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Charging port Replacement Type-C PD T400 X200 X220 X230

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misujr
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2020 11:48 pm
Location: Taichung, Taiwan

Charging port Replacement Type-C PD T400 X200 X220 X230

#1 Post by misujr » Sun Jan 26, 2020 7:04 am

What it is :

This board will be shipped to you in the case required to be a simple "drop-in" or swap replacement for your Lenovo Thinkpad X220 or X230 and for that matter any laptop that uses the same connector(http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Power_Connector). You will need to disassemble the laptop but the good part is that you will only need to replace this module instead of soldering wires.

Why I made it :

I made this board because I have fallen in love with the Type-C connector and the Power Delivery protocol. Many things can be said in the support of this statement but long story short, I just love to travel with maximum 2 cables and 1 or 2 power bricks depending on the number of devices I carrry; bonus fact, I can charge my laptop from the same power bank(45w PD enabled) that charges my phone. Another driving reason to design this module was my youtube audience that wanted a way to use PD on their X230 laptops but without the need to solder and use hot glue( as I did in my first mod).

Video showing the module and more details and considerations : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... =emb_title

Price: 20 USD + Shipping

Right now I am trying to see how many people would like to buy so I can prepare the kits. If you are sure you want to buy, please subscribe before 2nd-3rd of February to the list thru Tindie. The product will be available for long time but now I am just starting up so I need a bit of market understanding.

I can accept direct payment thru Paypal but I also sell on Tindie.com where the you get an even better buyer protection as you pay thru paypal but you are also protected by Tindie's policy.

Tindie product link : https://www.tindie.com/products/mikepdi ... x220-x230/

P.S.: If you like the idea but you don't have the budget the purchase a kit, you can always find my post (with link to a walk thru video) in the Post-Classic Thinkpad section where I describe how to do this with a 5-6 USD board from ebay but there is a little more tinkering involved.

Best Regards,
Misujr

Jake.Werecat
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 273
Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Europe

Re: Charging port Replacement Type-C PD T400 X200 X220 X230

#2 Post by Jake.Werecat » Sun Jan 26, 2020 1:49 pm

Interesting idea, though I'd rather have a USB type C as a data port instead of power port. Besides the yellow barrel-type connector were absolutely fantastic, big, tough and durable. For me it'd be a great regret to get rid of it.
T470

misujr
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2020 11:48 pm
Location: Taichung, Taiwan

Re: Charging port Replacement Type-C PD T400 X200 X220 X230

#3 Post by misujr » Mon Jan 27, 2020 3:51 am

Thank you for the reply and view :-). I was also thinking to add usb c for data but that one is at a higher level of difficulty while still offering the same function as a type A. It would be a very limited amount of enthusiasts that would actually have the expertise and tools to install such mod. Plus to be honest, type A is still available at large scale :-). For me type-c for charging is more viable as i carry many devices that charge with it :-).

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Jake.Werecat
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 273
Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Europe

Re: Charging port Replacement Type-C PD T400 X200 X220 X230

#4 Post by Jake.Werecat » Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:19 am

Entirely understood, it's a great idea, which serves your purpose well. I totally understand "one plug" or "one power adapter" policy. I also do a lot of traveling, and it would be tempting to carry one charger less, but I have 5 different ThinkPads at home, 3 mine, and 2 of my gf's, all sharing yellow barrel plug, thanks to this we can both use any power adapter we have at home (in the bedroom, by the sofa, at the working desk etc.). Going for this mod I will gain some convenience but loose some of it at the same time.

The mod itself is done in a nice, clean way. IMHO 3D printout is way better then the hot glue, hower it's a pity that it's white, black would be better! There are two factors that I might be worried about. First is the quality of the circuit board. Is it resistant to working conditions (heat, shakes, power load, static electricity, time)? Will it not fail in the very worst moment before important meeting or presentation?
Second is mechanical wear of the socket. Barrel plug is big and strong, so unless sb is a stuff destroyer it's almost unbreakable. USB-C connector on the other hand is tiny and have very dense delicate pins inside. The question is - how durable is it? The similar in size and purpose microUSB port which was widely used in most mobile phones tend to be almost dead after 2 years of normal usage, not to mention that it could easily be damaged with indelicate cable handling. I just switched to my first mobile phone with USB-C instead of not-so-great microUSB, a month ago, I see and feel that it's way better and stronger then the former, but it's way to early for me to be able to say anything about its durability. I know that USB-C for power is becoming a standard in new laptops these days, but even if it's well improved then microUSB, laptops tend to be plugged in and plugged off waaaaay more often, they are also mainly used with a charger attached - which gives much more stress on the socket. How long will it last?
T470

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