled up to expose the two black screws to take the cover off. For whatever reason, this obvious step was not intuitive at the time :) I cut three coils off the new spring, to prevent it from going into coil bind during compression.

This was also a good time to do a little cleaning, so a damp paper towel works well for this. All in all, it was not too hard, took less than 30 minutes, and the end result is fantastic. Thanks to all who blazed this trail!
[G2 and Desire Z General] Arkymedes:
Just replying to say that it really works. Thanks a lot and my wife is happy now. :)
[G2 and Desire Z General] paulwoods1114:
Can someone give me a link for the lcd's ribbon cable. I have a crack in mine and really need it replaced. I also need the tools to take it apart please
[G2 and Desire Z General] lolufail:
nice idea :)

though i tried 3 phones before I bought this one, it had the best hinge, still has :D
[G2 and Desire Z General] CTCNetwork:
Hi,

I have had a conversation with a spring manufacturer. Given the information we have about the spring his opinion was that the spring was likely poorly designed!

I gave the below specs for a spring that has been found to work:

Type - Ultra-Precision Compression Springs

Material - Steel

Steel Type - Steel Music Wire

System of Measurement - Inch

Outside Diameter - 0.12"

Outside Diameter Tolerance - ±0.002"

Wire Size -	0.022"

Overall Length - 1/2"

Compressed Length - 0.298"

Ends - Closed and Ground

Wire Type - Round Wire

Load - 4.34 lbs.

Deflection at Load - 0.14"

Deflection at Load Tolerance - ± 7.5%

Rate 31 lbs./inch

Rate Tolerance - ± 5% lbs./in.

Specifications Met -	Not Rated

He is making one up for me to test. Should this be Ok, would anyone be interested in a spring? If so I can order up x number and send them to people at cost for those interested.

Des. . . ;)
[G2 and Desire Z General] burtcom:
I might be interested...
[G2 and Desire Z General] CTCNetwork:
Hi,

If I can get some more interest then I can place an order but lets see how this turns out.. :)

Des. . . ;)
[G2 and Desire Z General] Bocler:
YES, Please...I want one spring as well
[G2 and Desire Z General] CTCNetwork:
Hi,

Just to update, including those who PM'd me:

I did a tear-down of my Desire Z to test fit this spring. As a few others have noted, they needed to cut a few mm's off their spring.

I couldn't fit the one I got as it did not allow the hinge to operate so I have cut a few winds off.

Will be trying this out over the weekend. I have also been asked by the maker (Irvine Springs) to check the dimensions of the original spring which I will be doing.

Once I have all this info I will get back to the above who will come up with a suitable replacement and I can then get a price for 20 or 30 to be made up.

Des. . . ;)
[G2 and Desire Z General] mputtr:
it's a good thing that you cut off a tiny bit to allow the spring to actually compress and expand.

A good rule of thumb in general is: "if you have to excessively force it in, then it's probably not meant to fit unless noted otherwise."
[G2 and Desire Z General] andamao:
thanks~~:)
[G2 and Desire Z General] Sparacis:
I have 4 of the original springs from about a year ago just sitting in my draw(just found them) When I did my spring replacement had to buy a pack of 5. I still have my Z and the spring still works fine a year later. PM me if you want one.
[G2 and Desire Z General] b-m-b-85:
Wrong post :-) sorry
[G2 and Desire Z General] krustybaguette:
T-Mobile G2 re-assembly

I've got my T-Mobile G2 halfway reassembled after a total teardown to replace the digitizer screen but am stuck at the point where I slide the midframe/keyboard back into place. (I never have had what I'd call loose hinges). In your repair was it necessary to remove the keyboard assembly? As I looked at the two hinges there are two tine screws on the "top" hinge. I assume that's what you opened up to get at the spring?

If you did have to take the keyboard OFF perhaps you could share how to get the bottom hinge to seat properly.

krustybaguette
[G2 and Desire Z General] demkantor:
Take a pic of where you are at, it should go together rather easy, hard to explain without seeing
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Yep...its VERY snappy now...probably overmuch. *shrug* I like it!

I can pick up my phone off the table from the Screen, and it'll come just slightly apart. I highly doubt most other people can do that with their G2s. With the Keyboard completely open, I can invert and shake held from the keyboard side without the screen falling down. Again, with keyboard open, I can hold the phone from the SCREEN side and shake and the keyboard part won't come down.

I suppose I can make a Video to demo this...but its probably not necessary. Its just a simple mechanism, that if you look at carefully, you'll see why this works.

verkion
[G2 and Desire Z General] SuperDave81:
Sticky please, labeled as a guide, so that I don't have to dig through archives when I want to do this 6 months from now. Great post, thanks OP.
[G2 and Desire Z General] convolution:
^Agree

STICKYYYY
[G2 and Desire Z General] arich:
I'll be interested to see what the longevity on this fix and if anyone tries replacing the actual spring
[G2 and Desire Z General] Fugms:
Rather then stretching the spring, how about compressing it a bit?

Can you slide a shim between the spring and plate?
[G2 and Desire Z General] icolorado303:
I want to see a video demo of you shaking the phone upside down and stuff... it would be even more motivation to do this
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Well, that's the thing...I'll probably end up replacing the spring down the line once I get my lazy butt around to measuring how long and wide the channel is.

As for using a shim...good idea. I think the only thing one has to be careful of is that the fully extended locking mechanism + compressed spring (i.e. coils touching each other) is not longer than the slot that everything sits in.

As for the video...meh. I'll get around to it sometime. LOL. I'm not trying to motivate people to do this to their phones. In fact, I'd suggest most of you NOT try it unless you are comfortable forking out another $500 for a replacement phone. If you read my OP, even though I have plenty of experience messing with electronics being an EE, I STILL managed to break one of the tensioning pins on the microSD ribbon cable receptacle. I posted the picture up so that it would end the mindless speculation/useless bickering about one person's phone was loose and another's wasn't and that the one's with loose hinges were "using it wrong" etc. There's simply variation in springs that were used. Probably a QA issue...I mean, who would think to check every freaking spring HTC gets from their sources with a force gauge to make sure it met spec.

verkion
[G2 and Desire Z General] NtilUrEarsBleed:
This would be most logical. Surprised it took this long for someone to mention it.
[G2 and Desire Z General] PatrickHuey:
a video would be great. im still not sure why HTC decided to go with the z hinge. while i do realize it slims the phone down quite a bit and makes for something different, there should of been a way to make it a little more tighter.

just to confirm, someone said that they can hold their G2 completely upside down without the screen coming apart? whichever position i hold my phone, the screen seperates itself. unless with the keyboard out and moving it slowly

damn, must be nice!
[G2 and Desire Z General] OoTLink:
Maybe I'm just being a bit defensive about my recent acquisition but from what I've seen the hinge assembly looks to be at least as sturdy as most slider phones are :)
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Already explained why I didn't shim. The way the plastic interlocks work means you must have enough length in the channel for the spring to compress without the coils of the spring in full contact, otherwise your phone would not be able to open and close.

The IDEAL solution would have been to replace the spring with another higher tension spring. However, since I could neither a) find a picture of this mechanism before and b) had no stock of spare springs, stretching it seemed like the best alternative for the time being.

Thanks!

verkion
[G2 and Desire Z General] steviewevie:
Nice work man :)
[G2 and Desire Z General] sinistersai4d4d:
Yeah, just like the i*hone bumper 'fix'. It's not that I have a "hinge problem".. it's that the g2 hinge is a poor design to a lot of people. Personally I just live with it, in the same way you live with anything that's less than perfect but damn close. Some people have different standards in terms of design.

Also the magnets tape used for the other 'fix' isnt strong enough to interfere with the compass on any significant level and this has been addressed numerous times by the people who tried it.
[G2 and Desire Z General] phazedplasma:
What tools did you need for this? Just the torque screwdriver?
[G2 and Desire Z General] juanshop:
you both are morons and do some research... the magnets are not nearly enough to mess with anything on the phone, i been using this temporary fix for about a month now and i use the gps daily and no problem, no doubt this is wayy better, but wayy riskier, anyhow, if you don't know what you are talking about dont even post because you clearly don't know, in fact, i will make a video so you both shut up.

i repeat, this fix is awesome, but not everyone can afford to mess their phones up, or has the balls to do so.

ps: im looking for springs, no luck so far, and at the worst case they can be custom made for cheap, so i will keep it posted on the spring search.
[G2 and Desire Z General] juanshop:
and what do you know...

http://www.newcombspring.com/products.html

there, i think they need measurements of the spring, and they custom made them.

http://www.mwspring.com/index.html
[G2 and Desire Z General] Fugms:
You will also need a small Phillips screwdriver, and something to lift the metal tape without destroying it.

I managed to slip a 1/32" shim in there. Just enough to take the slop out of it and nothing more. This made a huge difference for my hinge. Others may vary ;-)

Looking at the pic on the OP. The left side of the hinge has a plastic plunger that compresses the spring as it opens. The right side has room to tighten it up with something as long as it fits into the half round metal cylinder that surrounds said spring. About 1/8" in diameter.

Looking at the mechanism, the easiest way I see to do this is to just pull the spring away from the base, drop your shim in and set the end of the spring back onto it. Make sure you cover it back over before you twist it to see if you need more or less compression as the spring is sure to pop out if you don't.
[G2 and Desire Z General] juanshop:
also, this could be helpful

http://tjworld.net/blog/htc-desire-z-tear-down
[G2 and Desire Z General] convolution:
Magnet fix = lazy temporary way

This way = proper hardcore way

take your pick
[G2 and Desire Z General] juanshop:
hey i said it, temporary fix, and yes this fix is definitely the way to go, but again, is dangerous if you don't know what are you doing, and this phone is not exactly cheap.
[G2 and Desire Z General] convolution:
that's why I said it's hardcore.
[G2 and Desire Z General] phazedplasma:
I we could find a higher tension spring I would totally do this.
[G2 and Desire Z General] sinistersai4d4d:
I was agreeing with you fool. My autocorrect changed the word ISNT to IS and skewed my meaning. But yes ,the magnet tape does not interfere with the compass... and I agree, the magnet method is far from lazy.... it was just the first attempt. Prior to that people were using rubber bands.
[G2 and Desire Z General] sinistersai4d4d:
Its about knowing your limitations. I know a guy who is a magician in a chemistry lab but he cant tell a philips from a flat. Personally, while I find the hinge less than desirable, it doesnt bother me NEARLY enough to impliment either "fix".
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Ok...regarding spring length. Someone check my calculations/estimates using the picture I posted. Each dot spacing in the photo is 2mm so the channel length is roughly 10mm long, not including the plastic "snapping" mechanism on the left side. If you were to "extend" the plastic mechanism on the left [><] so they look like that, you would shorten the channel 2-3 mm. So the "solid length" of the replacement spring MUST be less than 7mm or so.

Channel width appears to be about 4mm, (I'm guessing actual is about 5mm) so spring diameter should be around 4mm to allow some limited play. The spring ends are "closed" type, but they were not "ground". I'd probably spring for (ah ha...I'm so punny), a closed and ground type though so it sits nice and flat on the ends.

Overall length uncompressed I'd guess would have to be 12-14mm.

The only thing I am 100% NOT sure about is what spring rate we'd need. All I can tell you is that the spring when I took it out to stretch was pretty darn resistant to both compression and stretching...i.e. had a fairly high spring rate already. Maybe those shops could help us figure it out.
[G2 and Desire Z General] juanshop:
My apologies fool ahahah, it just pissed me off that the other guy called us, the people that started pretty much try to fix this, morons, he didn't think of crap, like me and another super smart people atleast attemped and somehow suceeded in a temporary fix that, works, all I wanted was to be able to text on bed, and now I can.

And lastly here's what I think

Magnet fix: easy, doesn't interfere with anything, temporary, but nonetheless effective and lasts.

Spring fix: no doubt the best so far but: hard to do, need experience tearing phones down, risk of really screwing ur phone up, and that means the end because u break the void sticker and well let's face it, temporary too.
[G2 and Desire Z General] lalalandrus:
did the fix and works great a few notes:

1) you can put a .25" super agressive spacer in there with the stock spring everything will clear

2) use a smidgen of grease/oil to prolong the cam to prevent sloppiness in the future

3) you can remove the hinge without removing the board or the cables. after the hinge is unscrewed and all of the screws for the pcb is undone, remove the led, pry the overhang with the power swtich and you should be able to wiggle the hinge out. after that mod and reassemble.

and note on the magnet fix, the magnet CAN over power the inboard sensor and saturate it. it depends on the orientation and locations of the sensor + magnets and where the flux lines go. also if the sensor is not saturated, due to stray flux, it is recommended that you recalibrate your compass.
[G2 and Desire Z General] convolution:
Adding an aftermarket spring is "temporary"?

You have a funny definition of temporary, mister.
[G2 and Desire Z General] lalalandrus:
maybe some people like taking apart their $500 phones on a daily basis :rolleyes:

warranty stickers are available online for 10 bux shipped (get a whole lot of like 100)

if you among the people that rooted, void already anyways depending on how it breaks
[G2 and Desire Z General] juanshop:
And u can't read for sh**... I said just use the same spring, nothing about an aftermarket spring, which haven't been done...
[G2 and Desire Z General] lalalandrus:
So much anger and pettiness picking at mundane details.

irregardless of after market, shim, of stretch. The fix is permanent. F = kx. After market increases k. Shim increases x. Strech increases k and x. As long as F is increase the hinge is less loose. The fix does not degrade over time nor does it need to be reapplied and therefore is permanent (w.r.t. lifetime of the phone).
[G2 and Desire Z General] ddgarcia05:
Lets keep it friendly. I don't think the OP would appreciate it if we got his thread locked.
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
:-P Well honestly I did it as a service to the community...a way of giving back just a little once in a while! Oiling it was a good idea that I didn't think about...doh! And lalalandrus, thanks for confirming that you can indeed access the hinge without removing everything! Definitely how I would do it the next time round!

Thanks!

verkion
[G2 and Desire Z General] AbsolutZeroGI:
*bump*

I hope this stays near the top or gets sticky'd as a guide. I'm definitely going to do this once I find some stronger springs. My hinge isn't messed up that much (it opens if you hold the screen side and closes if it's upside down, but it's still snappy), but I'd love to be one of the G2 owners with a perfect hinge snap :)
[G2 and Desire Z General] sinistersai4d4d:
Regardless*

:mad:
[G2 and Desire Z General] phazedplasma:
So where does one aquire the right shim?
[G2 and Desire Z General] AbsolutZeroGI:
I think the OP said he was going to eventually tear it down again and get the measurements for the springs and all that, afterwards, I'm sure someone will find the right springs/shims and link it up.
[G2 and Desire Z General] lalalandrus:
@phazedplasma - any shim around .25" thick is good enough, just use a box cutter or a sharp knife to whittle it down to the size that fits in there. my shim came from an old CD-ROM gut that i had lying around. Lego seems to be 1/4" thick. cardboard, paper, credit cards, sim cards stacked up to around .25" is good too.

@sinistersai4d4d - potato/po-tat-o :D the urban dictionary entry for "irregardless" is pretty funny

@verkion - the oil is a nice finishing touch but not entirely necessary as there is already oil on the cam. however since we are increasing the force of the cam, more oil cant hurt.

To remove the hinge without ripping out PCB (ie avoiding the flaky ribbon cables and ripping the backing sticker with the barcodes etc)

1) Follow the tear down Blog until the removal of the "concealed screw" by the FLASH LED

2) Remove the FLASH LED

3) Remove all PCB screws (the PCB stays solidly in place due to the backing sticker)

4) Placing the phone screen down landscape w.r.t you, open the KB. the Kb is facing you and the screen is away from you. The left hinge is completely free. The right hinge is wrapped around a standoff (see picture). To remove this, flex the PCB by pulling up the overhang where the power switch is located. The board will allow quite a bit of flex before snapping but it still can so be gentle.

this picture shows where on the hinge is being caught on the standoff

5) With the PCB flexed upward wiggle the hinge so that it closes but the KB does not move with the hinge. The KB should be where it is when it is open and therefore a natural fold for the ribbon cable that attaches to the screen.

6) The hinge is now exposed. Reassemble by performing steps in reverse. Make sure that the bar connecting the left and right hinges are OUTSIDE the phone. I made that mistake and wasted 10 minutes getting the hinge out and in again :(.

My phone is my only camera so I couldnt take any. However if someone wants to take more pictures I can edit them on what I did.
[G2 and Desire Z General] J-Hop2o6:
im using tape in front of the keyboard (on the side of the hinges--not around the keyboard keys).. it works.. waiting for the stickiness to be less sticky tho, lol.. u guys should try some double sided tape thats not too strong.
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
THANK YOU so much for posting these additional CONSTRUCTIVE steps/instructions up to modify what I did rather than *****/whine/complain as some others have done! *cough cough* I was pretty sure you could indeed wiggle the hinge out but thank you for verifying that it can be done! :D

0.25" Shim...I think I'll do that too. With the combined stretched spring and the Shim...its gonna be ub3r tight!

Thanks again!

verkion

P.S. My life is now complete...I made it to the front page of XDA!
[G2 and Desire Z General] AbsolutZeroGI:
When I can find the screw size and order some tougher screws, I fully intend on making a video of this for people. This is awesome :)
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Springs...higher spring rate springs I think you meant :-) Well, I posted the preliminary measurements for it but I'm really unsure of the spring rates we'd need. Any Mech Eng have access to a tester?

verkion
[G2 and Desire Z General] Fugms:
@Verkion, Thank You for starting this thread. This fix added about an hour of battery to the end of my day.

I keep the phone in shirt pockets so I can hear it when in the shop, truck or job sites. I often noticed it would pop open every now and then turning the screen on. Obviously it was happening allot more then I ever realized.
[G2 and Desire Z General] YOSEFE:
AND supposing you want to return the phone re: warranty, wouldn't the "foreign" object be a give-away that you tempered with the phone?

The springy thing sounds safer?
[G2 and Desire Z General] Driftfx:
RE fix hinde post

Hey all. Great post but seriously i have gone through 3 of the G2s all bad ones so far. The one i have now works the best but has the loosest hinges. Just lightly fast walking like to go back inside the house while the car is running to grab something is bounces and claps and is kinda embarrassing when all my peeps know my phone is bad ass otherwise (biuld quality / speed)

Oh i use a belt clip that hold the phone from the body...btw

When im in bed using it as well it striat falls on me. Anyone know if T Mobile or HTC is offering a fix of any kind to this?

Thanks everyone. Amazing community all!
[G2 and Desire Z General] te5ter:
I plan on taking the my phone apart and adding a shim. Although, a stronger spring would be ideal.
[G2 and Desire Z General] J-Hop2o6:
i just used a very small piece of rounded black tape.. works fine for me w/o opening up your phone.
[G2 and Desire Z General] heavyhms:
Can you explain and add some images?
[G2 and Desire Z General] J-Hop2o6:
I might post a pic later.. but a small piece in front of the keyboard on the left side.. just a very small rolled piece and smush it.. I waiting for the black tape to loosen its sticky a bit, lol.. and if your wondering,, its not noticeable, and the screen rests open just fine.
[G2 and Desire Z General] AnyDone:
Would someone post a video / complete pictured guide about the repair without removing the pcb?
[G2 and Desire Z General] vinnyjr:
I would bet very soon there will be a send in repair for this device. It sound to me like many devices need this repair. Someone with this kind of skill could make some money. Send it in, get it fixed. Get in line.
[G2 and Desire Z General] MassimoM2:
could anyone explain the role of the spring in this mechanism? it's not like the spring is just pushing the hinge to the housing and the friction makes it tight, right?
[G2 and Desire Z General] te5ter:
I went ahead and added a shim and stretched out the spring. All this did really was made the phone more secure when in landscape (keyboard out), but when closed, it still slides open from gravity. I can use the phone in landscape when lying down now at least. Stretching out the spring is not ideal, since it will lose spring rate just as it did before.

This would be A LOT more effective with a new spring with a higher spring rate.
[G2 and Desire Z General] fajarep:
OOT about hinge

could you post/list which step that needed to remove the desire z part that related with screen(from tj blog), i want to change the s-lcd part......
[G2 and Desire Z General] tankmorph:
It appears that the hinge part shown in yellow twists when the hinge opens, pushing the purple cam against the spring. The mechanism then snaps in place at the next point where the hills and valleys of the cams interlock (approx 90 deg?).