Maybe HP really did fix my cracked case

[EP2011]

I noticed a gap where the speaker and glass are, and it looks like some kind of metal has been glued to the inside of the case, which would reinforce and prevent cracks.

Has anyone else noticed this on their repaired case?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[EP2011]

Looks like I shouldn't have said anything...I just noticed a crack starting! Damn.

[ncinerate]

Originally Posted by EP2011

Looks like I shouldn't have said anything...I just noticed a crack starting! Damn.

One day...

I'm laughing here, but really, I'm sorry.

I still haven't sent my main touchpad in - the crack on it is an inch long into the back casing now, but I slapped some packing tape on it and it hasnt grown since (put a mark on it to ensure it stayed put, so far so good). Since it's in the case I don't see the tape and it doesn't bother me.

They gave me a year of free accident protection and a touchpad case for my trouble, then said I could still send it in if I wanted.

Meh, I'll just hang onto it .

[LizardWiz]

Originally Posted by ncinerate

One day...

You may find out it's too late one day.

I sent mine in for repair while there was still ample supplies to get it fixed, and the first thing I did when I got mine back was to do something different than what I had going on before. I decided that it seemed at least somewhat plausible that the skinomi carbon fiber skin would provide a decent amount of protection (due to the physics of the glue/surface area) to prevent the crack, or at the very least, stop it from spreading???

[ccx]

these cracks are really bizarre. I've had 2 since september, use daily, and neither got a single crack. I wonder why some crack and some don't. I also wonder how many have cracks (I figure the majority without cracks never post, as opposed to the ones that do develop cracks)

[joen05]

Originally Posted by ccx

these cracks are really bizarre. I've had 2 since september, use daily, and neither got a single crack. I wonder why some crack and some don't. I also wonder how many have cracks (I figure the majority without cracks never post, as opposed to the ones that do develop cracks)

Someone had a really good explanation as to why they might be happening, and I'll edit my post if I can find the post, but basically their explanation was that when the mold was created for the touchpad case, it did NOT include holes for the usb ports, speakers, etc. Once the housing was created, the holes were then cut into the plastic (this seems plausible due to the sharp edges), which then weakened the plastic at those areas. However, due to the randomness of the stress that may have been placed on the housing when these cuts were made, only some TPs are cracking, where others are not.

It definitely seems like there could have been more thought when the housing was made. A mold with the holes already built into it seems like it would have solved these issues.

[gaitch32]

I have had mine since the fire-sale and don't have any cracks. Same for my sister. Although when I started seeing all the posts about them, I bought a silicone case. I am not sure if it will do any good but it makes me feel better and also the Touchpad is not so slippery.

I am wondering if there was just a bad run of Touchpad backs or some other small change was made. I am pretty sure that I saw that they changed to a different battery sometime during the initial run. They may have change other things too. It would be interesting if some data was gathered such as serial numbers to see if they are grouping together.

[marcedhk]

I've had mine (a 16GB) since the late August firesale and it hasn't cracked. I don't have it in a case or anything, but I don't leave the house with it very often (maybe only a few times a month), and when I do I carry it in a padded Case Logic man-bag I picked up in case I bump into anything. But when I take it out to use it it's just bare in my hands. Most of the time it's sitting on an end table next to the sofa, on the nightstand, or in my hands so it's not like I'm babying it or anything, and I've seen people posting that take much better care of theirs and it still cracked.

So I'm wondering whether it could have anything to do with temperature changes? The lowest temp mine has seen is the low fifties (just for a a couple days here and there), and the highest maybe around 85. Most of the time the a/c keeps it between 75 and 80 Are you guys with cracks all living where it gets much colder, hotter, or varies over a much wider range?

[toaste]

I wonder how much holding the TP one-handed might have to do with these cracks. It may be putting stress on it with the support only being on one side.

[emtoem]

I called HP Support and they will take a look at it. They are going to send me a box to ship my TouchPad to them. I use a neoprene sleeve and laptop napsack when I carry it around. Initially, it had a small crack but I ignored it for the longest time because it never grew. The glass slightly bulges out from the case. I have a feeling that when the processor overheats, it puts extra pressure on the case, thus forcing it to crack.

[esberelias]

My 32gb had a crack....contacted HP and without any questions they took my address and sent me a new one and told me to send my old one back in that same box the new one came in. This was in November and no signs of cracks on the new one.

-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities

[techlover10]

Mine cracked back in December, I sent it in and had it replaced. Before I did this I had read up on it and seen all of the cool things and compensations that HP offered to other owners. I asked about this and they did not offer me any, and I did not persist. They simply replaced the case, and did a really crappy job at that. I hate to bag on them but they messed up the webOS install for no reason, and now my tablet feels like it has a huge air gap at the back. On top of that the rubber seal is no longer as deep in the edge and the case has teethmarks on it. Anyone else have these problems?

[r1vver]

Originally Posted by joen05

...when the mold was created for the touchpad case, it did NOT include holes for the usb ports, speakers, etc. Once the housing was created, the holes were then cut into the plastic (this seems plausible due to the sharp edges), which then weakened the plastic at those areas. However, due to the randomness of the stress that may have been placed on the housing when these cuts were made, only some TPs are cracking, where others are not...

Looks like process of cutting holes make some microcracks which are grow in time when you press back of TP.
Metal thingies will not stop it from reveal.
But may be melting of edges will stop it... anyway it's not trivial and will kill a look and warranty.
Another thought is to make back harder with fiber and epoxy (inside of the case). It (and metal thingies too btw) will not stop cracks but will stop the lift of parts of crack. But it's not trivial and will kill warranty too.

[olemike41]

Originally Posted by techlover10

Mine cracked back in December, I sent it in and had it replaced. Before I did this I had read up on it and seen all of the cool things and compensations that HP offered to other owners. I asked about this and they did not offer me any, and I did not persist. They simply replaced the case, and did a really crappy job at that. I hate to bag on them but they messed up the webOS install for no reason, and now my tablet feels like it has a huge air gap at the back. On top of that the rubber seal is no longer as deep in the edge and the case has teethmarks on it. Anyone else have these problems?

I had a problem with my screen, sent it to repair, returned with "teeth" or pry marks on casing. Returned it to HP for repair and it came back today clean as a whistle. Problem: HP server error will not allow me to restore TouchPad. I'm stuck in setup loop until HP fixes server problem.

[old_geekster]

Originally Posted by toaste

I wonder how much holding the TP one-handed might have to do with these cracks. It may be putting stress on it with the support only being on one side.

This sounds like a possibility. They say never to handle your eye glasses by one ear-piece. Maybe the same principal applies. Who knows?

I have mine in a HP case and have had no cracks since September. Also, I just bought a HP zipper case to carry it in when I travel. It fits great with the case on it.

[olemike41]

Originally Posted by olemike41

I had a problem with my screen, sent it to repair, returned with "teeth" or pry marks on casing. Returned it to HP for repair and it came back today clean as a whistle. Problem: HP server error will not allow me to restore TouchPad. I'm stuck in setup loop until HP fixes server problem.

Now right external speaker is not working so back to HP it goes... Becoming less impressed with the TouchPad with each trip to the shop

[EP2011]

Originally Posted by olemike41

Now right external speaker is not working so back to HP it goes... Becoming less impressed with the TouchPad with each trip to the shop

Yeah, I'm not impressed even at the firesale price. If I paid $500+ for this tablet, I'd be the first to head a class action lawsuit against HP over this permanent cracked case issue. We are so screwed after warranty. The resale value will be $20 for a touchpad that's literally falling apart.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[techlover10]

Originally Posted by olemike41

I had a problem with my screen, sent it to repair, returned with "teeth" or pry marks on casing. Returned it to HP for repair and it came back today clean as a whistle. Problem: HP server error will not allow me to restore TouchPad. I'm stuck in setup loop until HP fixes server problem.

It's not a server problem. The TouchPad sounds like it is having the same problem mine had. My guess is that your best bet is a Doctor. When I had that problem, I contacted support, and they said to force restart it. I did, only to find myself stuck on 3.0.2 and it would not allow me to update. Doctored it and it failed, got stuck on a semi corrupted 3.0.4 with no sound until I did a weird thing where when it crashed after doctoring I doctored again immediately. That fixed it, no thanks to HP. Their quality control seems really lousy. I would rather stick with my chewed edges than send it back to them again.

[Apelles]

Originally Posted by ncinerate

One day...

I'm laughing here, but really, I'm sorry.

I still haven't sent my main touchpad in - the crack on it is an inch long into the back casing now, but I slapped some packing tape on it and it hasnt grown since (put a mark on it to ensure it stayed put, so far so good). Since it's in the case I don't see the tape and it doesn't bother me.

They gave me a year of free accident protection and a touchpad case for my trouble, then said I could still send it in if I wanted.

Meh, I'll just hang onto it .

I have a crack too, that I am living with,I don't want to send it in because I use my TP everyday. How did you get free case ?

[Mr.Scarface]

The rubber seal is usually screwed up on "repaired" TP...