T42p UXGA screen on a R51 upgrade?

[kamaleon]

Hi y'all fellow thinkpaders

My girlfriend has an R51 15" XGA and I would like to upgrade her screen to a UXGA FV. There is currently a local listing going for a T42p UXGA screen including the cables, LCD cover, and even WLAN antennas.

Can I use all the inverter and LCD cable and toss the screen cover on the R51 or would I need to get another inverter and cable to go with my existing R51 to achieve the mod?

TIA!

[kamaleon]

I've managed to gather these infos from the Lenovo support site:

T42p:
LCD panel 15.0-in UXGA ID TECH 92P6683
LCD cable assembly UXGA 91P6858
Inverter card, IPS UXGA 93P4161

R51:
LCD panel, 15-in. UXGA ID Tech 92P6683
LCD cable assembly 15-in UXGA 91P6836
Inverter card, UXGA 91P7336

So the panel itself is the same but the other two parts aren't... as I'm not used to modding these babies I don't really know if this means there's no way around? The item is due in a few hours, I hope someone will be able to shed some light asap please!

[ajkula66]

If the R51 has ATi graphic card (models beginning in 18xx) it's doable and has been done. You will need a proper cable and inverter for the swap.

If the machine has Intel graphics (model number starting with 28xx) it won't run UXGA.

Hope this helps.

[kamaleon]

Hi there

My machine has Intel graphics... so that's a no-no...? Is there any work around? What about SXGA+?

Regarding the cable and inverter, so you mean the ones from the T4Xx aren't compatible with the R5Xx?

[goofyGAguy]

Regarding the cable and inverter, so you mean the ones from the T4Xx aren't compatible with the R5Xx?

No, he means the cable and inverter from the XGA R51 won't work with the UXGA screen of your T42p.

[ajkula66]

There isn't a workaround for UXGA, SXGA+ will work just fine.

You will need a LCD cable and inverter specified for the SXGA+ 15" machine, be it a T4x or a R5x.

[kamaleon]

OK, forget about the UXGA. Since I'm not thinking of swapping the motherboard on this machine I'll look out for the SXGA+ LCD.

Regarding the other parts, I still don't get it. Will an inverter and LCD cable from a T4Xx SXGA+ Flexview go on my R51 with intel graphics? I understand the inverter and cable from my XGA screen won't go on an SXGA+ screen but will the other way around work? Sorry if it's a dumb question, I'm all confused right here.

[ajkula66]

You need an inverter and LCD cable spec'd for a T4x/R5x IPS SXGA+ LCD, these can come from R51, T42 or T43.

[richk]

The T4x cable is too short for the R5x machines, because the lid is thicker on R5x.

[kamaleon]

Ok. What about the inverter?

[underclocker]

I am aware that an LCD cable from a 15" T4x will work with a 15" R5x, but you have to break off the sleep button that is activated when the lid closes because it is in a different location. If you do not remove the botton, the R5x keyboard bezel will keep it depressed and you won't see any video at all. It is long enough.

So, if you have (which the OP does not) an ATI GPU based 15" R51 and a complete T4x 15" UXGA assembly, you can make it work, but the suspend/sleep switch won't, because it must be removed. I do not know if the 15" R5x SXGA+ LCD will properly work with the UXGA LCD, but I doubt it. Each panel seems to need it's own cable, since these didn't use EDID chips to setup the displays.

Very frequently, inverters can be interchanged, but it's hard to say definitely for every FRU that exists, there are many.

Sugggestion; before you spend too much on retrofitting an older T5x or T4x, take a look at the used prices for T60/R60 machines. They are very low, at least in the U.S. At this point, the difference between similarly spec'd (memory, resolution, condition) used T4x/R5x and T6x/R6x machines is about $100. The performance difference is much greater and well worth the $100 (again, in the U.S. market). If you can, sell the older and buy used.

[kamaleon]

Hi all

Thanks for all the input you have provided on this issue. I think I'm going to leave this on stand-by. If it was a straightforward LCD swap I could talk some sense into my partner and get her to spend a bit of money, but it seems it isn't so I'm taking a rain check on it for the moment and concentrate on other projects to do with my T60p... meet you on another thread!

[misfit]

I am aware that an LCD cable from a 15" T4x will work with a 15" R5x, but you have to break off the sleep button that is activated when the lid closes because it is in a different location. If you do not remove the botton, the R5x keyboard bezel will keep it depressed and you won't see any video at all. It is long enough. <snip>

Interesting to know, thanks underclocker. I have an R51 that I'm fond of. It was my main machine before I got this T60 and it's got sentimental value.

It's 1829-E5C - (P M 1.7GHz, 512MB RAM, 60GB 4200rpm HDD, 15 SXGA+(1400x1050), 32MB ATI Radeon 9000, CD-RW/DVD-R Multi-Burner, IBM 802.11b/g wireless(MPCI), Modem(CDC), 1Gb Ethernet(LOM), UltraNav, Secure Chip, IEEE 1394, 9 cell Li-Ion battery, WinXP Home.) However it's been upgraded to a P M 735 Dothan CPU, 2GB RAM and a WD Blue 160GB HDD. It runs faultlessly and I can't bring myself to part with it.

A while back I bought a dead T42p that has a good screen but looks like it's got the dreaded BGA failure. I bought it in the hopes of upgrading my old faithful R51 using the CPU and display, make it into a web browsing / avi watching machine (with a sweet display) for guests. It was a project for another day - but I might tackle it soon.

The donor T42p is a 2373-KXM - P M 755, 1GB RAM, 60GB 7200rpm HDD, 15 UXGA(1600x1200) TFT LCD, 128MB ATI FireGL T2, CD-RW/DVD-R Multi-Burner(slim), IBM 802.11a/b/g wireless, Bluetooth/Modem, 1Gb Ether, UltraNav, Sec Chip, 9 cell Li-Ion Batt, WinXP Pro

I didn't know about the screen switch issue so thanks for that. I must get them both out and check its position out. I'd hate for it to not have that switch, I must see if I can make a hole for it or something.

Oh, when I got the T42p I also got a box of 'stuff', the guy was a TP tinkerer but moved on. There's a 16GB Samsung PATA SLC SSD that he said is fine, he used it in his X32 (MCAQE16G8APR-0XA - I've never used an SSD before so that'll be fun!). I was thinking of using it in the R51 (with XP Pro) and maybe putting the HDD in an ultrabay adapter if it needs more space.

LOL, just got to clear the workbench of clutter left over from the last few projects first.