DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Discussion of hardware issues related to the DM1x/DM41. Please ensure that you specifiy whether the issue is related to a credit card size unit or a "Voyager" unit (DM1xL/DM41L).
mezoganet
Posts: 124
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 1:54 pm
Location: Tours, France

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by mezoganet »

(Sorry, can't send picture, don't know how to do, but there is on left bottom side 1/2mm space between board and bezel - around 'On' Key)

So do I have to accept that this is not a problem, maybe a feature ?

My DM41L, first bezel and second (replacement) bezel have the same issue.

Sorry for discussing about angel's sex :( but for me it's important to have a nice calc.

Once again, no issue with my DM42L.

For those happy DMxL users, please accept to understand some (not all) other customers can say.

I will discuss that with Michael next week.
HP33E, HP34C, HP41C, HP16C, HP28S, HP42S, HP48S, HP12C, HP35S, DM42, DM41L, DM15L, DM41X (SN#15) and HP3000 @ work during 18 yrs as IT Mgr
keithdalby
Posts: 564
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:38 pm

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by keithdalby »

mezoganet wrote:
Sat Feb 23, 2019 8:55 pm
I will discuss that with Michael next week.
What a sterling idea.
mezoganet
Posts: 124
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 1:54 pm
Location: Tours, France

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by mezoganet »

mezoganet wrote:
Sat Feb 23, 2019 8:55 pm

... I will discuss that with Michael next week ...
Hello All,

Coming back to my previous DM41L issue with unglued bezel.

I did not have time to ask Michael to find a solution : he proposed me last Tuesday (back from holidays on Monday !) to send me another bezel OR to replace my DM41L. I prefered a replacement and I received today a new DM41L, much better than the 1st one.

So, you know what ? I am a really happy customer and I thank Michael here for being more than proactive !

This had to be said.

End of the story.

Patrick
HP33E, HP34C, HP41C, HP16C, HP28S, HP42S, HP48S, HP12C, HP35S, DM42, DM41L, DM15L, DM41X (SN#15) and HP3000 @ work during 18 yrs as IT Mgr
michel_b
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:07 pm

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by michel_b »

I had a DM41L which front bezel unsticked... So Michael sent me a replacement bezel.

I had some little trouble with the DM41L so Michael proposed to exchange it. I sent it back and asked if I rather could have a DM15L as a replacement.

I received a brand new DM15L... which front bezel unsticked immediately.

I tried to affix double-sided tape to make it stick, but I couldn't cut it properly for the keys holes so I spoiled my bezel.

So Michael sent me a replacement bezel... That doesn't stick any better.

I'm getting kinda desperate :oops:
boessu
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2019 10:40 pm

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by boessu »

michel_b wrote:
Wed Mar 13, 2019 9:42 am
I tried to affix double-sided tape to make it stick, but I couldn't cut it properly for the keys holes so I spoiled my bezel.
(...)
So Michael sent me a replacement bezel... That doesn't stick any better.
Although this shouldn't calm you down as a customer (and it doesn't justify the problem), I would try this in your situation:
3M 2mm double side adhesive
Because it has only 2mm width size, you can put it between the keys horizontally and you don't need to cut out the keys.

Not because this is the thing customers should do. Just to get a definitive fix for the problem without endless exchanging of bezels.

I've got a DM15L and a DM12L today. Guess what: The faceplate on the DM15L seems as it separates. The one on the DM12L doesn't.

At the moment I try to put some books on the DM15L faceplate (separate with some woody sticks from the keys). Maybe it will fix the problem, maybe I need a bezel replacement from Michael too.
As a side note the display on the DM15L looked very scratched :evil:, until I found out I have to remove the protection foil, which was obviously forgotten to remove in the assembly of the calculator :roll:. You need to take the calculator apart to remove the foil from the display... Luckily the SwissMicros are built to last, means you can fix such things yourself very easily.

It seems as SwissMicros calculators are some sort of a product like a Land Rover. You will have to do some fights with it but it won't let you down where it counts.

Still no excusement for these things... and i think the SwissMicros guys see that the same way.
michel_b
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:07 pm

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by michel_b »

boessu wrote:
Tue Apr 02, 2019 9:39 pm
Although this shouldn't calm you down as a customer (and it doesn't justify the problem), I would try this in your situation:
3M 2mm double side adhesive
Because it has only 2mm width size, you can put it between the keys horizontally and you don't need to cut out the keys.
I tried exactly this. It failed, as the base of the keyboard is not plane and is in a material that doesn't allow the glue to stick hard...

I'm getting a replacement machine from Michael (who is always very kind and helpful)
boessu
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2019 10:40 pm

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by boessu »

It seems as the woody sticks with the books helped to fix the problem for my unit. At least at the moment.
It is a problem of the glue if it separates again. Although I still have the little hope that it was just a (small) assembly problem.
fcrvincent
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:18 pm
Location: UK

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by fcrvincent »

Any luck michel_b and boessu with your replacement unit and pressure re-stick?

Is the keyboard faceplate holding?

Thanks
boessu
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2019 10:40 pm

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by boessu »

Hello fcrvincent

Yes it worked. At least it's fixed since two weeks and fine for me. That's not a long-term test but I would guess to try that before replacing it, as it doesn't cost you more than a bit of patience. It just needs a wooden shashlik-spit cut to the right size. Maybe toothpicks will do the same. And a heavy book (e.g. "Der Moeller"). Then let it be for at leas 24 hours. The feeling is a bit like pressing flowers in the past. ;-)

In my case the plate wasn't pressed equally on the keys, and it seems as that was the root problem of the production. And the faceplate looked similar to the one from the Fat Fingered Calculator Guy (the faceplate wasn't sticked well on the top-left corner). I'm not a specialist of the used glue (how should I?) but I guess it is that rubberish stuff which stays sticky and never gets really hard. That's the reason why that seems to work.

I would buy the DM15L again. If there is any sort of problem like this, I'm pretty sure Michael would help out to fix the problem anyway. And beside of that the DM12L (which doesn't had that problem) seems to me the way better built calculator than the original ("PRC") HP12C I still have.
CmdrSpock
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2019 5:56 am

Re: DM15L keyboard faceplate is separating

Post by CmdrSpock »

I'll add my voice to the chorus of buyers with faceplate issues.

Having first heard about the SM calculators a couple years ago, I decided I'd grab a DM15L about a week ago, before something happens to the limited edition HP-15C I have. I'd read so many good things about these, so I was stoked to try mine out once it arrived. First, I have to say that overall, the DM15L is a pretty solid calculator. The keys are a major improvement over the 15C LE's. HP's F and G keys, in particular, have a lot of wobble to them, and the DM15L's do not. The customizable digit styles, upgradable firmware, and other little bonuses are a cool touch, though not essential.

All that aside, there is one glaring flaw with my DM15L: the faceplate. The entire left side refuses to adhere to the body of the calculator. The lower-left corner sticks up so much as to make a bit of a twanging noise every time I press the ON key, and it's laughably easy to remove the entire thing by just lifting it up. I experimented with leaving a book on top of the calculator for a few hours, with something between the book and the faceplate to encourage it to stick. The faceplate popped up again within an hour or so. I also tried taking the faceplate off and bending it down slightly on the left, but this did nothing to fix it, either. There is no dust or anything else preventing it from sealing cleanly.

Now, my 15C LE may have its shortcomings, but in the five or six years I've owned it, nothing has become loose or fallen off. You'd think that for US$120, you could afford some decent glue for the faceplate, right? Customizable digit styles are cool, but I'd rather have a calculator without customizable digits and with parts that don't fall off.

I wrote David an email about the faceplate issue yesterday as well, but I haven't heard back from SM yet.
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