T30 memory slot problem

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rlknapp1 · #61 Post by **rlknapp1** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:56 am

I tried the paper trick as well, and worked!!

Thanks.

michaelkadar@netzero.com · #62 Post by **michaelkadar@netzero.com** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 3:45 pm

I tried the paper trick as well, and worked for 24 hours, then I had to use a little more paper and it worked again. does any one know is it the connector to memory or conector to board that is the problem.

IBM doesn't give it up at all and now will not fix it for free out side of the 3 year warranty

markiemarksf · #63 Post by **markiemarksf** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:55 pm

Another T30 owner here experiencing the DIMM slot problem.

First had some erratic DIMM slot probs back in 2005 and, after trying many diff DIMMs and experiencing the same issue, I sent the machine in under warranty to have the system board replaced.

Received the T30 and the system board was NOT replaced but the problem seemed to have been resolved.

Started having serious problems with the DIMM slot about 6 months ago and was using the shim trick with some layers of tape.

Now it has gotten to the point where the slot is so unreliable that it is blue screening my XP OS like crazy and I am just running with one DIMM only.

After finding this thread I talked to IBM and am asking they replace the system board for free because they should have done just that back in 2005.

Now waiting 2-3 business days to hear back from some dept. that handles this type of escalated issue. Not holding my breath but I am hoping they'll be able to help me out. Will report back to the board.

cLOWN gOD · #64 Post by **cLOWN gOD** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 6:58 pm

Brooklynboy,

I called IBM and referenced the MIGR-44772 document. No one there had heard of it.
I'm guessing Lenovo deleted it off the server to save themselves a few bucks. -So much for IBM service.

I guess it's just a matter of do I go with Toshiba or Sony form here on in??

truk · #65 Post by **truk** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:08 pm

Toshibas are awful from what I have seen (got one here, got to sell.) For those who can't use the paper trick, take a thin popsicle stick and cut it down to a little shorter than the width of the slot. Put the ram in the bad slot, and slide the popsicle stick in just above the ram. Use the cover to press down the popsicle stick like a lever. This worked for me as I was getting desperate. All the repair shops I've talked to can't/won't fix it.

markiemarksf · #66 Post by **markiemarksf** » Mon May 07, 2007 12:44 am

Discussed the issue to death with a couple supervisors and got no where.

As I said in my previous post, the pisser about it is, I sent the machine in for the dimm slot prob when the machine was still in warranty back in 2005 and they did not replace any parts or do anything.

It was intermittent back then and by the time it got to the point where it simply did not register the dimm - well, too late.

At the suggestion of the last IBM support person I spoke to, I ended up buying a year warranty for $169.

I'll be sending the machine in for a new display (getting dim), new m/b (to address the dimm prob), and a new 512mb dimm (all the probs with the dimm slot ended up frying the dimm too).

All things considered, I still like the laptop and the thing is still fast enough for what I do so this solution is satisfactory.

Walt · #67 Post by **Walt** » Fri May 18, 2007 7:51 am

markiemarksf wrote: As I said in my previous post, the pisser about it is, I sent the machine in for the dimm slot prob when the machine was still in warranty back in 2005 and they did not replace any parts or do anything.

It was intermittent back then and by the time it got to the point where it simply did not register the dimm - well, too late.

Well, Federal consumer law pretty clearly states that if you complain about a problem during the warranty period, the warranty coverage must continue until that particular reported problem is fixed. Manufacturers can't stall or drag it out, until the warranty period is over, and then claim you now have to pay for the repair.

I had to make use of that law, a few years ago, with RCA.

jadmire · #68 Post by **jadmire** » Wed May 30, 2007 8:07 pm

First post, all...I've been a Thinkpad user for close to three and a half years now. Previously, I used a 600e that I bought refurbished in December of '03, and it gave outstanding service for over three years.

I bought a refurb'ed T30 last month and also appear to have encountered this problem. To be honest, I didn't even know I had a problem with one of the memory slots until the other day, because the last time I had checked my installed memory (a couple of weeks ago) I had 1GB of RAM in 2x 512MB DIMM's installed, and the system saw them both. And even up to now, I've had excellent system stability, no freezes, blue screens or anything of that nature. The heaviest work I've put the machine through was a library trip weekend before last where I scanned images and text from over 30 books for seven and a half hours with only brief interruptions, and the T30 handled it all with nary a burp. Right now, I use it mostly for keeping in touch on the net via Web and mail when I'm away from home (I also intend to do a fair bit of work for my website on it, especially capturing video stills, using PowerDVD).

So, the other day (Monday/Memorial Day), I went to install software for my new digicam on my T30. Part of the install routine was a scan of the system to make sure it met requirements for the software. It did, but the memory came up as 512MB, not the 1GB I was expecting. I was surprised, but wrote that off as a burp of the program, especially since, as I said, I hadn't been experiencing any adverse reactions due to lack of memory.

This morning, I went into Control Panel (I'm running XP Pro SP2, BTW) to see what my RAM looked like, and there it was; 512 megabytes of installed RAM. I googled for possible answers as to what was going on (I thought for a while that one of the DIMM's - which I bought less than six weeks ago, the day after I bought the T30! - had somehow gone bad), and found a link to this thread.

So, now I have to figure out several things:

1) Is it worth it, at this point, to try to get the motherboard repaired? From reading this thread, it seems to me that people have been experiencing increasing hassles in getting that done at a reasonable cost, or even for free, as time passes, and I believe my own T30 is out of IBM warranty by now.

2) Should I try to put a 1GB DIMM in the working slot, or just stick with the 512MB DIMM I already have? My main home system has 1GB installed, but 512MB is a respectable amount for any XP system that's not called on to do ultra-heavy-duty work - in fact, this T30 originally did come with 512MB in 2x 256MB DIMM's (I daresay, given what I've read, that I would have run into this problem eventually even if I'd kept the original RAM configuration). If I do go for 1GB, that is, 1 DIMM with a 1GB capacity, will I need to put in a BIOS upgrade (assuming that wasn't done by the shop beforehand)?

3) Just which slot is it that's affected by the problem? Most of what I've read reports that it's the bottom slot/front slot, or the slot closest to the edge of the laptop. Is that correct? Does anyone have a diagram so that I can tell which is the good slot and which is the bad slot? (I realize that sounds like a fairly clueless question to ask, but these things are not always quite as obvious as they may sound.)

-Joe-

P.S. EDIT 5/31 7:15 am - I have BIOS version 2.01 on this T30. According to the summary of changes on Lenovo's BIOS page, I may not need to update after all to use 1GB DIMM's because I don't see any mention of RAM issues in any of the BIOS updates. Am I correct in this assumption?

truk · #69 Post by **truk** » Thu May 31, 2007 10:02 pm

If I were in your position, I'd probably put in a 1gig if the paper trick type fixes (referenced earlier in this post) don't work. The problem is with the slot towards the front (where the speakers are) of the laptop. It is not worth it to try to get it fixed. I was gonna pay more for a fix that might break again than I was just to replace the motherboard. Also, a motherboard without the problem will get it, it's just a matter of time. The only reason the BIOS would give ram issues would be with large amounts of ram (1g or more).

jadmire · #70 Post by **jadmire** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 5:38 am

I'm considering the paper field expedient, but I'm still uncertain as to exactly how to go about it. I've seen three different methods cited so far:

1) a folded piece of paper
2) a length of Q-tip wooden stick
3) a trimmed length of wooden Popsicle stick

The paper seems the simplest, as all one has to do is to fold it and place it over the DIMM, then fasten the memory cover down on it. How exactly did those of you who were successful with it do it?

-Joe-

EDIT 6/2 7:08 pm: Tried the paper fix and it works - at least for now! I took several sheets of paper, cut them down to size and folded/trimmed them to the approximate dimensions of the DIMM slot, placed the folded papers over the DIMM and then fastened the memory cover down on top of it. When I rebooted, System (in Control Panel) showed the proper amount of memory at 1.0GB. Assuming it stays that way, I can now turn to planning to upgrade the HD...

markiemarksf · #71 Post by **markiemarksf** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:48 am

jadmire wrote:
EDIT 6/2 7:08 pm: Tried the paper fix and it works - at least for now! I took several sheets of paper, cut them down to size and folded/trimmed them to the approximate dimensions of the DIMM slot, placed the folded papers over the DIMM and then fastened the memory cover down on top of it. When I rebooted, System (in Control Panel) showed the proper amount of memory at 1.0GB. Assuming it stays that way, I can now turn to planning to upgrade the HD...

Hope the shim fix works out for you. I had to start using larger and larger shims until the slot was no longer reliable. From the time the problem first occurred until the slot was too unreliable to continue with the shimming was about 2-3 months.

And the faulty dimm slot also ended up frying the 512mb dimm.

As you can see from my previous posts I tried to get IBM to cover the repair - no go. No amount of arguing or discussion with numerous departments and people did any good.

In the end, per the recommendation of the last rep I spoke to, I purchased a year warranty for $160. The first week the warranty went into effect I sent the unit in for a new LCD, planar board replacement, and the dimm replacement.

A couple weeks later I sent for a new HD and power adapter.

I'm sending it in tomorrow for the hinge kit fix (screen hinges get loose and apparently there is a kit that remedies the looseness.)

So, I am getting my money's worth on the warranty for sure.

Website · #72 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:37 pm

OK, I have to change my vote now, because I am working on a T30 (2367-RU1) that has the memory slot problem....

I tested the theory with a piece of cardboard, and it registered the second slot. I am not going to leave cardboard or anything in there that could cause overheating and damage the stick of ram.

ronbo613 · #73 Post by **ronbo613** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:54 pm

I got my T30 used and it had the memory slot issue but I was able(because of the info I found here) to get IBM to replace the system board with two weeks left on the warranty. It took them two tries to fix it and they broke the case by the sound jacks, but what are you going to do?
If I would not have been able to get the mobo replaced, I would just stick a gig of RAM in the working slot. It's the cheapest way to go.
Has anyone tried to clean the contacts of the memory module with an eraser and stick it back in? We do that with our camera and video equipment all the time. A little oxidation can really foul things up.

uberT · #74 Post by **uberT** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:52 am

My T30 has just started to display this problem. I've got a stick of 512MB in one slot and 1GB in the other. I noticed the machine was running very slow one day and it appeared I was running low on memory. Sure enough, I checked my total memory and it said 512MB which indicated the 1GB stick wasn't operational.

I've since swapped the 1GB stick to the other slot and the 512MB stick to the problematic slot. In my case, the slot closest to the front edge of the machine is the trouble-maker.

I've started in with the paper trick - - my paper may not be thick enough based on comments in this thread. I'm experience loss of the 2nd slot connectivity more and more this week...

I was thinking about applying some electronic contact enhancer to the 512MB DIMM...not sure if I should take such bold action.

#75 Post by **rkawakami** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:26 pm

Ran into this on eBay today: IBM Lenovo Thinkpad T30 Memory Slot Repair

It seems like they know something about this issue. My guess is that they will reflow the solder connections to the memory slots or totally replace the sockets. Hammerhead Tech has been around for quite awhile. I think I bought an LCD ribbon cable from them a few years back.

tom_k · #76 Post by **tom_k** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:46 pm

Repair of T30 memory slots is also offered in germany by a small laptop service near Hannover
Dont know how they do it, but one could send a board for repair and look for traces afterwards ;)

At thinkpad-forum.de a user reports of a successful repair:
http://thinkpad-forum.de/thread.php?threadid=20452
He managed to bring a thin wire(0.2mm)
from the backside of the slots over the "contact" (see in the drawing)
The last picture shows how he (gently!) pushes it down.

Unfortunately you can`t see the pictures as an unregistered guest, so:
technical drawing of a dimm socket
1st picture, posted 11.06.2007 22:11
2nd picture, 22:14
last picture, 22:16

by the way, in the old german thinkpad-portal.com which is unfortunately down (trdmc)
user Beeblebrox(who is not identical to the local user beeblebrox) posted on 27.01.2005, 22:04
"Ist ein altbekanntes Problem beim T30. Hängt mit 99% damit zusammen, daß der Spacer beim DRAM Modul einen Kurzschluss verursacht."
could be translated as:
"...a long know problem,in 99% its because the spacer causes a short cut on the d-ram module"

tom_k

Jammasta · #77 Post by **Jammasta** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:06 pm

rkawakami wrote:Ran into this on eBay today: IBM Lenovo Thinkpad T30 Memory Slot Repair

It seems like they know something about this issue. My guess is that they will reflow the solder connections to the memory slots or totally replace the sockets. Hammerhead Tech has been around for quite awhile. I think I bought an LCD ribbon cable from them a few years back.

Has anyone tried Hammerhead Tech to repair their slot? I was thinking about calling IBM and vent about it, but it seems from what I'm reading here it just pointless. For $65 to get it repaired seems reasonable. Of course, if they mail it back, then might not be a great deal lol..jk....seems like they have pretty good feedback on ebay. Anyhow would love to hear about other possible solutions to this. Thanks!

rlknapp1 · #78 Post by **rlknapp1** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:55 pm

I had tried the pieces of paper in the slots and worked fine for a while, then started having issues. The memory slot was starting to fail again and again, and I got tired of having to take the memory chips out and replace them. (seemed to get it to work until I rebooted again)

I read in this thread about Hammerhead Tech, and contacted him to find out what it cost. Then last week I just "bit the bullet" and I just had mine fixed.

The cost was $65 to have it fixed and shipped back. I spent another $35 here locally for a padded box and cost to ship it via ground to him.

It arrived today and both slots now realize each of the 512MB chips installed, and works like a champ.

I highly recommend these guys ...

Darrell Pierro
Hammerhead Technology, Inc.
1406 Locust Street
Chico, California 95928
800-951-9868
530-896-0490
Fax 530-896-0493
www.hammerheadtech.com

The repair comes with a 90 day warranty.

Someone asked if anyone had tried this, so thought I would report good results here for all of you having problems. Seems cheaper than the $165 to IBM/Lenovo.

Hope this helps you too.

tom_k · #79 Post by **tom_k** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 2:42 pm

@rlknapp1

Thanks for your feedback, do you see any traces of the work ?
If so it would be nice to make some hi res macro- pictures.
A standard digi-cam with a magnifying Glass would serve.

Six_Shooter · #80 Post by **Six_Shooter** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 6:59 pm

Thanks to this thread, I now have 786 MB of RAM in my T30.

Kind of a mixed blessing.

I now know why it wouldn't work before, but also confirm there is a problem with this lappy.

Anybody know what the root cause is?

Would re-flowing the solder repair the front socket problem, or would I have to replace the front socket completly? I do have a Toshiba that is for parts sitting next to me with a most likely good DIMM socket, that I could pirate form it. I just looked and there is actually two sockets, one that is "inside" (under the keyboard) and one that is accessable from a removable panel under the laptop.
I would really like to get this resolved on my own, so that I can install 2 GB of RAM, just because of plans I have for this lappy in the future.

Six_Shooter · #81 Post by **Six_Shooter** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:40 am

I got the beeps of death tonight, FACK!

Now I can only run the rear slot.

If anyone KNOWS what the root problem is I'd really be interested in what it is, I want to fix this.

#82 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:29 am

harryc posted this in another post (about someone with bad T23 slots):
http://www.omskakas.se/2007/07/thinkpad ... ilure.html
It may hold the solution!

Six_Shooter · #83 Post by **Six_Shooter** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:13 am

Thanks for the reply. I did end up finding that very page a couple nights ago, while trying to search for information on this problem.

prabhath · #84 Post by **prabhath** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:54 pm

Any one have any updates on this issue? I've had my T30 since 2003 and have had this problem twice, once in 2003 and once in 2005 and again just a few weeks ago.

The 1st time, the board was replaced.. The 2nd time there was an EC where a HDD clip spacer was installed and a new DIMM door.

They won't replace it even after 3 levels of technicians -- It's bad policy from IBM/Lenovo since I've had the problem 2 times already in the past few years and they've replaced it for free.

Anyone know of any lemon laws or FTC laws that might apply? It seems like they never really fixed the problem -- But I'm not about to be hit with a >$400 bill by sending it in and having them deem it "billable".

Well one things for certain -- IBM/Lenovo's lost a customer (not just for laptops!). This laptop was $$$ -- my cheapo Dell laptop has lasted longer with ZERO problems -- for 1/4th the cost.

slawekku · #85 Post by **slawekku** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 4:59 pm

I greet heartily users of this respectable forum.
To apologize for the poor acquaintance of English. I use the translator.
I had also problems with the memory in my laptop. I bought my T30 in 2002.
In the guarantee period twice one exchanged me the motherboard in 2003.
I had by machinery installed two modules of the memory after 256Mb.
The computer few and far between saw the all memory. Most often acted the correctly one half of the memory.
After the last exchange the laptop worked well very long. The matherboard has a signature 99kzgy0. Unfortunately not long ago the problem came back. Now the computer stopped himself whatever to start. Few and far between appeared only the starting logo IBM and the computer hung himself. Because the laptop was not already on the guarantee, the problem I had to dissolve myself. I suspected that was this guilt of the memory. I understand a little on the electronics and I decided to solder on again both joints to fastening of the memory. I used to this the soldering station PACE HW-100 and the tip cardridge 1124-0035-P1 named "Angled MiniWave, 2.4mm". Necessary was also the good flux. I used Brown Flux Jelly from Warton. The work it is necessary to perform very sensitively. After the perfect repair the laptop works very well. Both memories are visible. Additionally I exchanged one on greater and I have now 768Mb RAM. I invested also into the new HDD ( 7200 RPM) disk and the computer works as new.

Regards
Slawek

agent86oz · #86 Post by **agent86oz** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 1:07 am

Ok I read all the posts and got out my 10x eye loop magnifier and with a lot of light I was able to press lightly on the memory slot and see there were extremely fine fractures in a couple of the pins soldered to the motherboard.

What has happened is IBM did not put anywhere near enough solder on the pins.

Ok you must be very experienced in soldering surface mount components to proceed.

I used a gel flux and reflowed the solder on the joints adding just a little solder to the iron. Even then some started wicking up into the vertical part of the pins and it took a lot of patience to reflow and gradually remove the excess. This socket was a lot harder to resolder than surface mount Integrated Circuits due to the shape and the way the pins lift so high on the board so be warned.

If you do not understand the above 100% then more than likely you will destroy the board or short out pins causing the computer to completely fail.

In my opinion pushing paper under the cover will help those pins to connect for a little longer but will likely stress other parts of the board and more than likely stress the second slot making the computer unusable.
I got away with only soldering the easily accessible side of the slot, good luck if you try to get the pins where both sockets face each other as you have limited access and it is hard to see. That is I only soldered the front side of the front slot.

Given time I am betting the rear slot will fail as it does not have enough solder either. There must be just a bit more pressure on the front slot to cause the early failure.

This quality is not what one would expect of a T Series IBM but we are in the disposable age I guess.

dave47 · #87 Post by **dave47** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:54 am

Old thread, but didn't want to create a new one...
Before I send my T30 to Hammerhead I want to make sure that my laptop's issues are coming from my bad memory slot. It took a while to figure out what was wrong with it because I originally bought the T30 refurbished and was supposed to be 512mb ram, and thats what the computer told me. It has been freezing for a long time but have never figured out what was wrong with it until now. At random times it will freeze and the screen fades to white(usually), and sometimes if I bump it, it will cause it, and if its bumped while frozen it will do some weird stuff but won't snap out of it. I figured out there was a problem when I opened it up and saw two 512 sticks of ram in there. Would the bad memory slot be causing all this? Its not software because I restored my computer and it didn't fix anything. Please tell me that its the memory slot causing the consistent freezing.

#88 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:33 am

Try to start it with only 1 RAM stick, then the other stick in the same slot. Then do the same with the second slot. That way you should be able to tell which slot does not work (or intermittently) and/or if you have a bad RAM stick.
Also, run Memtest86+ a couple of cycles on each configuration above, as well as on both sticks.
http://www.memtest.org/

dave47 · #89 Post by **dave47** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:41 pm

I have not ran memtest but I will try that. I have narrowed down which slot is bad (front), and both RAM sticks work. Thanks

Lightning · #90 Post by **Lightning** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:35 am

I'm a little baffled as to why nobody has posted pictures of; (a) the bad solder joint(s) shot in a decent macro mode, (b) macro shots of soldering and how intimidating it can be, (d) pictures & specs of the equipoment you'll need if you're brave enough to try home repair, or (d), pictures of exactly how someone inserted cardboard, rubber bands, popsicle sticks or whatever that worked.

This seems to be a significant problem and I'd be happy to host the pictures if it can't be made into a sticky for all T30 owners here in the forum. I would also suggest including information on whether your T30 is somehow still covered under warranty, and perhaps more information about the possibility of IBM/Lenovo's responsibility to repair a design flaw because of some FTC law (which someone has suggested). There has to be a lawyer or at least a paralegal in this forum... counselor(s)?

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