IBM ThinkPad 330C (5523-JVB)

[Bondi]

Yesterday got this notebook. It turned out to be in fully working condition! Though it doesn't look like a typical Thinkpad, it really is. The HDD connector is the same as on other 300/700 series machines, but it's located on the side of the caddy. It also takes IC-DRAM cards and has Easy-Setup. There is a funny volume control slide above the keyboard. It has 3 positions and controls pc-speaker volume (actually in 2 positions the speaker os off, and only in one it's on). There is also a resume/suspend button next to volume slider. The computer doesn't seem to react on it. But it's also used to access Easy Setup (need to keep it pressed and turn the computer on). The CMOS battery is dead, but I haven't figured out how to replace it. Built in power adapter is a very conveniet arrangement, need just plug in a standard power cord (110V!)
Here are some pics.

[madicetea]

Love it, thanks for the pics!

[Thinkpad4by3]

You got a TFT one instead of a DSTN one. Lucky guy!
How are you powering it up?

Also the drive may not be dead, give a few good shakes like sort of mixing a smoothie with the top of the drive in your palm. Good firm shakes might get the drive to work again. I've fixed a half dozen drives this way!

[Bondi]

You got a TFT one instead of a DSTN one. Lucky guy!
How are you powering it up?

Also the drive may not be dead, give a few good shakes like sort of mixing a smoothie with the top of the drive in your palm. Good firm shakes might get the drive to work again. I've fixed a half dozen drives this way!

Yes indeed it's the TFT version. And the drive is actually not dead - there is a screenshot from scandisk report - even no bad blocks there. Assume it's original 340 HDD, but have't disassembled the caddy though.
I power it up via 220-110 voltage converter, and the laptop has a standard 110V AC in 2 pin power connector on the back (can be seen on the right on one of the pics) along with 15V DC in connector (on the right side)

[Bondi]

I was messing with my 330C recently trying to make it work in 256 color mode in Windows 95. I tried all the drivers for video card suggested by windows and also those I could find on the internet. VESA drivers also did not work (as they do in 360/755 series).
After digging into japanese websites (with the help of google translate) I found out that there is a driver v256.sys that needs to be loaded in config.sys
DEVICE=C:\V256.SYS
Finding this driver was also quite an adventure. So I'm putting the link here just in case someone needs it.
https://web.archive.org/web/20040223040 ... n/V256.LZH
This file is also included in IBM's OEM Win 3.1 Japanese release (can be downloaded from here http://old-dos.ru/dl.php?id=4494)

Some more ineresting pics and text about 330cs http://www.komotch2.com/tps/330cs.htm

[Bondi]

I've spent quite a lot of time looking for DOS drivres for my 330C. Eventually ended up trying drivers for other models. Will post my findings here for the history.
Cardsoft drivers for 340/360/755 work perfectly also on 330 series. Filename is pctpx130.exe, available here http://greyghost.mooo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/
Thinkpad utility program - the one for TP 510 works on 330, but not 100% correctly. Filename is ut510100.exe. Display options (vgamode.exe) mostly work, but vertical expansion works only partially - the upper part of the screen is black, the image is cut off. To have all display options available the correct vesa driver has to be loaded, it's either univbe.exe or v256.sys (mentioned above)

[solidpro]

I am in the middle of trying to restore one of these. It's virtually perfect, but the screen was destroyed by vinegar syndrome and no amount of different filters would work on it.

So I managed to source a 'new old stock' screen from China. That's fitted but I think the contrast isn't working, so I'm going to recap the inverter tomorrow and see if that works. It works fine on an external display.

The biggest 'issue' is that it's missing the HDD caddy on the front.