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Ryan1524 · Jul 11, 2004, 03:56 PM

the fact that it's slot means there is structural weakness in the metal of that area. i've been feeling that the right palmrest area where the slot drive is located, soemtimes make creak noises-very faint, very rarely happened, but it does happen. then i notice that one side of the metal above the slot is very slightly bent in. i've been thinking about it, and today i tried pressing down on the edge of the PB right above the slot, and the movement is quite huge. i think that much movement is enough to slowly warp the metal around the slot drive. i think the slot drive warping problem is not from heat at all. but it's from the fact that constant pressur is being applied to it by people resting their hands iit hen typing.

tell me i'm wrong and just being paranoid.

GoCats · Jul 11, 2004, 05:27 PM

Originally posted by Ryan1524:
the fact that it's slot means there is structural weakness in the metal of that area. i've been feeling that the right palmrest area where the slot drive is located, soemtimes make creak noises-very faint, very rarely happened, but it does happen. then i notice that one side of the metal above the slot is very slightly bent in. i've been thinking about it, and today i tried pressing down on the edge of the PB right above the slot, and the movement is quite huge. i think that much movement is enough to slowly warp the metal around the slot drive. i think the slot drive warping problem is not from heat at all. but it's from the fact that constant pressur is being applied to it by people resting their hands iit hen typing.

tell me i'm wrong and just being paranoid.

I think this was true of the TiBooks, but my 17" AiBook is rock solid. I can even pick it up by the corner where the drive is and there is NO bending at all... quite amazing acutally. Much more sturdy than the Tibooks.

Ryan1524 · Jul 11, 2004, 06:02 PM

hm. really? but the 17's slot drive has a plastic reenforcement around the slot drive. the 15" is like the 15" it's floating on the metal. and i swear i see the gap narrowing as i press down on it.

GoCats · Jul 11, 2004, 06:28 PM

Originally posted by Ryan1524:
hm. really? but the 17's slot drive has a plastic reenforcement around the slot drive. the 15" is like the 15" it's floating on the metal. and i swear i see the gap narrowing as i press down on it.

Hmm... Well, you're right, it does bend at the opening - a little. But I don't have any creaking or anything noticable, unlike my 15" TiBook. And unlike the 17", I couldn't pick up the TiBook from the corner where the drive is, it would bend and sound like I'm cracking something inside.

I have a ThinkPad that work gave me, and it's MUCH worse. The cd drive is under the keyboard and it creaks and bends like crazy... feels really cheap.

Ryan1524 · Jul 11, 2004, 06:34 PM

yea, the creaking is VERY VERY minimal. it's barely there, and very rarely happen, but i just feel it does sometimes - or it could be just the sound of my skin scratching or swiping across the plastic...i'm crazy, aren't i? LOL.

Lancer409 · Jul 11, 2004, 07:14 PM

no .. you're not crazy or insane .. just a typical person who has alot of pride in their beautiful machine.

Lancer409 · Jul 11, 2004, 07:16 PM

doh .. and want to keep it as beautiful, non warped, scratch free, dust free, smudge free as possible. and you were wondering if the slot loading drive is not living up to your expectations ..

i have a twelve, so i dont have that issue, but .. it is one loud drive =P

Ryan1524 · Jul 11, 2004, 07:37 PM

heheh. yea i know. i even wipe my hands before using this machine. i don't think i've ever treated something with so much care in my life. and no, the slot drive works perfectly. and it's only loud when it reads regular CDs. it's practically silent when reading DVDs.

speaking of DVDs, it's not as clean as when i wath it on my TV and a cheapo DVD player, is this normal? maybe because the TV's resolution is much lower, such noise are not visible. but i'm talking very obvious noise and artifacts. not pixelations, but there just seems to be a layer of junk covering the screen, instead of pure, crystal clear pictures when watching that friends DVD. i'm gonna try other DVDs and see if they exhibit the same problem. but even if it's just the Friends DVD, why the noise? it's crystal clear on TV.

anyway, so yea, i guess i'll put this Slot drive warping paranoia to a rest for now and hope that my fears won't come true.

but if you notice such changes as i have feared, please post it here.

OMGWTFBBQ · Jul 11, 2004, 08:13 PM

I have a 15" Al book and while the top is open, looking straight down at it on the palm rest over the slot drive there is an area that isn't flush with the rest.

That said, I don't think that, at least in my case, that has anything to do with the slot drive. I think it was that way when I got the PB. I don't know if I should call it shoddy craftsmanship, or be blown away by how tight the rest of the machine is in terms of tolerance.
Currently I lean towards the latter (ignoring the whole white spots thing of course).

I think when the day comes that I get my next PB, I will probably step up to the 17" - I have spoken to people that own a range of PBs and the 17" universally have had the fewest issues of all that I have spoken to (assuming it will stay that way).
Perhaps the extra size allows extra reinforcement?

mrgaskell · Jul 11, 2004, 11:39 PM

My 12" is quite sturdy around the drive. It actually seems like the metal in that area is machined thicker than the rest. I do have the slight warping around the hinge. It came with it and has been getting worse. I', waiting until close to AppleCare time to take it in and get a new case for it.

freeblee · Jul 29, 2004, 05:01 PM

I noticed today a warp in the metal right above the slot drive of my 12" Powerbook Rev B - and it seems to be exactly what was described by Ryan - when I push down on the right handrest, the warp gets pushed out ... I think it's a mixture of this weakness and heat though

Does anyone else have warps above their slot drives?
Ben

Ryan1524 · Jul 29, 2004, 05:20 PM

here's another thing about warping and heat. my pb has a slight wobble. maybe 0.4mm on the near-right foot. i pressed down on the side to get it to straighten out. and most fo the time the wobble's gone. but when it heats up, usually it comes back. but then it's pretty easy to bend it back when it's hot too. so i'm guessing the heat does play a part in making the alum more bend-able/mold-able.