Thinkpads Forum

[UPDATE: got a new mobo, and problem is solved. however, still having different problems because it's not entirely compatible with my subseries of T60 (see below).]

Hi,

This is my first time posting on this forum and I think the only way I can solve the problem I'm having is to either get advice or take this laptop to a repair shop. I much prefer the former, if possible.

Here is the info relating to my problem:
A week or so ago I popped open my T60 to take a peek at the CPU; I wanted to check it against the system info in Windows. I'd done this before, to replace the fan, and followed the instructions closely in my hardware maintenance manual. When I booted up up Windows again, the battery worked fine, but appeared not to be charging. The Adapter light wouldn't come on, even when the computer is powered down. The battery is relatively new and so is the adapter, so I thought it probably was a problem with the power jack, since the fan/heatsink (right next to the power connector wires) did come out with a tiny jolt when I removed it. I tried unconnecting/reconnecting the power connector to the motherboard, but no dice.

Now it is about a week later and I have received a replacement jack I ordered off ebay. Installed it, and problem's not fixed... will power up with the battery (which is now at 25%) but it won't charge. There is a possibility I erred here, as the part I received claimed to be compatible with the T60 as well as several Z6* models. The wires from the jack-end to the connector look a teeny-bit longer, and had to be bent somewhat to fit.

Now what I am wondering here is, from this info, do you think there may be something I am overlooking here? As you may be able to tell, I am not a computer engineer; I am just a user with some amateur experience in taking my computer apart. Can you help me out? Thanks thinkpad peeps.

Welcome to the forum.
Was your laptop switched off when you removed the fan?
And did you unplug its connector before you pulled the fan out?
Please explain the "tiny jolt", was that an electrical shock?
Did you remove/replace the thermal paste between CPU and fan?

Hi, and thanks for your reply.

yes, laptop was switched off before I did any taking apart. also the fan connector was unplugged before I pulled it out.
sorry, when I said "jolt" I meant that the fan was stuck because of the wires from the dc jack being pressed against one side of it, and so it came out more abruptly than I would've liked. That's why I had suspected it was a problem with the dc jack when the battery wouldn't charge. (in case I forgot to mention, the green "plug" indicator light doesn't come on either.)

I did replenish the thermal paste on the CPU and GPU a bit before I put the fan/heatsink back in. But I try to make sure they're only paper-thin layers.

The tight fit of the fan next to the DC-connector cables happens on all T60 laptops.
So there was no need really to replace the connector, because of that 'jolt'.
I assume the laptop works with only AC and without the battery?
If not, you have blown a fuse somewhere.

The laptop will power on with the battery, and not with the AC adapter. The battery will not charge. Does this mean I probably blew a fuse somewhere?

So the laptop was powered off while you were working on it. But, was the battery and/or AC adapter still connected? If so, then yes, you almost certainly touched something that shorted out a fuse or something else in the power circuits.

Neil wrote:So the laptop was powered off while you were working on it. But, was the battery and/or AC adapter still connected? If so, then yes, you almost certainly touched something that shorted out a fuse or something else in the power circuits.

nope, I did everything pretty much by the book, according to my hardware maintenance manual. nothing plugged in.
Are there any answers besides a shorted circuit, or any way I can find out? I'm guessing if it was that, I would need to get another system board.

edit: I just remembered that I did use a can of compressed air to clean some dust out of the fan/back vents, and may have used it around the power jack, too. could that have caused problems?

Maybe I missed something - but why are you already assuming jack/mobo? Why did you not consider the simpler suspects (adapter/battery)? That something is new does not mean it will not turn out faulty...

dr_st wrote:Maybe I missed something - but why are you already assuming jack/mobo? Why did you not consider the simpler suspects (adapter/battery)? That something is new does not mean it will not turn out faulty...

well, my reason for suspecting the mobo or jack is that I had been working inside the computer.

before I opened it up to examine my CPU -- everything's fine.
after I put it back together -- won't charge.

So I guess I am assuming it had something to do with that, since I didn't fiddle with the adapter or battery at all. But I have no way to test that. Unless I get another thinkpad to plug the power supply into, I guess.

Paulofu wrote:well, my reason for suspecting the mobo or jack is that I had been working inside the computer.

before I opened it up to examine my CPU -- everything's fine.
after I put it back together -- won't charge.

So I guess I am assuming it had something to do with that, since I didn't fiddle with the adapter or battery at all. But I have no way to test that. Unless I get another thinkpad to plug the power supply into, I guess.

one thing I will note is that the adapter tended to get hot when I was using the computer. It still gets a little warm now just from being plugged into the power strip.

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Sir? Sir have you checked to make sure the laptop is plugged in?



[spoiler] bump [\spoiler]

youwonder wrote:Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Sir? Sir have you checked to make sure the laptop is plugged in?



[spoiler] bump [\spoiler]

yes, you're supposed to do that with a hammer, right?
[spoiler] jk, of course [/spoiler]

okay, I'm giving in and getting another system board. I figure that's my best bet at this point. I'd forgotten that this computer was, in fact, used when I got it. So a failure of some kind was bound to occur sooner or later.

If you tell me the exact 7-character TYPE (see bottom of laptop) or the motherboard's P/N or FRU (under the RAM modules),
I may have a replacement board for you.

RealBlackStuff wrote:If you tell me the exact 7-character TYPE (see bottom of laptop) or the motherboard's P/N or FRU (under the RAM modules),
I may have a replacement board for you.

Thanks for your offer, RealBlackStuff, and thanks for waiting on my reply. I'm sorry to say I didn't see it until I had already purchased another mobo, which I am having another problem with! The adapter and battery lights come on with the new mobo, but the computer won't even POST. You can hear it power on, but no visual on the screen & the computer shuts off again after a few seconds.
(I should also mention that I have tried reconnecting the LCD cable and switching out the RAM, no effect. The computer doesn't make a beeping sound with there's no RAM present either, which I've read is a bad thing.)

Upon more research I found that I purchased a motherboard that is compatible with T60, but not with the exact subseries I own (200748U), according to the FRU index in my hardware maintenance manual. It doesn't even have a GPU where it was located on my old mobo, which first worried me upon visual inspection.

my original mobo FRU:42T0120 "FOXCONN-SZN", (maybe an alternate assembly #?)
one I purchased : 41W1450 according to seller, but doesn't have an FRU sticker on it.

RealBlackStuff: if those numbers in any way help you to find me a compatible replacement mobo, I'd greatly appreciate it. My original one had a mobility radeon X1300, so I'd be going for something like that or better. Feel free to PM me if you want.

YGPM

Sounds like you were sold a board with Intel graphics. As for the problem you're having, can I assume you cleaned the thermal paste from the cpu and gpu chips and reapplied some high quality paste? if not, the board will go into thermal shutdown for lack of cooling.

In any case, whoever sold you the intel board should have explained what it was and that it uses a different heatsink/fan assembly. RBS will give you the right part and the info you need to get it working properly, so you're in good hands.

[UPDATE]

Okay, so, my problem is MOSTLY solved (thanks in no small part to getting a new board). however, I have a new problem that's not as big, but still perplexing to me.
After swapping the boards, the computer will not start up with the adapter connected to it. It will boot up perfectly fine with just the battery, and after boot up I can connect the adapter and the computer recognizes it and charges the battery. It is only when the computer is completely shut down and I try to start it up again that having the adapter connected to it produces a negative result. So it seems I need to keep my battery charged, or else I will never be able to start the computer up again!

I have tried this on multiple adapters, by the way, with the same result.
I have also made sure that nothing metal is touching any part of the board since I thought that may have had something to do with it.

(just a little extra fyi on the new board: since the GPU is designed differently than on my old board (it is an ATI X1400, with a diagonally oriented die), I had to take the existing thermal pad from my heat sink off and reapply a part of it to make sure it would contact the die correctly. applied a little thermal paste as well, and everything is hunky dory!)

I'm sure RBS would be willing to help you with this if you send him a PM, but in general with these symptoms I'd recommend doing a static discharge by removing the power and battery and pressing the power button ten times, holding a few seconds each and 30 seconds on the last, then try it with just AC adapter as a defective battery could cause problems like this.

Is this an aftermarket battery?

richk wrote:Is this an aftermarket battery?

it's been a while, but as I recall I got it through a local computer repair place from lenovo.
Does it sound like a battery problem? I guess I'm confused because the computer starts up fine on the battery. :\

It could very well be a bad battery. Does the machine work normally with no battery installed?

TuuS wrote:It could very well be a bad battery. Does the machine work normally with no battery installed?

no. In fact, the only way it won't start up is if the power cord is plugged in.

lemme describe this in a little more detail: if I plug in the power cord when the computer is completely shut down, the little adapter light comes on; if the battery's in as well, then the battery light comes on too. When I push the power button, though, both those lights go off instantly and nothing happens. (if there's no battery in, the adapter light turns off with same result.)
If I try again with JUST the battery, the computer starts up, but I usually have to do a static discharge (hold the power button 10 times, etc.) before that, after failing to start it up with the power cord.
let me state again that the adapter WILL charge the battery once the computer has started up, it's only when the computer hasn't started up that there are problems.

Mystery solved!
I shipped you the faulty mobo from a 2007-66U I was working on (check the BIOS).
Must have mixed them up when I prepared your package.
Another one will be shipped today.
My apologies for the inconvenience.

RBS: thank you for the replacement, it was timely and is working great so far!
Computer is booting up like normal, with and without the battery; battery is charging. Btw, I am using my old power jack, so that was never the problem.
Currently I'm using the adapter I purchased afterward, but not going to test the old adapter on this as I'm afraid it might been the cause of the problem. (It was making some weird "click"ing noises on and off before this happened.)

RealBlackStuff
I'm having the exact same issue on my t60, any chance you figured out the resolution to this issue? thanks!

Ken

paulofu says:

no. In fact, the only way it won't start up is if the power cord is plugged in.

lemme describe this in a little more detail: if I plug in the power cord when the computer is completely shut down, the little adapter light comes on; if the battery's in as well, then the battery light comes on too. When I push the power button, though, both those lights go off instantly and nothing happens. (if there's no battery in, the adapter light turns off with same result.)
If I try again with JUST the battery, the computer starts up, but I usually have to do a static discharge (hold the power button 10 times, etc.) before that, after failing to start it up with the power cord.
let me state again that the adapter WILL charge the battery once the computer has started up, it's only when the computer hasn't started up that there are problems.

The resolution that made Paulofu happy, was selling him another motherboard.
If you let me know your 7-character TYPE or the mobo P/N or FRU (under the RAM modules), I'll probably have a replacement for you.

I would like to find out what is causing the problem. I assume you had an exact problem and was wondering if you've figured out what the cause was/is? I'm a student on a student budget, can't go spending money when I can try to fix it, that's if you can please help me out with some tips

Thanks

Ken

I didn't have that problem, Paulofu did.
I sent him initially the wrong replacement motherboard, then sent him another one, that's all.
And I also don't know WHAT the problem was.

RBS,
Thanks for your reply, would you happen to know if there is a PDF of sorts floating around with cap, fuse, and/or resistor values for the T60 board? If so, can you point me in the right direction with a keyword/string to search for since I don't seem to know the proper terminology.

Ken