Thinkpads Forum

My friend just gave me the base of a t21 .... motherboard + CPU
No HDD,CDROM,Keyboard,LCD,battery,memory or adapter!

Questions:
1. Can I use my R40 adapter for power?
2. If I connect the MB to external monitor ; how do I "turn it on" to see if it will post or not?


THANKS!!!!

Yes, they use the same power adapter. You cannot use the more recent ones though (T60 etc)

Pressing Fn+F7 works on my R52 while booting up. You can try this method as well. It should cycle between LCD > LCD+External > External.

clickpoint wrote:My friend just gave me the base of a t21 .... motherboard + CPU
No HDD,CDROM,Keyboard,LCD,battery,memory or adapter!

Questions:
1. Can I use my R40 adapter for power?
2. If I connect the MB to external monitor ; how do I "turn it on" to see if it will post or not?

1. Yes the R40 adapter will work. Pretty much any of the newer adapters that output 4.5a will be fine. Except of course the newest adapters that came with the x60 Series machines which are a different voltage, but they use a different plug anyway.

2. You can plug an external monitor up to the base unit, but you'll need the keyboard assembly to start it up since it has the power button as part of it.

thanks!
so first I need a keyboard to power on!

If you have a port replicator (FRU 02K8668) you can power up the system that way, but you won't be able to do much since you don't have a keyboard!

clickpoint wrote:thanks!
so first I need a keyboard to power on!

You can check around the forum's Marketplace. There are a lot of guys that have a bunch of parts laying around that could sell you one cheap so you can test out your MB. I have a complete T20 in the closet that has a bad MB that's waiting it's turn to be worked on.

clickpoint wrote:No HDD,CDROM,Keyboard,LCD,battery,memory or adapter!

Before you run out and buy all these parts, I should remind you that complete T21's are getting very cheap these days, often under $150. It might cost you more money to get these parts than to buy a whole new system.

bontistic wrote:Pressing Fn+F7 works on my R52 while booting up. You can try this method as well. It should cycle between LCD > LCD+External > External.

Probably you have right, but im pretty sure that you have to do nothing. ThinkPad automatically see plugged external monitor, and it shows screen od the lcd and external. It goes on my X31.

Jolly2,

You are correct, I might have changed my display device at that time but the default should be Analog (VGA) for your X31 and CRT for the T21 which means once an external monitor is connected, there should be no need to press Fn+F7.