flaky x40 ac adapter

[phr]

The power going into my x40 is getting flaky--it drops out if the plug gets wiggled, etc.

Is this more likely to be the power plug (i.e. the part that plugs into the laptop), or the jack inside the laptop itself? Is it hard to repair if internal? I.e. is it just a matter of reheating some solder joint, or is there likely to be flexed circuit board with subtly busted traces? If I can see the busted trace I guess I can solder a wire over it--or is there a solder mask? I do get the impression this is a common laptop repair. But this machine is so old that I can't see spending $100+ to get it repaired by a shop.

[Harryc]

The X40 power jacks I see on EBay are the soldered onto the system board variety. You'll need to remove the system board completely to do this repair.
http://cgi.ebay.com/DC-Power-Jack-for-I ... 0139592015

[phr]

Thanks. A little experimenting and a voltmeter test seems to show that the problem was actually with the adapter plug. I switched to another adapter and it seems to be working better.

Is it difficult to get the board out of an X40? I'm wondering this because I'm thinking of upgrading the X40 with an SSD, and the expenditure is just on the hairy edge of not being worth it even if the X40 is otherwise in fine condition. If it's got other problems too I may be best off retiring it.

[Harryc]

It isn't too bad if you have had a laptop apart before and if you are organized and methodical as far as labeling removed screws and wires, etc. It's best to use the Hardware Maintenance Manual as a guide -
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 53683.html

[sjthinkpader]

The X40 is lower power than X41. Perfect with a not so expensive CF card type SSD. I have recently switched from a 32GB 233x CF to a Sandisk 32GB SLC SSD in my copy. Really a snappy machine. With the right setting, the fan won't come on much.

[phr]

Where did you get the Sandisk SSD and how much did it cost? I care about small-file and random write speed enough that the CF adapters aren't attractive to me at the moment. I am still thinking of getting one of the Lenovo or Kingspec SSD's from ebay, but it just seems sort of dubious spending $200+ upgrading an X40 in this day and age, instead of just using it til it drops and then buying a newer computer. Thanks.