on my librem 13 ver. 3 I have twice had to repair lost screws that connect the bottom panel to the hinge. The hinge is sturdy, but too sturdy for the small screws. Opening and shutting the notebook causes the screws to loosen and drop out. And the strain causes the screw holes in the case to thin out. A more robust mechanical design should be in the plan. John
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Try some Loctite. My screws came with the blue on them, as so many components that could have exactly this problem. That should prevent them from falling out.
https://henkeladhesivesna.com/blog/the-difference-between-red-blue-green-and-purple-threadlockers/
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You should give that feedback formally to Purism via email.
I would like to do so, but can’t figure out how to do it; the Contact section under My Account seems to require messages via Thunderbird, which I don’t use.
Nor do I use Purism One (or whatever it’s called). Can you point me to the right email address or forum section. Thanks, John
It’s interesting to hear your comments on the screws/hinge for the L13v3.
I have a similar issue with the L13v4.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I once knocked the laptop from my desk to a rather painful landing of one hinge corner on my foot - was very sore! However, the hinge has since been creaking, and when I opened the back to see if there was anything I can do about it, the plastic enclosures that the hinge screws should connect into have broken off completely, leaving the metal portion of the hinge moving freely.
Given that the rest of the case is the very sturdy aluminium, it seems surprising to then have plastic components for the hinges to connect to.
As you said, John, the hinge is strong, but the mounting for it is not.
I’ve only had the thing for a month, so I’m a little disappointed, but I’m sure I can put together some remedy for it before the casing becomes warped from the additional pressure.
Any thoughts on how I should contact anyone about photos I’ve taken of the issue and my suggestions for correction on the v5?
Thanks in advance!
John
I’m actually going to through an issue with a broken hinge on my 13v3. Unfortunately, I’m 1 month out of warranty so it doesn’t look so good for me right now. The plastic attach points for the hinges is a serious failure point on otherwise mostly solid design. I wouldn’t be surprised if this turns into a major point of contention in the future. I hope it gets addressed in future model iterations.
For me - there was no drop, no critical moment, just a routine lid closure where the hinge decided it had enough turning and resisted closure. I tend to handle my equipment gently, so even with a slow lid closure, the plastic mount point just popped out. The way it bent meant that I didn’t get physical feedback that something was wrong. It was only the sound of the snap that I registered something was wrong and investigated.
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I would suggest “Feedback & suggestions” which is feedback@puri.sm .
I was not clear on whether Thunderbird specifically is a problem for you or email generally.
Possibly the web page has used a mailto: URL and the browser / system that you are using is configured to launch Thunderbird (possibly by default) for such a URL.
Where i your response? I can’t find it…topic is greyed out/ Thanks for responding. I believe I’m still under warranty. HOw would I apply? John
My Librem 13v4 just had one of the screws break the back panel on the left (when flipped over) corner.
My scenario is similar to @Corbeau’s and I do open and close the laptop twice daily.
!
More evidence that the mechanical design needs to be re-thought. Which, I’m told, is under consideration. John
It’s an unfortunate situation. My favorite laptop is now in the closet unused.
Exact same situation with my librem13v4, the warranty ended a month ago, I’ll try to glue the nuts with epoxy resin.
@support: I’m very disappointed about these plastic parts on a critical mechanical part of the case, is it available as a spare part ? Can you ship it to Europe ? At which cost ?
I’m really sorry to hear that. It would better for all, Purism included, if our situations were isolated. But I’m afraid that the mount point design just won’t see that come to pass. I’ve considered a few ideas to repair the mount point such as glue but I’m afraid that the bond will not hold and I will exacerbate the central issue.
I’m interested to see if the epoxy glue decision works out for you. If someone has another clever idea to repair, I’m all ears. I would like my lovely Librem back in service.
When I saw this photo @stephane.cottin my first thought was “Hmm, I didn’t remember uploading that…” because the photo I took is virtually identical!!
The hinge on only one side is damaged like this, and is currently being held together with duct tape. Inelegant, but it’s working for now.
Would really appreciate any input from Purism about the availability of parts/repairs.
I hope the current iteration they are shipping now has a different design.
I haven’t received mine yet. It has been on backorder. I will just have to be careful with it. I did opt for the extended warranty.
They must have shipped what? maybe 1000 laptops or more? But I am not finding a whole lot of people complaining about broken hinges in the forums. Might just be some of the hinges are tighter than expected and that’s putting extra stress on the screws. 
@Amol - Due to the value that I placed on my Librem 13, I took exceptional care of it. In fact, I closed my laptop lid so carefully that in the moment of breakage that it did not make much of a sound. It was only the misalignment of the lid with the body of the laptop that indicated something was amiss.
What I would like from Purism support for existing buyers or prospective ones is a set of recommendations to minimize the probability of the breakage from occurring. In my opinion, this is a significant design flaw. I am somewhat amused that a high quality product like the Librem laptops would have such a gap. There is no going back and changing the past, my laptop is a lost cause - so what can those that do not have the issue today do to minimize the chance of it happening tomorrow? This, I think, outside of a redesign of that particular component, would be prudent.
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I agree with @Corbeau. The mounting must withstand the greatest possible work force from the hinge. If not, this is a design flaw, not a hinge. If there are no claims to the hinge itself, then the design of the hinge mount to the body should be strengthened in the next version of the laptop. For example, metal parts embedded in plastic can be used.