[Q] TF701 infinty insecure dock

[wailim_2002]

Hi, I read with interest the posts about wobbly (back and forth) docks on the tf101.

My TF700T developed this also after just 1 month.

Aditionally and more seriously perhaps, I noticed it stopped docking securely. I examined both the dock and the tablet and eventually noticed the retaining pin (inside the hole) on the right side of the tablet seems to have broken off due to frequently docking and undocking the two.

Has anyone else seen this?

ive sent it back to Asus who are claiming customer induced damage. This make me very angry bcoz i looked after it like a baby. all i did was use it a lot both docked and undocked.it never left my house. I reckon its a design flaw and eventually all many more of you will notice this.

 

[frederuco]

I have not had this issue after 18+ months of use on my TF101

You may want to ask in the TF700 forum for feedback on that model.

 

[Lethe6]

I just started to notice the same thing after 6 months but it's barely noticeable. Also the tf101 was their "affordable / low-end" model so it's to be expected. I would contact them for a replacement.

 

[wailim_2002]

I just started to notice the same thing after 6 months but it's barely noticeable. Also the tf101 was their "affordable / low-end" model so it's to be expected. I would contact them for a replacement.

Mine is the top end 64GB Transformer Infinity. As you say its barely noticeable. However it is insecure and if you combine the fault with the hinge that allows it to rotate too easily under the weigth of a tilted tablet, with the more serious issue of snapped docking pins then I would say there is potential for the two to separate and the tablet to fall and smash!

 

[BxMxK]

There IS a problem with the quality control of the docks. Some people have no problems. Some are wobbly. Some, like mine, will not move at all. My TF700/201 dock was so stiff when it arrived that i could see the tablet beginning to flex when trying to close it but the dock was not rotating at all. After un-docking the tablet I couldn't even rotate the docking clamp with my bare hand. Not being one to waste time or money sending things off or trying to return them, I opened up the tablet myself and fixed the problem.

This Transformer Prime video shows you how to take it apart. It's not very difficult.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwAypkC26Cc

I doubt that anything major with the design has changed for the TF701 dock since the TF700 dock was a re-branded TF201 dock.

Skip to 10:54 in the video and note the two large silver mounting brackets for the dock with 3 screws each holding them down and the silver nuts at the end of the shaft which the docking clamp rotates on.

To adjust the tension on the dock you need to turn the nuts on the ends of the shaft. They provide tension on the docking clamp.

Depending on the tools you have available it will most likely be easier to loosen the three mounting screws on both sides so that you can create a little more room by lifting the docking mechanism up away from the back of the casing to get a good grip on the nuts. I would recommend not taking the screws all the way out of the clamps. That being said, don't try to turn the nuts forcefully without a firm grip on the docking clamp. Just pay attention to whats going on so as not to create another problem whilst fixing this one.

Remember to set both sides as evenly as possible so you're not torquing the face of the tablet with the docking clamp when you close the tablet. I loosened both of mine up and then slowly tightened them until the resistance felt the same. Without the tablet in there it will be very apparent when one side is tighter than the other.

After adjusting the tension, re-tighten the mounting bracket screws on both sides. You can dock the tablet and check to see if you've removed the wobble or lack thereof without putting the keyboard back on.

Once the dock tension is set to your liking you may also want to tape down some coins or washers inside the front of the dock if you have problems with the docked tablet tipping over backwards when set on an incline or with the screen tilted back just to avoid taking the dock apart again later.