Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Hozie · 06:07 AM

Ok, so before you guys all tell me that I'm crazy, this is my story. I was cruising along life's dull highway when my 12" PB came along and lighted up my life. We fell in love instantly. (She was definitely hot for me, if you know what I mean

). So anyway, one rainy morning, I set off to university with my precious computing marvel when a ugly, moronic fellow classmate (accidently, he insists) threw my backpack off a chair.

When I opened it up with sweaty palms, lo and behold, there was a DENT in my PB

, exactly where the ports on the side are in the lower casing. Now, it's not huge, but it 's tearing me apart, 'cause I'm one of those guys who'd put the seatbelt around my 12"s sleeve and stroke it gently while driving to my girlfriend's house. Then, on our way to the restaurant, I'd make my gf sit in the back... (well, not quite, but almost!)

When I called the local Apple SP they told me that they wanted 75EUR (which is that figure + some in USD) JUST TO LOOK AT IT! Just for kicks, I asked them how much, say, a keyboard would cost to replace, and they said 200EUR + placement, for a grand total of about 350EUR. For just the keyboard.

So, here's my question/request. I need someone who has taken a 12" powerbook apart to help me with something. I know that I can easily bend the metal back into shape, provided that I can take the bottom cover off. In order to do so, however, one needs to take apart the PB from the top down. It ain't exactly a walk in the park, but it's certainly possible. Now, I'm a relatively handy guy with a lot of experience taking computers apart, putting the m back together and building them from scratch, so I wasn't afraid of following the steps I had seen on the kodowarisan.com site, but I ran into a problem: I can't take the keyboard off. When I unscrew the screws under the F1-F2 and F11-F12 buttons, the edges are loose but the keyboard seems to be fastened somewhere else, along the middle, I'd say somewher eunder the number keys on the middle-left-had side.I don't want to force anything and it doesn't make any mention of that on the kodowarisan site. Can anyone help?

Please guys, refrain from telling me I'm crazy, 'cause I know that already. I also know that some of you will think that if I have to ask, then I shouldn't do it. But it truly isn't that difficult, provided I can get the dang keyboard off... If anyone is interested, I'll post pictures of the whole procedure...

icruise · Jun 6, 2003, 06:26 AM

I don't know how bad a dent we are talking about, but just keep in mind that you could easily bend the entire bottom case out of shape, or break some of the internal components if you don't know what you are doing. It might be safer to leave it as it is. Consider it a beauty mark -- now your powerbook is unique!

The Placid Casual · Jun 6, 2003, 06:27 AM

I'm really sorry, but I think you're crazy.

. Seriously.

Dents and scratches add character, and sentimental value!!

I would get the Pros to do it, in case iof warranty issues, and I would charge your class mate for the repair...

Hozie · Jun 6, 2003, 06:48 AM

Pictures here... not for the faint of heart!

http://users.pandora.be/iTag/MVC-657X.JPG

http://users.pandora.be/iTag/MVC-658X.JPG

http://users.pandora.be/iTag/MVC-659X.JPG

I want my PB back to normal! Thanks for the emotional support guys, but if anyone knows how to get that keyboard off, I'll be grateful. (By now, I'm curious as well)

Mastrap · Jun 6, 2003, 07:21 AM

Originally posted by Hozie:

I want my PB back to normal! Thanks for the emotional support guys, but if anyone knows how to get that keyboard off, I'll be grateful. (By now, I'm curious as well)

Well, tell your mate he'll have to pay for the repair. Accident or no accident, he's liable for the damage he caused to your computer. His personal liability insurance will cover the damage. If he hasn't got one (silly boy) then he might still be insured with his parents.

Hozie · 07:56 AM

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Well, tell your mate he'll have to pay for the repair. Accident or no accident, he's liable for the damage he caused to your computer. His personal liability insurance will cover the damage. If he hasn't got one (silly boy) then he might still be insured with his parents.

Sure, that may be the sane and sound thing to do from an economical point of view, but I have social and moral obligations that I cannot just ignore. This guy isn't bad, nor did he do it on purpose. That doesn't make hime less responsible, but I don't want to make hime pay 800$+ (or god knows how much Apple 'll charge) for me to have peace of mind. After all, he's a student strapped on cash like everybody and it's not like my PB is ruined. Furthermore, if I do send it to the Apple service point, it'll be gone for at least 1 month. 15 days just to determine the parts to replace, 10 days for ordering and another week for the repair itself. That, to me, is inacceptible.

OTOH, bending the case back in place shouldn't be all that difficult taking into acount the relatively minute amount of damage and warping there is to it. A granite slab will guarantee straight surfaces.

So, any takers? MacNStein, I know you changed the HD of your 12", so if you wanna speak out, please do so!

*******************************************
OFF-TOPIC:

It's funny to see that Mac-heads (not derogatory, I consider myself one of them) tend to be quite a bit more considerate toward their fellow users than the Windows crowd. Although I'm sure many of you are curious to see how a 12" looks from the inside, everyone has cautioned me against it out of concern for the well-being of my PB. I recall vividly that when I asked a similar high-risk hardware question in a windows forum (it involved watercooling equipment, ice cubes and an air conditioner-don't ask), the crowd went wild screaming DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! without ANYONE expressing the slightest bit of apprehension.

Whether that's a proof of goodwill among Mac-users or the steep price of our hardwre is a question I dare not answer

...

Karim · Jun 6, 2003, 09:41 AM

You also need to remove the screw next to the dimm chip. Open the memory access port, remove the dimm and unscrew the phillips screw to the left of the dimm socket.

Since you have already removed the f1/f2 and f11/f12 keyboard screws that will then allow you to remove the keyboard.

marumari · Jun 6, 2003, 09:53 AM

Although I don't know exactly how, I do know that the entire bottom half of the frame can be removed (this is how they have to report the little feet on the bottom - seems silly to me, but that's the way it works). That said, it looks like the dent might have caused some minor damage to the motherboard (the pins that connect to the USB ports). So, be careful when you do. Being fairly pliable aluminum, it shouldn't be too difficult to hammer it back into place once the bottom is removed***.

*** Marumari shall not be held responsible for damage to your Powerbook should you totally flub things up. So, beware.

Hozie · Jun 6, 2003, 10:27 AM

Originally posted by Karim:
You also need to remove the screw next to the dimm chip. Open the memory access port, remove the dimm and unscrew the phillips screw to the left of the dimm socket.

Since you have already removed the f1/f2 and f11/f12 keyboard screws that will then allow you to remove the keyboard.

Yep, that did the trick! Thanks a bunch mate. For now, I've only tried removing the keyboard and that works fine. I have an exam tomorrow, so I'll have to disassemble it completely later, but if I'm not mistaken, all the vital parts (HD & mobo) are enclosed on a sort of 'plate', which you can remove and then only have the bottom half left, right?

Originally posted by marumari:
That said, it looks like the dent might have caused some minor damage to the motherboard (the pins that connect to the USB ports)

Actually, that's an optical illusion. (No I'm not in denial, it just is.

) The aluminium frame has bent and the small plastic borders have moved with it. The connectors themselves are unaffected, though. You can sorta see it on the second picture. I also thought that the light grey plastic was a part of the connector (like a protective wrap), but it's not...

Shaddim · Jun 6, 2003, 10:32 AM

So, any takers? MacNStein, I know you changed the HD of your 12", so if you wanna speak out, please do so![/B]

Of course I took my PB apart, I'm an Apple Service tech... it's my job.

Try this site, it has a take apart tutorial for the 12"er.

Hozie · Jun 6, 2003, 10:39 AM

Originally posted by MacNStein:
Of course I took my PB apart, I'm an Apple Service tech... it's my job.

Try this site, it has a take apart tutorial for the 12"er.

Yeah, I know you're a techie mate, that why I asked !

Say, would you tell me -if you know and if this isn't an indiscreet question- how much a new bottom casing would cost?

Thanks for the link as well, extremely useful and best step-by-step guide I've seen so far!

Shaddim · Jun 6, 2003, 10:51 AM

$130US, at least that's what we sell it for.

Hozie · Jun 6, 2003, 11:35 AM

Originally posted by MacNStein:
$130US, at least that's what we sell it for.

That's actually pretty decent... would you consider shipping one to Europe (Belgium, to be more precise) if I were interested? I mean, the local guy wanted to ask almost twice that for replacing a keyboard, so I can't imagine what he'd charge for a bottom plate...