IBM X40 Mission--motherboard & HD

[laboye]

Hi all. I have a few questions before proceeding to buy things for an X40 I recently acquired from eBay. The original listing claimed it had an LCD problem that would require replacement. As it turns out, the motherboard was victim to what looks like a coffee spill. It shows lights and a believe it powered up the fan, but does *nothing else* when powered on. No image via VGA either. The LCD actually looks fine, but as I haven't seen it on, I can't say for sure. It was cheap ($53), but it looks like I bought the parts machine to another X40 I have in my crosshairs now. I'd like to see if I can further troubleshoot it (I'm prepared to buy that other X40 anyway). Any ideas for motherboard recovery? (specific things to look for, etc.)

I noticed numerous discussions regarding the hard drives that the X4 series will accept. It is my understanding that the X40 uses a PATA controller while the X41 and X41 Tablet use the SATA->PATA bridge. They came stock with 1.8" IDE HDs of 20, 30, 40 or 60GB (These are the only capacities available for this drive type, correct?), but can be upgraded further by using a different type of 1.8" drive.

As far as the other 1.8" hard drives go, I've seen Toshiba's drives (which have pinholes on the shorter side of the drive) and various other 'ZIF' drives which have the ZIF connector on the short end. Most of the talk is about the ZIF drives, but is it possible to use the other kind? Either way, I'd also like to know if there are any known incompatibilities and what, if any, are the best drives to use. Will any ZIF-IDE adapter [once modified] work?

SSDs are awesome, but far too expensive for my projects and I probably won't consider CFs, although they are rather cool. ZIFs it is! My capacity range is 40-80GB but if anything higher pops up for a reasonable price, I'll snatch it. What do you guys think?

-Eddie

[pgoelz]

I have never done this, but....

Since you only have $53 in it, I would be tempted to remove everything that unplugs and/or can be removed, put the MB in the dishwasher and then follow up with a thorough rinse with lots of distilled water. Then let it dry for a long time at slightly elevated temperature. If anything can get rid of water soluble conductive gunk from a coffee spill, that can.

However, if it was left powered for some time while wet, there may be conductive corrosion tracks that are probably not water soluble and MUCH harder to remove. It is also possible that some liquid ended up under components like the micro, and that might be difficult to deal with even if it is water soluble.

All this assumes that there is nothing left on the MB that can trap liquid. I have not looked at my X41 MD so I can't say for sure.

Paul

[laboye]

Thanks for the response, pgoelz. The X4x design seems pretty straight forward compared to other models I've worked with. I removed all of the heatsinks and plastic covers and disconnected the rest of the cables from the motherboard. There is also some sort of white corrosion on the USB port housings and the RJ45/11 housing. Any ideas what it is or what could cause it?

Also, does anyone know anything else that would cause these symptoms?

In an attempt to turn this machine around quickly (and expecting the worst), I've ordered an X40 1.4GHz Dothan/512MB motherboard and base for about $60. With the [presumably] good screen from this X40, they should work nicely. I've got nothing to lose with this board, but if I can get it working, all the better.

I'm giving the washdown a shot. I'll report back with the results, if any.

-Eddie

[pgoelz]

Well, if the "corrosion" is on the surface of the USB connector shell and not between pads or traces, it might be the residue of whatever was spilled. But if you see it specifically between traces or pads then it could be from eletrolysis. If so, it will probably be harder to remove. And even harder if it is between pads under components like the micro.

Paul

[laboye]

Hi. This laptop arrived in terrible condition. Thick layers of dirt, sand and dust (which was easily blown out) was under the motherboard and in small spaces, etc. The keyboard bezel/palmrest is cracked and so is the base. The LCD looks acceptable, though. I can salvage the keyboard (missing 1 key) and other wires if needed. I also have the WiFi card and modem. Not a bad deal, if the screen works ok.

The motherboard powered up but in the same manner as before. This time, however, when I pressed the power button to shut it off, it turned right back on and powered on the LCD. The backlight seems just fine, but the screen has several depression marks. It looks like something that would look fine once its up and running. The X40 board/base I ordered should be coming today. Lets see how it works out.

EDIT: I'd also like to go grab those hard drives. Gallivanting on eBay shows that my aim is score a ZIF HD below $1/GB. Does that sound about right? I'm looking at a Samsung Spinpoint M2 100GB (HS10TJB) and a Toshiba 60GB MK6014GAL. I haven't seen any bad marks about either.

-Eddie

[janko_wodnik]

Try to find LCD with defects in transistors layer, and with no "spots". Sometimes cracked LCDs have backlight layers in good condition.

It is quite easy to merge two LCDs into one, but remember, any dust or other dirt will produce defects on backlight layer after assembly it into one piece. Compressed air is good to keep dirts off the layers.

All best,
JW

[laboye]

Hi JW. I started toying with LCD guts about a month and a half ago. They're actually quite cool! I'll have a lookout for a broken LCD, but LCDs in general are hard to find for the X4x. Speaking of which, is there any way to repair loose display hinges other than replacing them? Specifically, this X40 has fairly tight hinges, but the display has 1-2 degrees of freedom to flop around in.

-Eddie

[janko_wodnik]

X40's hinges are great while compared to X20 series. Stiff and stable in general, but I found one weak point: mounting hinge axis (darker part) into hinge base (part with screw holes mounted to laptop base) is prone to getting loose.

I have taken photo of this location (hinge is already broken, lid-mounting part and rest parts are missing):


I droped few drops of quick glue onto mounting, and entire LCD gain stability.
But it works fine only for limited time – mounting is getting loose again.

[laboye]

Rats! I plan on selling the machines I get so I'm looking for a more permanent fix. If I buy someone's broken LCD I could probably use the hinges and the reflective backlight layers.

[janko_wodnik]

Please take a look on this topic:
X40 LCD problem

[laboye]

Please take a look on this topic:
X40 LCD problem

I ran across that thread before. My problem looks more like pressure and heat damaged the reflective layers themselves or at least the uniformity of them. The effect is static and becomes more noticeable at higher angles. I'm still hunting down the LCD...

So far, I bought:
The HD caddy and cover ($13)
3 ZIF/IDE adapters ($5.81)
A 60GB Toshiba MK6008GAH ZIF HD ($58)
Motherboard ($67)
Original broken machine (LCD & parts salvaged) ($53)

I'm waiting on the ZIF adapters from China and I still need to buy a battery, a broken LCD for the hinges and layers and the right Ctrl keycap and arms. Looks like its still a reasonable amount. The motherboard is the top X40 board, too! It has the 1.4GHz Dothan CPU with 512MB integrated RAM. Any input?

@janko: My X21 has the same hinge issue (tight, but with a few degrees of freedom). For this machine, I wouldn't mind gluing it. Would it work on this machine?

[janko_wodnik]

My first ThinkPad was (used) X20. And hinges was in very bad shape.
There was no way to repair hinges, because of bad design of mounting points (hinges without "long arms"), and general lack of stability of hinges mechanism. Also one of hinges was a little cracked, preluding total break.
JW