MAZter wrote on 2026-07-14, 02:23:

grubypizza wrote on 2026-07-14, 02:02:

but not sure if this site is legit, I am trying to contact some sellers in China, but for now without success:(

There is little point in looking for the original hinges, as they are unlikely to last long after replacement due to the poor quality of the material.

For the Toshiba Satellite 5005-S504 (as example) I used steel hinges from a completely different model and brand; while it doesn't look perfect, everything works functionally.

I will try to get original hinges and reinforce them with aliminum or steel sheet from a can, maybe this will help a little, but if they will brake again I think I will do the same as you with matching hinge from other laptop model, if I may ask - hinges from what laptop model did you use?

grubypizza wrote on 2026-07-14, 02:32:

if I may ask - hinges from what laptop model did you use?

I don't remember exactly, maybe from Compaq 12XL126 / 1240 / 1200XL / 1800T with little adjustments using Dremel.

Hello again, does anyone know if hinges from "worse" models like Toshiba 2805-S202 ect, will fit the 2805-S402, S603, Toshiba Satellite 2800-600 variants? I read some websites and they state that the hinges are different, but I watched some dissasembly videos of the 14.1 inch variants and the hinges looks the same as in mine Toshiba Satellite 2800-600. In my country, buying the Toshiba Satellite 2800-100, 200, 400 is a lot easier, so I would be finally able to repair mine 2800-600 😀 thanks for any answers and any advice!

This thread makes me smile so much. Reflecting back at some of my posts in the past were not so great. Id say this thread was the exception not the rule.
It brings me joy that after discovering this little beast and posting it here, that so many others now have had the opportunity to play with one of these things and get their hands on what id consider to be maybe not the ultimate but defiantly the most unique in features vintage laptop I have ever found.

TLDR
I have no time at all to post here anymore, but I am back into the hobby again.

HINGES
The hinges on all of the Toshiba laptops that share the same chassis as this one are the same, the only difference is the side brackets to accommodate a 15 inch panel. The 15 inch side brackets are friction mounted on the standard hinges. There is a gear/sprocket on the end of the hinges. The brackets have a hole drilled. The brackets are just press fitted together to that gear.

You can reuse the 15 inch brackets with 14 inch hinges. Using a vice put the hinge in a vice and evenly apply pressure pound off the old bracket then put the 15 inch brackets on the 14 inch hinges using a vice..

when I did this I used a wrench so it would straddle both sides of the bracket and apply even pressure on both sides then used a large flathead screw driver as a punch and hit the screwdriver with the hammer which then made contact with the wrech which then evenly pounded off the bracket while it was in a VICE. gently.

putting the bracket on the hinge is easyer I used a socket from a socket wrench so it applyes even pressure 360 degrees and tapped the bracket back onto the hinge.

TLDR2
Basically the problem with all of these laptops is the grease they used at the factory on the hinges dried up. The hinges have a shaft that shaft is supposed to spin and it cant. Then people force the lid open and the hinges break because the alloy they are made of is brittle. The fix involves around 90% disassembly. If the hinges are not actually broken it still requires them to be completely removed from the base and lid and out of the notebook. Once all the old grease has been worked out of the hinges and a little oil is added they function properly. I am not even sure the grease was needed in the 1st place.

I can definitely confirm that this problem exists. I actually own four of these laptops, and I experienced the exact same issue with the hinges on all four of them.

In the end, I had to have the hinges disassembled and lubricated. I took three of the laptops to a specialized repair shop, where they removed the old dried grease and applied new lubricant.

With the fourth one, I was honestly too lazy to go through the whole process again, so I simply sprayed some WD-40 into the hinges. After some time, the hinges loosened up and started moving freely again.

And surprisingly, that laptop has now been running with the WD-40 treatment for about a year, and the hinges are still working perfectly without any problems.

So I can confirm from personal experience: the dried grease really does seem to be the main culprit.

vorob wrote on 2026-09-14, 13:55:

And surprisingly, that laptop has now been running with the WD-40 treatment for about a year, and the hinges are still working perfectly without any problems.

I previously wrote on another forum that WD-40 is the best solution for hinges, as it allows you to lubricate without disassembling the laptop. On this model, the hinges are still like new four years after lubrication.