detaching screen from laptop body

[LaraM]

Hi everyone!

I have a T42 which is being used for a project. I was wondering if someone who has already opened one can tell me whether there is any slack in the cables which go from the main body of the computer (by this I mean the one with the keyboard on it) into the lcd. Is it possible to detach the screen from the main body a couple of inches (say, 2-3 inches) and still have a working thinkpad?

I have checked the online repair manual

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... 192_01.pdf

and, looking at p 128 on the file ("printed" p122), it looks like the cables connecting the lcd to the "body" of the laptop are sufficiently long for this to work.

If you have ever detached the lcd from a T4x, please let me know whether or not you think this might work.

Happy new year!

Lara

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

Re-locating the display "2-3 inches" away from the base of the laptop will not be possible using the existing ribbon cable. There's just enough there to allow the lid assembly to swivel around the hinges. What you are seeing in the Hardware Maintenance Manual are the three antenna leads (which do have some extra "play" in them). The connection for the video signals is at the base of where those three antenna leads exits the lid. There's a better picture of that connector on (printed) page 119.

[LaraM]

Hi Ray,

Thank you so much for informing me about this. I had no clue it was that tight.

Do you, by any chance, know of any thinkpad model (other than the X series, whose screen is too small for my purposes) which has a longer ribbon cable which might allow this decoupling to work?

Alternatively, do you know of longer, compatible versions of these ribbon cables being sold online? (For any Thinkpad model?)

Thank you so much, and happy 09!

Lara

[rkawakami]

I've worked on the systems you see in my signature; mostly the T2x and 600X systems. At most, if you detach the lid hinges from the base of the laptop, you would be able to "fold" the display over around onto the back side of the system. People have done this when converting a Thinkpad into a digital picture frame, for example (which sounds like something you are trying to do). I don't know of any Thinkpad which has more than an inch or so of cable that hangs out of the lid assembly. That effectively limits you on how far the display can be re-positioned, without resorting to some additional modifications in the lid and/or base. I'm talking about something like removing the motherboard from the base, flipping it around and bolting it to the back of the display (i.e., the "top" of the lid).

I don't know of anyone who makes a longer video ribbon cable for any one of the Thinkpads. They are fairly custom in design; they're just the right length and have just the right type of connectors to match both the motherboard and the back of the LCD panel. The hacker in me would say that you might be able to extend the reach of the factory video ribbon cable by cutting it right where it exits the base, scraping the insulation from the copper traces and soldering flexible wires to those traces. This certainly would lengthen the cable but I can't guarantee that you would get a 100% perfect picture. There may be issues with signal crosstalk, cable impedance mismatches, or even signal timing. It might be worth the $10 or $15 for the cost of a spare ribbon cable to experiment on.

If you can provide the reason of the nature of your "project", then perhaps there may be another way to accomplish it.

[TomKroscavage]

Their is a T4x disassembly video on youtube, you can see the cable.

[LaraM]

Hi Ray! Thank you so much for the info.

The "project" (sorry, I didn't mean to sound secretive, just to spare you possibly uninteresting details! : ) ) is similar to what you mentioned: to create a programmable all-in-one display.

So, if you tell me the T2x has a long enough ribbon to (after having detached the hinges) fold the screen all the way to the point of touching the lid of the screen to the base of the laptop that is good enough for me.

(Does anyone know if the same is true of the T4x? We have one available for this goal.)

I will check the video mentioned by Tom; I will search online for descriptions of those "digital picture frame" projects using thinkpads.

Thank you for the help!

Lara

[rkawakami]

One example of a digital picture frame Thinkpad is here:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=55510

It uses a 600E system (13.3" screen) so it's slightly smaller than the common 14.1" LCDs on a T2x or T4x system.

I can't say for sure that a T2x display can be flipped over onto the base after you unbolt the hinges. As many times as I have taken apart a T23, the urge to do so hasn't occurred to me . I can say that a T4x system would need some lengthening of the cable and/or some modifications to the lid. Here's an example of a T41:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/t41_r ... e_flip.jpg

The lid is flush with the back side of the laptop and the ribbon cable is bending around the back panel towards where it is supposed to go on the motherboard. There's about 2 inches that's needed to make the connection. It might be possible to cut a section out of the lid so that more of the cable can be wrapped around the back of the laptop, however the DC input jack is located right there and the ribbon cable may block access to it. The T2x ribbon cable is located more towards the center of the system and only partially blocks the VGA port is it's wrapped around to the back. However, the T2x is thick than the T4x and you'll need "more" cable.

It appears that the 600 series systems makes a better digital picture frame (DPF) project since the two ribbon cables that go between the lid and the base are normally coiled up:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/600x_left_ribbon.jpg
http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/600x_right_ribbon.jpg

[LaraM]

Ray, thank you so much for such a helpful reply! : ) I will give the 600 series a try!

Best wishes

Lara