Thinkpads Forum

Hi guys, I have just successfully built a dream IBM laptop by swap all parts from 14'' 4:3 T61p to 15'' UXGA T60. Here is photo:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee17 ... 007032.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee17 ... titled.gif

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee17 ... 007031.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee17 ... 007030.jpg

Does anyone know how to transfer the clean plastic plate (wireless, bluetooth, battery indicators) from T61 to T60 safely.

MOD EDIT: No picture warning in the subject line, all overlimit pictures modified to links.

casperkid wrote:Does anyone know how to transfer the clean plastic plate (wireless, bluetooth, battery indicators) from T61 to T60 safely.

an x-acto knife if you're extremely careful and the adhesive ends up being reusable, otherwise just buy a new plate from IBM maintenance parts.

You are my new hero.

There was talk of this in another thread that pointed to a Chinese ThinkPad forum elsewhere, but a first-hand account of someone else managing to pull it off is invaluable.

The fact that the 14.1" T61p's mainboard fits in the 15" T60p's body is incredibly good news. Now I know what I need to do when I feel the need to upgrade, either to get > 3GB RAM or to switch to nVidia graphics. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Now, maybe you should try obtaining one of those IDTech QXGA FlexView panels, and see if you can make it fit in the 15" T60p and work with the T61p mainboard.

-- Nathan

Thanks for the report.

Excellent post. Now I wish I could actually buy such configuration

OMG... absolutely brilliant!

Are you trying to get a job in IBM/Lenovo? Maybe if you do as NathanA said and you further mod it to a QXGA flexview display you might get one! Then you could make customised laptops to us common mortals and board mateys

NathanA wrote:There was talk of this in another thread that pointed to a Chinese ThinkPad forum elsewhere....maybe you should try obtaining one of those IDTech QXGA FlexView panels, and see if you can make it fit in the 15" T60p and work with the T61p mainboard.

Actually, that Chinese thread was about putting a QXGA (not UXGA) panel into a T60p.

I wonder about sound connectors, firewire, etc... since they are not in exactly the same location on T60 and T61. What was your solution?

HIGH RES PICS PLEASE.

ESPECIALLY of all the ports and internal mounting points.

Gulp! Cc..can I..have your autograph? hehe...DUDE, that's awesome idea to get the best of both worlds. The T61p with 15" UXGA and IPS. You wanna build me one? I'll pay. How'd your learn how to do all of that? That's brutally ultracool!

brentpresley wrote:HIGH RES PICS PLEASE.

ESPECIALLY of all the ports and internal mounting points.

Hey, I took note of your configuration. Quick question. Do you know what the difference is between the ATI FireGL V5200 and the V5250??

Thanks...

andrey wrote:I wonder about sound connectors, firewire, etc... since they are not in exactly the same location on T60 and T61. What was your solution?

14'' SXGA+ T61's mobo and 15'' UXGA T60's are identical. All ports on the left-hand side are sticked on the mobo. Others (USB, fan, power, wireless, modem, shock sensor) are connected to the mobo via cables.

casperkid wrote:14'' SXGA+ T61's mobo and 15'' UXGA T60's are identical.

I wonder if the above is also true for 14" SXGA+ T61 & 14" SXGA+ T60…

If it is, I'm quite tempted to get my hands on a T61p mainboard.

Crunch wrote:

brentpresley wrote:HIGH RES PICS PLEASE.

ESPECIALLY of all the ports and internal mounting points.

Hey, I took note of your configuration. Quick question. Do you know what the difference is between the ATI FireGL V5200 and the V5250??

Thanks...

V5250 is X1700 based card, V5200 is X1600 based.

Slightly faster (VERY slightly), but you lose a few features w/ the dock (like >2 monitor support).

brentpresley wrote:

Crunch wrote:

Ahh...I see. So the V5200 is actually compatible with more monitors, and insignificantly slower, right? I'm new to graphics. My system is supposed to come with an ATI Radeon X1400, but came with the 256MB V5200. I guess I lucked out huh? And what does x1600/x1700-based mean? Sorry for the n00b q's. Thanks!!

Crunch wrote:And what does x1600/x1700-based mean?

It means they're the "pro" relatives of those mainstream gpus, it basically means they have different drivers that are compliant with certain specific software used professionnally, like CAD etc.

Casperkid - Please can we see some Hi-Res internal pic's of your T60p with the transplanted T61 planer. - Subscribed!

I second that. Would be lovely to see more details of the mutant

How did you find out that the motherboards were compatible?

kamaleon wrote:How did you find out that the motherboards were compatible?

someone successfully made the swap and posted details on a chinese forum a month or two earlier.   since then a few others have reported the same findings.

plus, 14.1" and 15.0" T-series have shared the same size system planar since the T42.   it was only a matter of time before someone took this bit of knowledge and applied it to the 14.1" T61 and 15.0" T60 chassis.

Perhaps Lenovo should hire you!

omg I want one now to replace my crappy wuxga samsung screen ... SHAME those models are not standard anymore.

erik wrote:plus, 14.1" and 15.0" T-series have shared the same size system planar since the T42. it was only a matter of time before someone took this bit of knowledge and applied it to the 14.1" T61 and 15.0" T60 chassis.

You mean, 14" and 15" use the same mobos, right? Interesting to know

Do anyone knows if the 15.4 WUXGA inch T61p comes with flexview?

Yes, no

No flexview whatsoever in WUXGA unfortunatly. Only selected 15" in UXGA and SXGA+ thinkpads ever came with the famous IPS screen.

Peak2Peak, you're SOOO right. 15" LCD 4:3 UXGA w/IPS AND limitless upgrades will be truly the best of both worlds.

Now that I upgraded my CPU successfully, and "got to go back in" twice more, to fix the paste for one, and then to attach the fan cable I had forgotten, as I did everything so fast...and the reason for that was because it was so EASY, I see absolutely NO problem with replacing the motherboard, where before, I would have had compunctions about it. Let's do it.

OHHH, by the way, we'll get the faster nVidia GFX card with the new mobo, too!!!!!! 4GB of RAM, 800FSB, etc., etc.

I currently see no reason to do it from a "need-to-have-it-now" perspective for myself, but if you do it, I'll be there. Anticipation is half the fun, anyway! Dude, you know how to get someone excited! haha...

This is a sport...a game...Let...us...play.

My name is Crunch, and I approve this message.

kamaleon wrote:

erik wrote:plus, 14.1" and 15.0" T-series have shared the same size system planar since the T42. it was only a matter of time before someone took this bit of knowledge and applied it to the 14.1" T61 and 15.0" T60 chassis.

You mean, 14" and 15" use the same mobos, right? Interesting to know

correct.   a good example is the 27K9912 planar which fits both the 14.1" and 15.0" T42p.

here's a great place to start when trying to play "legos" with thinkpads:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-39298

I can only say that it's quite welcome to see. Add that there is less clutter compared to the T40 series (was fine up to the front where the cleanliness stopped there) and you have a platform ready for this kind of modification.

The only issue will be getting those parts.

So putting a 4:3 screen from a 14.1" t61 to a 15" t60 works (this is 15.0" right?). Can you put a 4:3 screen onto a 15.4" t61p?

ninjaronin18 wrote:

So putting a 4:3 screen from a 14.1" t61 to a 15" t60 works (this is 15.0" right?). Can you put a 4:3 screen onto a 15.4" t61p?

No, you got it wrong. Motherboard from a 14" 4:3 T61p can be installed in a T60. LCDs can't be swapped around if the size doesn't match...