Thinkpads Forum

In hacking my ThinkPad tonight, I discovered an unused 8-pin connector at the back right corner of the mainboard (under the power button). Moreover, there is a place to the right of the connector to mount a small circuit card or connector to the rollcage. It has a screw-hole and a spot carved out to hold something but in that something's absence it has been filled with a block of plastic held down with a piece of tape. Lastly, the back of this mount point leads to a hole that passes through to the battery cavity and is large enough for a connector. The block of plastic covers this hole (slot really).

Now, my personal opinion is that this was going to be a connector to allow for a battery with integrated serial port (not enough pins for parallel) but it could be something more mundane like an attempt to remove the power/volume/ThinkVantage strip from the keyboard. That wouldn't require a pass-through to the battery cavity though.

I find it particularly interesting that the connector is on the mainboard and I wonder if mainboards manufactured later have solder pads but no connector. If Lenovo doesn't plan to use the feature there's no reason to have a connector.

I post this to pique the curiosity of people smarter than me. If anyone knows what this is or figures it out, please post.

Conspiracy theories are welcome too.

-darren

If I recall correctly, somebody found the hardware necessary for the Firewire connector on the mainboard for certain T4X models (In this case, I think it was a T40, but I am not 100% sure). An issue similar to this in Thinkpads, there are some T4X models that are "bluetooth ready" with the actual bluetooth anetnna inside but lack the appropriate Modem/Bluetooth part combo to take advantage of it.

On my Dell, I found a little bluetooth indicator, no LED behind the cover, but space for a wire. As far as I knew, there were no bluetooth-equipped versions of that Dell's particular model.

It is probably not un-common for hardware makers to put little "bare-bones" additions to the mainboard and other parts just to be sure that, in the actual customer's hands, there will be little to no problems arising from the basic implementation of said feature (e.g. placement, airflow, heating/cooling dynamics, etc...).

Darren,
Could you show us some photos of the connector and its surroundings?

I believe that is the SIM card slot for the Verizon (non-US) WWAN models.....

my X60 also has a SIM card slot adjacent to the memory sockets..
it looks like, and fits a SIM card so it must be like Mobile_Mike (who i just activated) says..

i have not looked under the keyboard on my t60P.. yet..

Argh - of course! I didn't think of that. I wondered if it was related to WWAN because that's the only feature I don't have but I couldn't imagine a pass-through to the battery compartment being related to WWAN

Oh well. I'll wait until the T70 for the return of the integrated serial/parallel.

-darren

Most likely it is the SIM slot for the upcomeing Cingular HSPDA WWAN card. You will be able to choose between the Verizon and Cingular cards just like you can on the new Dell Dx20 machines.

It might also be for the Sprint card which is currently available. I think most (all?) of their phones use a SIM.

-darren

Yes that empty space is for a T60 with a Cingular WWAN card. Here are a few photo's of the 2007-6HU loaner I got from Lenovo with the Cingular card:

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i88/l ... GE_009.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i88/l ... GE_010.jpg

I don't think Sprint phones use SIM cards, none of mine do.

In practice I've found GSM carriers like AT&T/Cingular and T-Mobile use SIM cards. I don't know if there needs to be a correlation between GSM and SIM cards, there just seems to be.

moore101 wrote: Here are a few photo's of the 2007-6HU loaner

1. How did you score a loaner?

2. Do you always open up loaners?

I have no idea what moore101 does to get one, but Lenovo and other manufacturers provide loaner equipment to companies to use for evaluations and to start building their images before a model is available. Whatever unannounced products they get are protected under an NDA, of course.

nonny wrote:I have no idea what moore101 does to get one, but Lenovo and other manufacturers provide loaner equipment to companies to use for evaluations and to start building their images before a model is available. Whatever unannounced products they get are protected under an NDA, of course.

Correct we get loaners to test new options and make sure our image is compatible (if it isn't I make it work). There is a NDA for unreleased hardware/software but since the Cingular equipped systems are now available shouldn't be a problem discussing it here.

Of course I always open the eval equipment up! Have to check build quality and ease of accessing serviceable parts.

moore101 wrote:Correct we get loaners to test new options and make sure our image is compatible (if it isn't I make it work).

Ever get put in "loaner jail" by IBM because you kept something too long?

nonny wrote:

moore101 wrote:Correct we get loaners to test new options and make sure our image is compatible (if it isn't I make it work).

Ever get put in "loaner jail" by IBM because you kept something too long?

The C100 I got from Lenovo back in march (first US reviewers) kept getting forgotten about to ship back . I think after 2 months or so I finally let them have it back. It was just so fun to use

own6volvos, do you go by "dietcokefiend" on NBR by any chance?

-darren