yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[G2 and Desire Z General] AnyDone:
And before anyone does cry that this would be ideal with right sized spring:

MEASURE IT!

Length, width and k.

And as u already know:

F = -kx

Where F = force. x = length of the spring (at least here it is) k = "how stiff the spring is"

So all u need to measure is the F the spring produces and this can be done with a kitchen scale. (preferably one which is accurate (with scale of 0.01kg))

Just push the spring against the kitchen scale for (lets say) 0.1kg and measure the length. Can this be so hard?

With these attributes it will take 3 minutes in a shop to find better spring.
[G2 and Desire Z General] keele8:
Dummy Phone

So I don't know if anyone read the post a long time ago when the G2 first came out about the dummy G2 phone at walmart. This guy even posted a video on the dummy phone and how the hinge seemed to snap open and closed. I was at Walmart the other day and checked it out. The hinge has a completly different feel. And the dummy phone feels about the same weight as my G2. I was wondering if someone was to buy a dummy phone and tear into it if there would be a different hinge mechanism that could be installed into an actual G2 to fix the problem. Or maybe it has a better spring. Just thought I would throw that out there. I would be willing to buy a dummy phone and tear it apart but I don't have the guts to tear apart my own G2. If you haven't played with a dummy G2 I suggest you take a minute to do it so you can see what I am talking about. Just an idea.
[G2 and Desire Z General] MassimoM2:
Thank you for explaining wit picture. so maybe this wobble when it's closed is because of the gap between the purple part and metal housing. not only changing spring but i have to put shims on the sides.

i wonder why i hear the sound like the spring released around a bit past top of the movement.
[G2 and Desire Z General] jak2rocks:
I actually played with a dummy G2 at Walmart and it had the hinge problem. Same thing with the G2 at my nearest T-Mobile store.
[G2 and Desire Z General] The Great NY:
Just stretched my hinge spring about 20 minutes ago. Loving the new feel/snap
[G2 and Desire Z General] te5ter:
Then find the spring rate and post here so other people could know.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
somebody please help me i cant get right hinge in im so confused im mindf#ked right now :( i got the spring strechted tho i cant reassemble it pls help thanks
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Please post a picture so that we can see...

Really, you just need to follow the disassembly guide backwards!

Thanks!

verkion
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
is it possible if we could do this thru IM? i seriously F'd up... really badd
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
click those pics to see my problem i cant fix it i tried everything and nothings works

p.s. im trying to re assemble while the KB opened i remember i took it apart with the KB closed pls help im scared i messed it up

l
[G2 and Desire Z General] te5ter:
Theres a piece of the spring mechanism that goes under the pcb, right by the power button.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
i knew that but when i screw it in the screen goes up and doesn't stay down and this thing was a present my dads gonna be pissed can anyone of you guys post a video on how to fix it?
[G2 and Desire Z General] te5ter:
Are you sure theres nothing in between the pcb and the screen?
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Please take a look at this disassembly guide that I posted in the very first post.

http://tjworld.net/blog/htc-desire-z-tear-down

Follow it backwards...you'll be fine.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
i did follow everything backward but when i re screw the hinges i can only do it with keyboard open and when i close everything i cant flip the keyboard up and down and theres a huge gap in the screen where the left and right hinges are located im posting a youtube video with my problem shortly
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk8ThGjkOiU here ya go

p.s. im 14 with a squeaky voice :P

and ive opened up iPhone/Blackberry's but this phone is on a whole new level
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk8ThGjkOiU[/YOUTUBE]

here
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
i fixed it :D sorry for the double post btw

turns out the black bar thats between the left and right hinges need to go under the keyboard because there was a cut out and didn't notice it :P anyways thank te5ter and verkion for taking the time to help me out if i had paypal bout of guys would've gotten $$$

Holy Crap its so much better now i can lift the phone up and even if i shake it wont go down! :D
[G2 and Desire Z General] te5ter:
I'm pretty sure its something to do with both of the hinges. Try unscrewing them and wiggling around. Also, make sure the ribbon for the screen is connected under the slide
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
i fixed dude thanks for helping thoe :D
[G2 and Desire Z General] The Great NY:
I was just bout to post this info for you. But glad you got it fixed up. That second bar u have to play with a lil bit to get it under the board
[G2 and Desire Z General] FrenicX:
Hey Alfadog, can you post a vid of the fixed hinge? I would like to see how tight it is.

Thinking of doing it myself but it doesn't bother me too much. But if it's a huge difference and I can get rid of my rubberband then I might do it.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
no problem ill put it up shortly
[G2 and Desire Z General] PatrickHuey:
Can you put up a video? I'd like to see!
[G2 and Desire Z General] seattleboi1982:
I did the hinge trick on mine with stretching the spring and made no difference whats so ever. any ideas?
[G2 and Desire Z General] scottmog:
I always thought about this.

This is the exact same thing we would to with airsoft rifles to make them stronger (shoot faster bullets) LOL. Great pic :)
[G2 and Desire Z General] te5ter:
i'm waiting for someone to find the spring rate so we can replace the stock spring with one that is stronger.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Durkbeef:
I'm waiting for someone to make a teardown video to the exact point in this tutorial...from what I can tell, this shouldn't need any hardcore mechanical skills, because I think it lays pretty close to the surface... I just want a video as guidance...
[G2 and Desire Z General] poken1151:
One of the scariest endeavors I've made with any phone I own. Scary because I haven't started paying for this phone yet, and I am nowhere near wealthy enough to sacrifice the device for a loose hinge... But I did.

Great post from the OP, went well, the screen lock while open is much improved. Now how do I keep its locked position LOCKED is what I wanna do next.
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Well, if anyone here is a Mech Engineer...I think if the cam design is changed slightly it would be possible to have a much tighter closed position. That's going to require access to some machines that can prototype/fashion new cam pieces from something like delrin or the equivalent though. I'm thinking the angles on the twisting cam should be adjusted to a "steeper" angle for the closed position.

I'm guessing nobody would actually want to build/prototype something like this would they...

Thanks!

verkion
[G2 and Desire Z General] Pflunz:
were is the video with the fixed hinge? ^^
[G2 and Desire Z General] FrenicX:
Steeper angle would increase the stress on piece.. delrin would work but solid teflon would be better. Might need to be a longer piece too. So you could use the same spring since it would be like shimming it. I bet if i had some teflon i could use my lil dremel and make something close.
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
Hrm. Shows you why I'm a Electrical not a Gear! :-P I thought Delrin might be more durable but then again, Teflon on Teflon = super slick/low friction. Again, I haven't compared material property but I'd be really interested to see someone try to make something like this!

verkion
[G2 and Desire Z General] slyydrr:
After reading through all of this, it sounds like this fix only keeps the keyboard open when it's open, but doesn't help with keeping the keyboard closed.

Is this correct?
[G2 and Desire Z General] gatesmarch123:
Wow...wtf! I thought my vibrant software issues were bad....you guys shouldn't gave to be going through all this to have a more solid phone experience! This is bs man...htc should be doing the teardown and REPLACING with a more solid design.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
alright im decent at math and stuff how do u find out the spring tension?

Edit: if you people do open up the phone to make the hinge stronger be very careful with the spring i wasnt paying attention and BOOM the spring shot out and it took me 2 hours to find it took my room apart to find until i noticed it was under my foot -_-
[G2 and Desire Z General] verkion:
No...it helps with both. The spring and cam design can't help but work both ways :-). I think people find that it isn't as apparent/helpful in the "closed" position but actually that's because it is inherently easier to push something open with your thumbs.
[G2 and Desire Z General] MassimoM2:
First, could anyone please tell me the exact size of spring before pulling?

Second, maybe it's better to use spring weighing scale or some masses from science lab but maybe kitchen scale is ok. put the spring vertically and push it from above. try to give constant force so the scale shows a constant value. then use a ruler to measure the length of the spring. Calculate spring constant from these.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alfadog77:
Video Disassembly of the G2 ETA 35-60 minutes :)
[G2 and Desire Z General] witm01:
I just modded my own DZ's hinge mechanism and opted for what I think is the safest (as in reversible) method: shortening the pitch of the spring by inserting a tiny piece of plastic which I cut from an old CD jewel case.

Its thickness of 1mm is enough to make the hinge mechanism much snappier than it was before. It still opens slightly when lifted soley by holding either the top or bottom half of the phone, but honestly: that really requires a deliberate attempt and is quite unnatural in a real-life context.

What does count as an improvement in terms of real-life context is that the hinge mechanism doesn't close any more on its own when holding the phone at an angle. Of course if you're intent on making it close "on its own" and rattle and shake the thing, it will eventually comply. But here again, that would constitute a deliberate attempt which would make you sort of a mean person, really ;)

PS: the spring's dimensions are 9,5mm x 3mm. I did not attempt to measure/calculate its tension as it really is much easier to simply shorten the pitch rather than crawling the internet for a spring that might or might not meet expectations.
[G2 and Desire Z General] oipunx:
I have found some small springs with the 9.5mm x 3mm dimensions, which is roughly 0.375" x 0.12" from smallparts.com; However, I do not know the spring constant, could someone that already have one opened find out?

If you want to find it, just go to smallparts.com, search for springs, choose compression springs, and select the lenght/diameter above.
[G2 and Desire Z General] oipunx:
Also, from the pictures, it looks like the wire size diameter is 0.014", but I'm not sure so if someone can get the wire size diameter using a capiler that would be great.
[G2 and Desire Z General] dustrho:
I would be very interested in seeing this video as well, one that is done in great detail and well explained. I've built computers and taken them apart (desktops & laptops) but never a phone.

My one-week-old G2 is starting to exhibit a clicking sound when opening the keyboard and sometimes when I close it. It's a very faint and nothing too alarming (for the moment anyway), but it just started today. I have some questions to ask regarding the spring.

1) Does the sound go away on its own after time or does the sound get worse?

2) Does the clicking sound mean there's something broken (i.e. the spring)?

3) If I choose not to fix it, will my phone and its hinge be fine?

4) Would performing the steps in this guide to fix the loose hinge issue also fix this spring clicking sound?

Thanks everyone!
[G2 and Desire Z General] wtang:
Youtube video of hinge on demo phone

Deleted. My mistake... I'm an idiot.
[G2 and Desire Z General] digital_exhaust:
That seems a bit odd... I have had a total of four G2's and every hinge mechanism has been exactly as the display model you describe in your post. One side has a single strut, the other having two and both connected by a brace.

Regardless, all have been "loose" in my opinion, but have held up well enough for me to believe that it was designed this way. Time will tell, and although I was initially worried that the hinge would be a problem, I am used to the way it works and am not concerned about it shortening the lifespan of the phone.

One question though, what is the part number on your G2?
[G2 and Desire Z General] MassimoM2:
smallparts.com/stainless-steel-compression-spring-length/dp/B000FOBAEQ/ref=sr_1_6?sr=1-6&qid=1293950161&filterBy.item_length_string-bin=0.375+inches&filterBy.item_diameter_string-bin=0.12+inches

this seems the strongest in this size.

if 15 lbs./inch is enough, there's one at $2 tho.
[G2 and Desire Z General] dustrho:
Does anyone else think this issue with the hinge is caused by the vibration feature of the phone? I believe the vibration on this phone is much more powerful than other phones I've owned, and I wonder if that has had an impact on the hinge or spring mechanism. Thoughts?
[G2 and Desire Z General] dustrho:
How long ago did you make this change, and how well has this tweak to the spring been for your phone? Does your phone still remain closed so it doesn't open easily?

The hinge on my G2 is now loose, not just starting to get loose, but it's definitely loose. And, I've only had it for a week. :(

I don't mind it being loose when it's moving around, but I'm mostly concerned about how easy it is to open up when I simply pick it up off a table or desk. It just about fully opens if I don't grab it "the right way," meaning I have to grab the top & bottom of the phone in order for it to not open on its own. I'm thinking about giving the magnet trick a try, but would also love to fix the hinge itself (i.e. spring) so that it's completely fixed.
[G2 and Desire Z General] stian230:
can someone pleace post video of the "operation" afraid i break something. ;)
[G2 and Desire Z General] dustrho:
I too would love to see a video of this, as I need to perform the surgery on my phone now that its hinge is loose.
[G2 and Desire Z General] stian230:
Yea I have a bad habit of destroying things:mad: need video
[G2 and Desire Z General] ianmcquinn:
A few videos of the mod were posted here:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=884455

Be sure to look through the whole thread as there are better videos later on in it as well.
[G2 and Desire Z General] stian230:
Sweet...tanks.. i feel wery old now :D
[G2 and Desire Z General] LGS1231:
I don't know why else you would pick up your phone in any other way than the, as you said "right way." You should be picking your phone up by the bottom half, and not just by the screen.

I don't see how the screen could plop open by itself if you pick it up from the base..
[G2 and Desire Z General] wtang:
What causes hinges to get looser over time?

I was just thinking about this... what causes peoples' hinges to get looser over time? Is it the plastic cam pieces wearing down due to rubbing/friction? Or is it the spring getting weaker from getting compressed over and over again? I'm asking because I'm not sure any of these fixes will be permanent. Here's what I'm thinking. If the OEM spring is getting weaker just from repeated compressions, won't the "stretched" spring also get weaker over time from being compressed over and over? On the other hand, if the cause of worsening hinges is caused by the cam pieces wearing down, won't stretching/replacing the spring just increase the force/friction on these cam pieces? Won't that make the plastic cams wear down faster?
[G2 and Desire Z General] MassimoM2:
I don't think it's wearing down due to friction. even if the hinge part lost 0.01mm, it won't change much since the spring rate is so weak as I don't feel any spring inside with mine.

So maybe plastic deformation of the spring? i dunno how much weaker they got tho.

yeah better way is get a spring with different material that provides higher spring rate or get thinker wire diameter one.
[G2 and Desire Z General] contactathell:
Picture of your strong hinge.

Can someone please post a picture of your desire Z's strong hinge, held upside down that would showcase the strength of the hinge.

I want this to convince the service center guys that my hinge is loose when compared to others and also ask them up to rectify it or replace it.

I would be very obliged if someone could help me out here.....:confused:

I hope someone will help me out..:)
[G2 and Desire Z General] Charbo:
Can someone tell me where I could get a replacement spring? I was doing this last night, and was putting it back together when the spring flew out...I got it all together right now and the funny thing is I cant tell much of a difference except when im holding the phone up and typing. There is a hobby store right up the road from my house if I could get something designed for a model car or something...
[G2 and Desire Z General] TheNewGuy:
Home depot sells a spring assortment that has all sizes of springs and there are some small ones that are almost perfect. You do need to modify then a little bit but they are STRONG! It is in a square package if about 100 assorted springs for i think 5 bucks...
[G2 and Desire Z General] Charbo:
Awesome thanks. I know where im going tonight lol.
[G2 and Desire Z General] mstyle88:
Wow Ill have to check out the local home depot as well. Know where they stock them in the store
[G2 and Desire Z General] Charbo:
To anyone wanting to do this, get the assorted pack of springs at home depot. There are 4 of each size and at least 1 size fits perfect if you cut part of it off to make it shorter. My g2 hinge is like the demo ones now i love it.
[G2 and Desire Z General] premiumg:
hey Charbo, was it hard to do? I dont have much experience disassembling phones. I have done mod chips on systems before though. Would you say it's worth a shot? I'm super worried about the small parts.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Sparacis:
Phone comes apart very easily if your careful its getting the hinge back in place when reassembling thats a little bit of a pain in the a$$
[G2 and Desire Z General] htc-power:
Desire Z hinge issue

Could someone here make a video tutorial of the teardown or another option to fix the loose hinge..

that would mean a lot to me cause i intend to buy me one and most likely i couldn't handle the hinge issue. so please help me!
[G2 and Desire Z General] keele8:
Good Quality Disassembly Video (Finally!)

Okay, so I have been wanting to do this for a long time but didn't feel there was a good enough video showing how to do this. Well, I found the perfect video. I did not make this video and all credit goes to repairuniverse.com

http://www.repairsuniverse.com/htc-tmobile-g2-take-apart-repair-guide.html

Follow the 1st video until about 4:10. That will get you to the hinge. Then just remove the two screws with the cover on the hinge and you will see the spring that is shown in the picture on the first page of this post. Then remove the spring and stretch it, or replace it, or shim it, or which ever of the many solutions you want to try. I stretched mine just to see how it works. And it works amazing. I will probably get a replacement spring in the future. Then just reverse what you did in the video to put it all back together. Took me about 30 minutes total time, and I didn't break anything and the hinge is awesome. I have never taken a cell phone apart before so I am not an expert or anything and I was able to do it no problem. I did not watch the 2nd video, maybe it shows how to put back together. The video is for replacing a broken screen, that is why I said stop at 4:10 and I didn't watch the 2nd video. Hope this helps, it sure helped me.
[G2 and Desire Z General] mputtr:
is anyone able to get the full dimensions and load of the spring?

i saw 9.6mmx3mm and wire diameter of .014" (courtesy of oipunx & witm01)

I'm wondering what would be an appropriate load for it. I'm not about to go out and get the one with the heaviest load and i know nothing about springs except what the average person knows.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Dinglehoofis:
Someone earlier in the thread sourced a spring that may or may not work. I was curious and I had already modded my hinge, but it was starting to get sloppy again. My dad and I both have DZ's and he said he wanted to remedy it. We took a chance and ordered the springs that the guy in the quote below sourced.

I installed this very spring yesterday and it works like a CHARM. Absolutely flawless. I mean, I can't even describe... you know how you know how it SHOULD feel, but it doesn't. This feels like it was meant to be this way. Everyone, order these springs, and install them.

If I'm feeling motivated enough, or someone cares enough, I'll make a video.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Shinfang:
Does this also fix the screen doesnt wobble? Or is there any other mechanism about it?

I would really appreciate that ^_^
[G2 and Desire Z General] Dinglehoofis:
Once you're actually in the phone, there's not a whole lot to the mechanism. I'm not sure how it will effect the wobble because mine never did in the first place.

Did you mean you want a video of the process or just the result?
[G2 and Desire Z General] symbolism:
I'd be really grateful for a video of the result and the process (the small intricate parts scare me).
[G2 and Desire Z General] mputtr:
when you got the spring, did you have to modify it in any way, shape, or form or did you just replaced it and go.

also, with the snap, does it snap hard or just the right amount? (seems like it's the perfect amount to you)

and if you can make a full video from opening it to replacing it to assembling it back, that would be awesome.

I did notice in some of the links, you have to peel back the dotted sticker backing, did you have to do that when you mod the spring? Thanks!
[G2 and Desire Z General] Dinglehoofis:
I don't want to tear down my phone again and risk anything. The spring fit perfectly (even though it appears to be slightly smaller).

I'm willing to make a video with the results, some kid did a video of the teardown. The snap feels right, not too hard, and not too flimsy.
[G2 and Desire Z General] mputtr:
that's fine. that's great info though. thanks a bunch. I'm going to try to head to home depot this friday to see if i can get a spring like this.

also, from your experience, did you have to take the sticker backing out like in some of the dissambly pics? (it seems like it's past the point to get to the spring, but I just wanted to make sure)
[G2 and Desire Z General] KiNG OMaR:
Void stickers for the squeamish:

http://cgi.ebay.com/VOID-WARRANTY-STICKER-HTC-DESIRE-Z-T-MOBILE-G2-NEW-/350438506375
[G2 and Desire Z General] trance2315:
Still too scared to do this.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Dinglehoofis:
When I did the initial mod where I just stretched the spring, I was able to leave the sticker/mainboard attached to the rest of it. When I went back for take 2 and the replacement of the factory installed spring, I left it on initially but when it came time to put everything back together the resistance from the new spring was just too much to actually hold and finesse everything back into place.

I ended up carefully peeling it off and getting everything back together.

EDIT: Come to think of it, you should just peel it off when you're doing this to make your life easier. I could have avoided cussing out my roommate and my GF had I just done that in the first place"

"Hey babe what ar-"

"SHUT UP GO AWAY I AM TRYING TO FOCUS"
[G2 and Desire Z General] Queue515:
:D I can SO see myself doing that. (Except the target would be my wife/son/daughter/dog.) In fact, if I decide to take the plunge, I'll probably do the mod in my office during off hours.