Instability

[gidds]

I received my Gemini this morning (woo!), and knew roughly what to expect from reading some of the discussion hereabouts.  But I'm concerned about two hardware issues, and wonder whether it's just me…


Firstly, the hinge position.  The unit's very solid when closed, but it doesn't seem to have a fixed ‘open’ position.  Instead, as I type, the pressure causes the hinge to flex and the screen to bounce up and down slightly.  Similarly, when I tap or swipe the screen, it readily ‘gives’ 3–4mm.  (This makes swiping awkward enough that I sometimes have to steady it with the other hand — not ideal.)

I was worried my unit might be faulty, but checking some videos suggests they're all like this.  I'm surprised I haven't heard any complaints, though — for me it seems a bigger issue than the keys being a little more wobbly than the S5's.  Does anyone else find it a problem?

It also makes me worry about the longevity of the hinge.  (Always a weak spot for Psions!)  Is tapping on the screen stressing the hinge?  Am I forcing it too far back?  (I even worry about snapping the unit shut.)


Secondly, the underside is so smooth that the unit slides around on my desk!  The Psion 3 and 5 Series had tiny rubber feet anchoring them in place and giving a solid base on which to type; the Gemini is much more uncertain in that respect.

Anyone know if it's possible to get tiny stick-on rubber feet?  If not, perhaps this is an opportunity for some enterprising accessory maker!

[ArchiMark]

I noticed the hinge and slippage situation you describe with Gemini sitting on a desktop.

Don't have a solution to the hinge situation. It hasn't really bothered me though.

Regarding the slippage situation, I have some clear little circle rubber (or vinyl?) bumpers that you can peel off slick paper on back and stick on a surface. Was planning on putting 4 on bottom to help avoid slippage. Think it will also avoid the metal casing on bottom of Gemini from getting finish scuffed up over time.

Here in US, you can get these a small package of these bumpers in various sizes at a hardware or building supply store. Very cheap.

HTH,

Mark

[rodgos]

In the UK, Homebase supply these little pads, under the name "protective pads". Theyre not very small though, about 9mm dia. I have seen them smaller. With some of the Raspberry Pi cases you get four of them, and smaller. One snag is that they have to be stuck on the spine of the clamshell and do rather detract from it's appearance. They do work, but I don't think they'd stay on long. The spine has a definite curve, and the pads are flat underneath.
Actually, there is a wear stripassociated with the hinge, which should obviate scratches marring the finish. But it could benefit from the tiny rubber inserts under the front corners of the Psion netBook.

[DJO]

But it could benefit from the tiny rubber inserts under the front corners of the Psion (sic) netBook.

I've got some of those and the sheet has thin layer of rubber/silicone/whatever between the pads, I wonder if a square/strip/circle/(polygon of choice) of that on the front corners might work better being much thinner than the pads.

[Sunyavadin]

Mine is absolutely firm, with no noticeable give in the hinge when typing, so I am guessing it comes down to build quality between units in a batch.

[depscribe]

I don't know about the hinge. but for the slippage I got a small piece of the nonslip shelf paper sold in rolls. It's a rubbery mesh and solves the problem while protecting the gadget from scratches. More useful than the scrap of cloth packaged with the device.

[Ifanafi]

Good idea.

I will cut strips from a kitchen shelf mat and glue it to the bottom.

Ifanafi

I don't know about the hinge. but for the slippage I got a small piece of the nonslip shelf paper sold in rolls. It's a rubbery mesh and solves the problem while protecting the gadget from scratches. More useful than the scrap of cloth packaged with the device.

[Isaac]

I've taken to using a mouse pad with a soft top as a platform for the Gemini on my desk.

[1668880]

As for the hinge mine has popped off and keeps popping off after being put back on.

[ArchiMark]

But it could benefit from the tiny rubber inserts under the front corners of the Psion (sic) netBook.

I've got some of those and the sheet has thin layer of rubber/silicone/whatever between the pads, I wonder if a square/strip/circle/(polygon of choice) of that on the front corners might work better being much thinner than the pads.

Did what you suggested and cut off triangles off the corners of the thin sheet that holds the round bumper pads.

Works well on my Gemini and still fits in the Gemini leather sleeve case.

[ArchiMark]

As for the hinge mine has popped off and keeps popping off after being put back on.

I would send Planet Computer a photo of the hinge piece itself so they can see if some aspect of the hinge is not shaped correctly.

Other question is whether the hinge is put on correctly (not saying it isn't, but it is other variable...).

Hope you get it taken care of.

Mark

[gidds]

Re. rubber feet:

I've had some luck with these Tiny Self-adhesive Rubber Feet Bumpers from Amazon US.  (They're not available from Amazon UK, but they took only 8 days to arrive from the USA.)

That's a rubber mat with an 8x8 grid of rubber nodules.  (They're smaller than that picture makes them appear.  It's not obvious that they're separated; I carefully cut round a couple before discovering that they'd pop out individually!)

They sit rather nicely on the underside, near the corners.  (I fitted four, about 5mm in, where they look like they belong.)  When the unit is closed, they dissuade the metal/plastic sliding along the desk.  (Not completely rigid, but far better.)  Of course, when the unit is open, the expanding hinge lifts it off the two rear feet, but the two front ones still keep it fairly steady.

I don't know whether the Gemini's case wears easily (especially the grey coating/anodisation on the metal, which might be very obvious if it wears off to reveal the bright metal underneath) — can anyone with a first-batch Gemini confirm?  In any case, feet such as these may help to avoid that.

I don't know how strong the adhesive is, but I've had the feet attached for a couple of days now, in and out of my pocket &c, and they've shown no signs of coming detached.  (And if they do, that sheet provides 15 spare sets!)

(It's possible that something even thinner would do.  If I get the chance, I might try cutting out short strips of rubber from the remainder of the mat, and seeing if they work as well.)

So that seems to address one of the concerns I raised in this topic!

—

The other — the hinge — still worries me; even more so after seeing 1668880's [a href=\'index.php?act=findpost&pid=286245\']experience[/a]…  I suggest we all try to take good care of our hinges and not open them too far!

[gidds]

Unfortunately, the feet didn't last more than a week…  I'll see if I can get strips to work.

[gidds]

I'm now trying rubber strips.

I bought some 1MM Black Garage Door Weatherstrip Rubber Sealing Strip for Sliding Windows Sliding Doors; 5 metres is overkill, of course, but it does give lots of room for experimentation.

This is a thin rubber strip, with a slight indentation running down the middle, and one half is self-adhesive; that half is very slightly wider than the plastic case at the side of the Gemini, so I simply stuck some on the underside and trimmed it to size.  The black matches the plastic it covers, so it looks reasonably good, though the edge shows a little.

With that on, the Gemini is much more stable, both closed and open.

Time will tell if it remains attached longer than the rubber feet…

[mithrandir]

Putting the leather pouch under the gemini also works quite well.