Upgrade T60 XGA to 15" UXGA. Need guidance

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carson24 · #1 Post by **carson24** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:39 pm

Hi all,

I just recently acquired a T60 15" XGA w GMA950 and looking to upgrade the screen to the UXGA IPS flexview.
I read through about 20 pages on this forum and couldn't figure out what exactly needs to be replaced for this mod (e.g., inverter, cable, etc...) or is it truely a direct plug and play replacement?

Can anyone please offer suggestions and where to purchase the needed parts. I'm looking to upgrade this laptop so I can do some quick and dirty photoshopping while on the road.

Thanks guys!

bgalakazam · #2 Post by **bgalakazam** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:44 am

You need the screen and the inverter. I have just upgraded an XGA to QXGA, but it uses the same inverter for UXGA.

DO make a note of the LCD cable, or you will have trouble assembling it back without it sticking out.

#3 Post by **Johan** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:46 am

Welcome to the forum!

If you Google for ”T60 GMA950 UXGA site:forum.thinkpads.com” the very first hit you find is 15" T60 with GMA950 and Flexview UXGA – now, isn’t that easy?!

Youl’ll need the Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T60/p (models having 4:3 format LCD’s) and you’ll want to see what parts are different between the XGA T60 and the UXGA – go to System service parts - ThinkPad T60, T60p (models having 4:3 format LCD’s) and on to 15 inch LCD service parts - ThinkPad T60, T60p (models having 4:3 format LCD’s). At the latter page, you’ll see that the cabe assembly is the same (for XGA, SXGA+ and UXGA) T60’s, while the inverters are different -so you’ll need an UXGA inverter (FRU = 42T0079).

You may also want to browse the thread Upgraded 15" T60 to UXGA... nice! and the sticky LCDs on T60/T60p - types, availability and other discussions for more information about the difference between the various UXGA panels offered for T60’s. Obviously you may be prepared to do a bit of reading, but now that I’ve pointed you to the specific threads, I hope you are OK with that.

When you are all set for swapping the LCD, notice the advice(s) about this task in e.g. T43 LCD cover incl. the advice by Robbyrobot in this post.

Google yourself for e.g. ”T60 LCD replacement” to find much more information about swapping LCD’s – there are plenty of ”do-it-yourself” guides out there on the internet, such as e.g. this or this.

Where to purchase the parts? Either eBay.com or the Marketplace on this forum. Be sure to get an original panel made specificly for a T60, and not to some "compatible" panel (owing to the EDID issue; see more about this e.g. in the thread T60 LCD compatibility?). The eBay seller cgsplcd (who is also a forum.thinkpads.com member under the same name) is getting very fine feedback for his panels.. search yourself for more information about "cgsplcd" on eBay (see e.g. the adertisement HV150UX1-101 compatible HV150UX1-100 13N7076 for T60 T42 and/or search here on the forum for more information

Good luck with your upgrade, and please keep us posted!

Johan

#4 Post by **ZaZ** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:06 pm

You can buy the screen here. I believe a number of forum members have bought from them and have had good results. I would ask if there's any blemishes on the screen. They had some UXGA screens before than had blemishes. I don't know if they sold those or made a new listing. I was going to get one for my R60e and the ones they were selling then had defects, though were rated A.

Check out the service and training site too for videos showing how to replace the LCD.

carson24 · #5 Post by **carson24** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:51 pm

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

Johan- Thanks for the informative note and useful info provided.

I just ordered the 13N7076 panel from cgsplcd and also the lcd inverter (42T0079). According to the spec sheets, the LCD cable (91P6985) is the same one used on both the 15"UXGA and 15"XGA so I didn't need to get that.

I'll let you guys know how the swap goes once I receive all the parts

-Carson

#6 Post by **Johan** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 12:52 am

carson24 wrote:Johan - Thanks for the informative note and useful info provided.

My pleasure!

By the way, if you discover (and I am by no means saying thay you will, but just in the case if you do) that you are perhaps not completely safe with swapping the LCD's on your own, you may perhaps want to contact forum.thinkpads.com member Brad who is living "fairly near" you (Brad is in Huntington, NY 11743) and who might be willing to assist you. Brad is an expert in ThinkPad's, so just a hint.

One optional suggestion: Now that you've pulled the trigger to substantially upgrade your T60 - and I am sure that you won't regret this upgrade! - I just want to point your attention to another potential upgrade which will substantially improve your T60: Replace the existing slow (although inexpensive) mechanical hard drive with a super fast solid-state drive (SDD)! Doing so will boost the performance of your T60 to a very, very pleasant level! My personal favorite in SSD's is the Intel X-25M, although there are many different SSD's available. If upgrading to a SSD, consider at the same time upgrading to Windows 7 (which has built-in to best support SSD's and which is very, very snappy with a SSD). About how to upgrade a T60 to Windows 7 and a SSD, see many threads on this forum, e.g. SSD Upgrade for T60p How-to? Need suggestions or this post as a starting point. Go to e.g. Newegg or Amazon and see folks feedback for the X-25M's, or Google for expert/user reviews etc.

You may upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 through purchasing e.g. a copy of the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User) which will allow you to install it on three PC's. Google for better offers (search for e.g. GFC-00236); some times you'll find it for $100. Also, you may try put up a "WTB" (Want To Buy) on the Marketplace on this forum... maybe someone has a copy to sell at an attractive price!

The above just a free suggestion for your consideration!

Johan

carson24 · #7 Post by **carson24** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 11:44 am

Upgrade successful. Thanks again for the info Johan

Received the following parts yesterday from:
1) Inverter Board (42T0079) from ebay seller 'new-think'. Fast ship!!
2) UXGA LCD (HV150UX1-101) from ebay seller 'cgsplcd'. Fast ship and very good packaging!!!

The install was pretty straight forward and took roughly an hour.

Next on the hit list:
1) Upgrade to 2x2gb PC2-6400 even though the intel chipset can only support 3gb (even on a 64-bit OS)
2) Harddrive. I was thinking the SDD but the cost is too high for a large harddrive. I've read reviews about the Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive 500gb and looks decent for what I need.
3) CPU. Probably going to pick up the t7200 or t7400 for ~$50 on ebay. Maybe the t7600 if I can justify the cost and performance

Thoughts...

XGA
http://www.hok97.com/potn/Preupgrade.jpg

UXGA Upgrade
http://www.hok97.com/potn/upgrade.jpg

Admin edit: Removed large inline images (163KB/178KB). Please keep them <50KB.

rumbero · #8 Post by **rumbero** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 12:19 pm

carson24 wrote:Upgrade successful. Thanks again for the info Johan

Received the following parts yesterday from:
1) Inverter Board (42T0079) from ebay seller 'new-think'. Fast ship!!
2) UXGA LCD (HV150UX1-101) from ebay seller 'cgsplcd'. Fast ship and very good packaging!!!

The install was pretty straight forward and took roughly an hour.

Almost the same here, and thanks also to the info provided by Johan in this and a few other threads.

I purchased the very same inverter also from the above mentioned ebay seller, but bought the HV150UX1-101 UXGA panel from ebay seller 'notebook-point' located in Berlin/Germany for a very competive price.

In addition to the UXGA Flexview display swap, i also replaced the laming T60 mainboard with a T61 Penryn mainboard equipped with an Intel X3100 GPU and a T9300 CPU, using the much less noisy T61 fan, and added 2x4GB RAM on top. Since mainboard FRU 42W7872 already supports Penryn CPU's natively, there was no need to flash any custom BIOS.

I might upgrade the resulting T61+ later in the future with an SSD, but at the current pricing policies i'd rather wait another year or even two for a better EURO per GB ratio.

It is really nice to have the T60 Flexview display goodness combined with the T61 speed and memory advantages!

duke1 · #9 Post by **duke1** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:58 pm

The UXGA the wide screen model? or the normal one?

#10 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:16 am

There are no widescreen Flexview panels.

pianowizard · #11 Post by **pianowizard** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:31 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:There are no widescreen Flexview panels.

You have forgotten the X220! But of course, for the widescreen T60/61, there were no Flexview panels.

beeblebrox · #12 Post by **beeblebrox** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 4:40 pm

What is the difference between the inverter for XGA and the one for UXGA?
The LCD cable is the same and the mainboard connector, too.
The CCFL in the LCD are the same.
So I wonder, why two different inverters???

#13 Post by **ZaZ** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:26 pm

Practically, it's not much. Even though Carson did swap the cable and inverter, I believe it's a straight swap on the T60, unless someone wants to correct me? You don't need to swap the cable or inverter to have it work. I have more experience with the R60, where I've swapped both the SXGA+ and UXGA flexview screens into R60s. I've never switched the inverter or cable and it's always worked for me, provided you're using the right screen. Take that for what it's worth.

rumbero · #14 Post by **rumbero** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:18 pm

beeblebrox wrote:What is the difference between the inverter for XGA and the one for UXGA?

Both the SXGA and the UXGA display share and require the same inverter FRU due to slightly higher power requirements than the XGA display inverter can provide.

carson24 · #15 Post by **carson24** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:35 pm

beeblebrox wrote:What is the difference between the inverter for XGA and the one for UXGA?
The LCD cable is the same and the mainboard connector, too.
The CCFL in the LCD are the same.
So I wonder, why two different inverters???

Hello,
To be honest, the only reason why I got the inverter is because the FRU was different according to the Lenvo manual link provided above by Johan. For $20 I didn't really care for the technicality.

For those interested in the Inverter and LCD cable part numbers between the XGA/SXGA/UXGA see below:
Part Name FRU
XGA Inverter 42T0077
SXGA Inverter 42T0079
UXGA Inverter "

XGA LCD cable wo BT 91P6983
SXGA+ LCD cable wo BT "
UXGA LCD cable wo BT "

XGA LCD cable w BT 91P6985
SXGA+ LCD cable w BT "
UXGA LCD cable w BT "

duke1 · #16 Post by **duke1** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:05 pm

did the t61 ever have the 15" UXGA? or just a normal non wide screen 15"

#17 Post by **ZaZ** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:21 pm

It did not.

ajkula66 · #18 Post by **ajkula66** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:26 pm

There were no "normal non wide screen 15" units in the T61/p generation.

Everything was 15.4" widescreen.

beeblebrox · #19 Post by **beeblebrox** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:09 am

Hello,
To be honest, the only reason why I got the inverter is because the FRU was different according to the Lenvo manual link provided above by Johan. For $20 I didn't really care for the technicality.

For those interested in the Inverter and LCD cable part numbers between the XGA/SXGA/UXGA see below:
Part Name FRU
XGA Inverter 42T0077
SXGA Inverter 42T0079
UXGA Inverter "

XGA LCD cable wo BT 91P6983
SXGA+ LCD cable wo BT "
UXGA LCD cable wo BT "

XGA LCD cable w BT 91P6985
SXGA+ LCD cable w BT "
UXGA LCD cable w BT "

Thanks, good to know.
In an R60 I swapped the old XGA with a new SXGA and it just worked. Even a Hydis UXGA was bright and clear. So I don't know the difference of the inverters.
Usually inverters have different currents. That is based on length and width of the CCFL tube. But all tubes in the 15" 4:3 are the same length and diameter.
Maybe the different number was just a different supplier...

Wiking · #20 Post by **Wiking** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:16 am

Can you post any pic or tell if it really that big difference ? I have SXGA+ and wanted to know if it really worth the price ?
Also, there is a big difference between my T5600 CPU to higher T7200/T7400 ?
HDD - I'm going to buy WD scorpio black 7000rpm. Can't effort SSD for the size that I want and a small one is not worth that.

rumbero · #21 Post by **rumbero** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:51 am

Wiking wrote:Can you post any pic or tell if it really that big difference ? I have SXGA+ and wanted to know if it really worth the price ?

Both the SXGA and the UXGA display share and require the same inverter FRU 42T0079, and since you have SXGA+ you probably already have the right part.
Only the one for XGA differs. In case you want to check first, the FRU is printed on the back side of the inverter board.

carson24 · #22 Post by **carson24** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 1:35 am

Quick update:

Got the CPU today (part description below) and complete upgrade took about an hour. Not bad for someone who hasn't done it before. Hardest part of the process was getting the plastic frame out (piece around the keyboard) without breaking the tabs.

The reason I didn't go with the T7400 or the T7600 was becasue the cost:performance didn't make much financial sense for the small jump in performance. Money saved will be spent on the SSD.

CPU Description:
Core 2 Duo t7200 2.0/4M/667 SL9SF from ebay seller sharpchips

CPU Upgrade:
http://www.hok97.com/potn/cpu_upgrade.JPG

Do you guys think I can now run Windows 7 64-bit with this setup?

ssd_thinkpad · #23 Post by **ssd_thinkpad** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:32 am

Wiking wrote:Can you post any pic or tell if it really that big difference ? I have SXGA+ and wanted to know if it really worth the price ?

It's absolutely not worth it for me. I have upgraded from SXGA+ LG/Philips to UXGA Boeys and I do not even notice a difference (I changed the display dpi to have the same dpi as before in win 7 settings). Not worth 20 EUR, but do it if you like to try something out and have fun with it - I had.

#24 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 7:12 am

carson24 wrote:Do you guys think I can now run Windows 7 64-bit with this setup?

You could already before you even started upgrading.

beeblebrox · #25 Post by **beeblebrox** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 7:05 pm

ssd_thinkpad wrote: Can you post any pic or tell if it really that big difference ? I have SXGA+ and wanted to know if it really worth the price ?
It's absolutely not worth it for me. I have upgraded from SXGA+ LG/Philips to UXGA Boeys and I do not even notice a difference (I changed the display dpi to have the same dpi as before in win 7 settings). Not worth 20 EUR, but do it if you like to try something out and have fun with it - I had.

There is a huge difference!
Over the years the Hydis will become slightly dimmer but still white as the CCFL ages. The LG-Philips will become very dimm and yellowish after only 18 months under constant daily use.

I have here several of those LCDs and the LG-Philips are just cr*p, because their CCFL age dramatically faster. And they can not be replaced because the LG-Philips is internally totally glued all over. I tried to exchange the bad CCFL, but destroyed the LCD (first ever for me).

fuvureju · #26 Post by **fuvureju** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:29 am

I bought a UXGA screen from swiftetctech on ebay to put into my T60 which currently has the SXGA screen.

However, no joy!
It displays on an external screen but not on the new laptop screen. (I get all the flashing lights on the onverter card too)

I have seen the cable is labelled fru 91p6950 which is when I do a search a T43 UXGA cable!.
The screen itself is labelled as HV150UX1-101

The ebay ad said it was T60/T60p LCD 15.1 UXGA FFS Hydis.
ad all the screen specs seemed right for the T60 screen.

But it does not display.

IS the wrong UXGA cable fitted? the HMM manual for the T60 says it should be 91p6983 without bluetooth or 91p6985 with bluetooth?

or is there a problem with the edid?

Grateful for any ideas

ajkula66 · #27 Post by **ajkula66** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:03 am

What's the FRU on the screen itself?

fuvureju · #28 Post by **fuvureju** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:34 am

Unfortunately, it does not state an FRU number (as supplied by a supplier on ebay Swiftectech)

thanks

ssd_thinkpad · #29 Post by **ssd_thinkpad** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:45 am

Without FRU your panel is not compatible, unfortunately.

dr_st · #30 Post by **dr_st** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:47 am

ssd_thinkpad wrote:Without FRU your panel is not compatible, unfortunately.

Can't it be remedied by flashing the EDID?

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