T30 is one tough unit

[petemosss]

After numerous drops, bumps and assorted catastrophes my T30 finally bit the dust when my breifcase hit the windshield after I hit a utility pole @ 65mph. It'll still boot but the screen is toast. 120g Toshiba maybe 6 mo. old too but works fine. Previous problem with known memory slot, booting problem and failure to retain time/date even with battery change have me hesitant to repair this unit.

I have every docking station, adapter, drive and accessory known to mankind and really love this T30 but would like 2.0 USB.

Will any other models use my Ultrabay and other drives and devices?

Anyone have any good experiences with any eBay refurbishers they'd like to share?

Thanks! Pete

[Norway Pad]

Wow, 65 mph crash.. I hope the car and it's driver are better off than the poor T30..

I did a comparison like this between my old T30 and the newer Ts once. So I can only tell what stuff is compatible to newer T series Thinkpads. I don't know anything about backward compatibility to older Thinkpads, or other series, like X or R. Others will have to fill me in there.

• AC adapter - compatible with the entire T4x range, no newer. Probably also works with most other Thinkpads from this era.
  Docking - Not compatible with T4x or newer Ts.
  RAM - Compatible with T40 to T42 (And any older unit that needs DDR) Not T43. Depending on frequency, it might be slower than what works optimal in T41 and T42.
  Hard Drive - Compatible with the entire T4x range, no newer. (Also compatible with any older unit that needs a PATA drive)
  UltraBay - Not compatible with the T4x range or newer Ts. Thinkwiki has a good listing of these: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Ultrabay

However, if there are some Thinkpads that are compatible with some or all the devices from your T30, we are generally talking about an unit from the same generation. And I am not sure which one can offer you USB 2.0. So if you want to upgrade to a newer generation, like a T60, you are stuck. On the other hand, if you don't have the need for an upgrade in terms of computing power, can live with USB 1.0, and you really want to use your T30 accessories, you might want to look into finding another T30. I am not sure if a PCMCIA card can provide USB 2.0 speed in a machine that hasn't got USB 2.0 natively.

I don't know about any refurbishing services I can recommend, and it sounds like your T30 might benefit from both a new motherboard and new screen. Buying another complete working unit will give you a fully working unit, and lots of spare parts from your old one.

My advice.

[winslow]

I actually drove over my T30 with my truck and only had to replace the screen. It was a blessing in disguiese because I was able to find a higher resolution screen for it. It's been almost a year and it's still working good.

[lead_org]

My X31 uses the same docking station and Ultrabay 2000 drive as the T40. I think the T30 battery is the same as the R40. But given the age of this machine, you might as well sell of the parts and accessories, then use the money for later model thinkpads.

[FragrantHead]

I use an AKE, flush-fitting USB 2 Cardbus adapter, bought from eBay, in my T30. Here's a photo:

http://www.applelinks.com/index.php/mor ... orts_card/

NEC chipset. Not as fast as the built-in USB 2 in my T410, but obviously loads better than USB 1. Doesn't like being suspended, sometimes fails to wake up properly after suspension. Other than that working well.

[RealBlackStuff]

The T30 battery only fits in a T20/T21/T22/T23 (but a T2x batt. does NOT fit in a T30!), no other models.

[Norway Pad]

I use an AKE, flush-fitting USB 2 Cardbus adapter, bought from eBay, in my T30...
..Not as fast as the built-in USB 2 in my T410, but obviously loads better than USB 1...

Thanks! This is like the one I was thinking about. Flush mount and an actual speed gain over USB 1.0 are advantages that makes it worth looking into if you need USB 2.0 ports on the T30.