Repairing plastic power switch retaining tabs \ VOGONS

Repairing plastic power switch retaining tabs

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First post, by sirlemonhead

Posted on 2012-09-06, 13:57

sirlemonhead Offline

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Hi,

I have an old Gateway machine that has a plastic block screwed inside the front of the case. It houses the power and HDD access LEDs as well as the power switch for the machine.

I was taking apart the pc recently and the little plastic clips that hold the LEDs and switch in place broke off. I was able to glue back in the LED clips successfully, but the power switch won't stay glued reliably..especially as it'll be getting some amount of pressure applied when the switch itself is pushed.

You can see what I'm talking about here, with the LED clips glued back into place, and the power switch hole on the bottom of the image.

The switch should fit in as below, but of course the plastic retaining tab is broken off and missing in this photo

Has anyone got an ideas what I could do as an alternative to the plastic tab, to hold the switch in place? Would hot glue hold it reliably?

Reply 1 of 10, by memsys

Posted on 2012-09-06, 14:29

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Personally i would use a tiny drop of superglue(preferably the gel version) to glue the switch to the other tab to hold it in place , then use a royal amount of hotglue and fill the space where the other tab was and around the switch it self .

Reply 2 of 10, by MaxWar

Posted on 2012-09-06, 16:45

MaxWar Offline

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For gluing plastics i use the Original Amazing GOOP with great results. Wait at least 24 hours drying.

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Reply 3 of 10, by 133MHz

Posted on 2012-09-06, 21:47

133MHz Offline

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I use ****star two part epoxy, it's really cheap and works wonders on plastics.

If you have a soldering iron you can also 'melt through' a piece of wire from a resistor or a small staple into the plastic to give it some structural support.

http://133FSB.wordpress.com

Reply 4 of 10, by TheMAN

Posted on 2012-09-06, 22:02

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+1 on epoxy

Reply 5 of 10, by Old Thrashbarg

Posted on 2012-09-06, 23:16

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I always use PVC pipe cement for that sort of thing... it's designed for that sort of plastic, and it chemically welds the pieces together. Superglue doesn't really hold up to any stress on semi-flexible plastics, and epoxy is too much trouble for something small like that.

Reply 6 of 10, by BigBodZod

Posted on 2012-09-06, 23:44

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Another option would be some clear Silocone Rubber that you can get ins smaller tubes rather then the big tube + gun kind.

No matter where you go, there you are...

Reply 7 of 10, by MaxWar

Posted on 2012-09-07, 00:08

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I find it funny how basically everyone is suggesting something different. Except for epoxy that it.

I would not use silicone, i dont like this stuff much, its messy and not stiff enough for this kind of job.

As old thrashbarg said, PVC pipe glue could just be the best thing. If used on the right type of plastic, This stuff will just fuse the parts together with no turning back.

When in doubt always use Amazing GOOP 😁

FM sound card comparison on a Grand Scale!!
The Grand OPL3 Comparison Run.

Reply 8 of 10, by Old Thrashbarg

Posted on 2012-09-07, 02:26

Old Thrashbarg Offline

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I would not use silicone, i dont like this stuff much, its messy and not stiff enough for this kind of job.

Yeah, it's designed to be super flexible... which is exactly what you don't want in this case. Plus it won't stick to ABS plastic for shit anyway. I'd say its effectiveness for that particular task ranks somewhere in between scotch tape and peanut butter.

Reply 9 of 10, by sirlemonhead

Posted on 2012-09-07, 10:55

sirlemonhead Offline

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Thanks guys, quite a few things to consider 😀 Doesn't look like I can get Amazing Goop over here in Ireland, and I don't know what the alternative to that would be... I guess i'll give the PVC pipe glue a shot 😀

Reply 10 of 10, by SquallStrife

Posted on 2012-09-07, 11:01

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Another vote for a two-part epoxy.

Araldite where I'm from. 😀

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