Dug a t-23 out of the trash!

Message

Trainwire · #1 Post by **Trainwire** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 12:43 pm

It has no hard drive, and and starts with the 1-3-3-1 beep code,
which according to my research suggests a main board.
I tried swapping the memory around, and nothing changes.
It also needs a hard drive.

Is there any way to test the display before I go buy a main board and drive.

Came with the dvd/cdrw drive and the floppy. and the power supply.

It appears the battery is decent but not new.

Would you put money in it?

Thanks
from Lancaster PA

vanaya · #2 Post by **vanaya** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 12:50 pm

1-3-3-1 beep is incorrect ram or no ram. T23 uses low density pc133.

edit: Heck yeah, I would...

#3 Post by **carbon_unit** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:07 pm

Once you get the right memory in it and it will boot go get PC Doctor http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... iagnostics and it will have some diagnostics on it for the T23.

Trainwire · #4 Post by **Trainwire** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:55 pm

For the replies.

I will see what I can find for memory and get back to you.

Website · #5 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:05 pm

The 1-3-3-1 can also be the main board, as you have stated. There was just another thread in here today from someone else with a T23 and rkawakami stated that he was able to get the ram to read, by placing something between the ram and the ram cover to hold the ram in tight...

I am going to try this on a T23 that is giving me the same error, as soon as I can get home. (wife is in the hospital, after having a baby this morning)

SpeedEng · #6 Post by **SpeedEng** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:31 pm

tfflivemb2 wrote:
I am going to try this on a T23 that is giving me the same error, as soon as I can get home. (wife is in the hospital, after having a baby this morning)

wow you really love your ibm

heh

congrats!!

joester · #7 Post by **joester** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:36 pm

A free thinkpad and a baby in the same thread!

Congrats to both!

jamerslong · #8 Post by **jamerslong** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:11 am

could you tell em the location of this mystical thinkpad dispenser?

Trainwire · #9 Post by **Trainwire** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:16 am

Sorry guys, this is the first thinkpad I 've found. It comes from a long habit of watching trash cans and dumpsters.

I am going to try this on a T23 that is giving me the same error, as soon as I can get home. (wife is in the hospital, after having a baby this morning)

Congrats!! Have two of them myself. Although mine are turning 12 and 15, and I will have to hide my newfound piece of technology from the older one.

I am going to try the paper trick before I buy a replacement mother board.

TW

Trainwire · #10 Post by **Trainwire** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:31 am

paper thing didn't work.

Now any body have an online exploded parts view so I can figure out how to get this thing apart?

vanaya · #11 Post by **vanaya** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:53 am

You can get the Hardware Maintenance Manual from here. You can also go to lenovo.com and plug in your model number from the bottom of the case and get detailed info of what the original model shipped with. Hopefully you will have it working in no time.

phool@round · #12 Post by **phool@round** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:19 am

"paper thing didn't work."

That tells me the RAM sockets are tight which is good.

What is the model number and the date of manufacture?

I can assume that if it was an easy fix it wouldn't have been "found" where it was *but* if the board is beeping that's great news to me, it's not fried.

I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is, just need those two facts to be certain.

Steve, do you own a magnifying glass?

Trainwire · #13 Post by **Trainwire** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:37 am

t-23

2648-eu2, s/n 78-hgmnl, 4/02

now that I am high bidder on a system board on ebay.

I will still try and fix this one, if you have suggestions.

I have fixed lots of things by resoldering broken joints.

Tw

you know you're past it when you start feeling like the morning after the night before.

phool@round · #14 Post by **phool@round** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:13 am

Steve, I would've held up buying a new board until you've lit the screen because that might be your next purchase if the bulb has gone south.

The mainboard if it's beeping is still a good board since it's telling you where the problem is and a mainboard can cost you as much as buying a complete working system.

Thanks for providing the model and date, duly noted. PM sent, let me know what the outcome is.

phool@round · #15 Post by **phool@round** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:27 pm

Anyone have an updates? Trainwire, tfflivemb2?

Trainwire · #16 Post by **Trainwire** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:05 pm

Ok, here's an update,

Got a system board off of ebay, plugged the whole shooting match together and pushed the button.

beep,
beep,beep,beep
beep,beep,beep
beep

Is it possible that I have two sticks of memory that has gone bad?
Nobody around here has anything to test it. I cam up with another peice of pc 100, that doesn't work either. What am I missing?

I thought board originally because I tried each stick by itself in both sockets. Nothing worked. I have never seen memory go bad befoere.

Any body have any suggestions?

I would be willing to buy some memory at this point, but I would like to know if there are any other possiblities first.

Thanks

#17 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 4:38 pm

It's possible that both modules have gone bad, but it would be a very rare occurrence. Also, PC100 modules should not work in the the T23. That system requires PC133. If all you have are PC100 modules, then that's a problem.

Assuming that your modules are PC133, if you have now tried two different motherboards and they both emit the 1-3-3-1 beep code, then my money is on the modules being bad. I thought that you had at least been able to get the original system to boot by changing around the modules, but I re-read the entire thread and that doesn't seem to be true. Must have mistaken this thread for another.

Modules could have been electrically damaged by the motherboard (overvoltage or short) or there may be a problem with the special memory that's on the modules which is supposed to tell the laptop what it is. This is known as the SPD information. I've run across two such problems with members here:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=27864
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=34684

Both were correctable. If your modules are PC133 and you can't find somebody locally that has a PC133 laptop so you can test them in there or you install some other PC133 module in your system and it works, then I might be able to verify what is wrong with your modules.

By the way, exactly what kind of modules do you have? Any part number/characters on the label(s) would be helpful or you can email be a picture of them (use the email button in any one of my posts).

Trainwire · #18 Post by **Trainwire** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:50 pm

This is the sticks that were in it when I got it.

I will see if I can email a picture, my poor ol dialup chokes on pictures.

Samsung M464S1724DTS-L1L

In looking at the original Mobo with a high power magnifier and strong light, it does look like some of the socket solder joints might be cracked, or at least look like I would resolder them, until I take away the magnifier, and realize that my 10 cup a day coffee habit and wonky eyes and still way too big smallest soldering iron make that job nigh unto impossible.

Oh well, the web says generic memory for this thing is 16 bucks a stick,

will just one work? or does it need to go in pairs.

Thanks

Website · #19 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:16 pm

Yeah, it looks like Ram is the problem. As Ray said, the T23's require PC133 ram, not PC100...

#20 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:25 pm

Yeah, tfflivemb2 is correct, that part number is a PC100 module. The "1L" at the end is the giveaway. A Samsung PC133 module will have a "7" instead of a "1". Any single PC133 module will be enough to get the system to boot. Doesn't matter if it's 32MB or 512MB. Obviously, if you have to spend any money on it, don't go get a 512MB as that usually costs around $45. Find the cheapest PC133 module just to see if the system is alive.

edit: Added "Samsung" to clarify that a Samsung PC133 module will have a "7" near the end (actually, a "7A"). This may not be true for all other PC133 modules.

Trainwire · #21 Post by **Trainwire** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 8:33 pm

Drat,

Ok, I'll get back to you once I get some.

TW

Trainwire · #22 Post by **Trainwire** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:47 am

Dashing in the door, gasping for breath and soaking wet and dripping on the floor.

Bought a generic stick of RAM, 128MB from here. http://www.pricewatch.com/notebook_memo ... ad_t23.htm

18 bucks by the time it was in my hands.

Plugged it into the ebay mobo, and lo and behold the thing started up. !

Now the full disclosure. I dug this system out of the trash, but I know how/who put it there.

The memory that was in it when I got it is supposed to be the memory that was always in it. Do you think he is confused? Or is it possible that the memory has issues, Do you think that the CL2 thingy that was mentioned in other threads might be the problem? Or did the original mobo take a dump and take the memory with it.

I realize that grasshopper has many questions, but please allow an old dog to learn a new trick or two. Could Mr Kawakami's memory tester he's mentioned in other threads could make this stuff work again?

Well, even without any answers, I have a t23, no operating system as of yet, but at least it boots.

TW

phool@round · #23 Post by **phool@round** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:01 am

I think it was mostly due to being PC100........

I wonder if the other board works......might have something to sell eh?

Cha-ching!

Trainwire · #24 Post by **Trainwire** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:47 am

The lap top was working fine, then quit.

I am reluctant to swap everything back only to have the old mobo fry my new memory. But for 18 bucks, it might be worth the try.

TW

#25 Post by **rkawakami** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:54 am

Hmm.. you could now have two motherboards with intermittent boot issues. Some of which I have been able to temporarily bypass with a TAB® procedure:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=50119

It's highly unlikely that one (or both) motherboards have altered the SPD information on the module(s). My guess would be that the original motherboard might still be good since you had PC100 modules in there. The replacement motherboard could have an intermittent boot problem. Since that one is installed in the base, try the TAB® on it and see if that helps.

The CAS latency issue (aka, SPD information getting screwed up) can be fixed in some cases. If your newly purchased PC133 module continues to refuse to work in your T23, with whatever motherboard, and can also be verified as non-working in another PC133 system, then I can take a look at it.

Trainwire · #26 Post by **Trainwire** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:10 am

The new memory and the used but new to me motherboard booted up just fine.

What I was trying to explain, was why did the old memory not work?

The guy who threw the computer away insists that the memory I got with it was the memory from new, so either somebody switched memory on him, or the memory got nuked somehow.

I was wondering about trying the new memory in the old mobo, but am afraid for fear of frying my new memory.

No matter what, I now have a functional t23 laptop, which means that I can finally keep my checkbook when I want, without having to toss the kids off of the family desktop. whoo hoo.

Thanks for your help, I will now go back to lurking.

TW

Dug a t-23 out of the trash!

Dug a t-23 out of the trash!

thanks!

Woohoo! A first for thinkpads.com?

thinkpad dispenser

Drat, but it was worth a try.

Yup, several magnifyers as a matter of fact

out the money and no further ahead.

memory modules

Memory? I forget

OK I'm back

old mobo

um, I don't think I made myself clear

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