Kobo Libra 2 and the case of the squeaky...CASE

[Dr. Drib]

I'm thoroughly enjoying my Libra 2. It's a wonderful reader and the screen is incredible. The squeaky case, however, not so much.

To be clear, it's not THAT squeaky. But it's there, much like the smell of a decomposing zombie* wandering inside Burger King on a hot, humid day. Or seeing a reflection in a bald-headed person*, only to realize that your own bald head is being reflected back at you.

I got to thinking: You know that nail polish remover that men and women use? Would a GENTLE drop on the two corners do the job? Or would it damage the plastic case?



*This is not a negative reflection (!) upon bald-headed people or decomposing zombies.

[JSWolf]

WD-40?

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

WD-40?

Can't buy it in this country.

Or at least, I've never seen it.

[BookCat]

Not sure if you mean the cover or the plastic housing, but nail polish remover is basically acetone which will melt plastic to remove it. Is this what you want to do? If you just need a lubricant, some kind of oil would be better - WD 40 is basically an oil, but you could use a vegetable oil instead.

[Ashjuk]

Don't use a mineral based oil with plastic - you will only make the problem worse.

Best lubricant for plastics is silicone.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Not sure if you mean the cover or the plastic housing, but nail polish remover is basically acetone which will melt plastic to remove it. Is this what you want to do? If you just need a lubricant, some kind of oil would be better - WD 40 is basically an oil, but you could use a vegetable oil instead.

The problem is the plastic housing surrounding the Libra 2.

(Kobo's red cover is great.)

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

Don't use a mineral based oil with plastic - you will only make the problem worse.

Best lubricant for plastics is silicone.

Silicone is a product that is worshiped here as - almost - a cure-all for every household fix-er-up-er.

I have one quote here, taken at random from a web search:

Typically, lubricants based on silicone, PFAE (perflourinated), most synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), or mineral oils work well with plastics.

What would happen, in your opinion, if a mineral-based oil were used?

[allanahk]

I also get annoyed by the squeakiness/movement of the kobo libra plastic housing. I believe it's caused by the air gap between the back of the libra and the inner circuitry etc. After the top notch build quality of my solid kindle voyage it was a bit of shock - lucky for kobo that they have superior software!

I googled this issue a while ago and found an old reddit post where a user had opened the backing (on one side only I believe) and slid a bit of thin card inside to fill in the space somewhat. They reported good results. Could be worth a try?

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Silicone is a product that is worshiped here as - almost - a cure-all for every household fix-er-up-er.

I have one quote here, taken at random from a web search:

Typically, lubricants based on silicone, PFAE (perflourinated), most synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), or mineral oils work well with plastics.

What would happen, in your opinion, if a mineral-based oil were used?

I was always taught that that using a mineral based lubricant on plastic would have the effect of roughening the surface, making the problem worse not better.

Things appear to have changed since my engineering days, as I now see (Google) that mineral oils are suggested as lubricants for plastic.

Even so, for anything plastic I would always opt for a silicone product.

Edited to add information:

Seems like I was not completely wrong.
Newgate Simms lubricants and possible plastic or rubber compatibility issues/

[Dr. Drib]

^

I appreciate your advice.

I totally agree with you about the superior build of the Kindles, and the superior software of the Kobos.

Regarding taking one apart to slide something between one edge - well, I'm a complete coward when it comes to doing that on this brand new unit. I don't want to &*#K anything up. (With my luck, that would undoubtedly happen!)

I may have exacerbated the problem by sliding my Kobo in and out of its case, due to the way the case is designed (which I do love, by the way). I think it squeezes the two case halves together when sliding the Reader into the case. This is just a guess, though. I like holding it naked when I'm home, and then slipping it back into the case prior to taking it with me when I go somewhere.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Libre 2.

Minor heads up: correcting the spelling on this might make it more searchable for others in the future.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by meeera

Minor heads up: correcting the spelling on this might make it more searchable for others in the future.

Which one exactly, and I'll correct it. Thanks!


ADDED: Now I see it! Now in the process of correcting.

[rantanplan]

I think it's caused by the bee-hive structure of the actual device-case because I had the same issue until I added a cover. If you check out picture disassembled units you see that the internal structure almost looks 3D printed.