SXGA+ on a X60s (non tablet)

[toshiro]

i have replied...

[toshiro]

hi erik,

how if I replace the LCD with X61 tablet LCD (with the modded cable of course) without the modded BIOS.
will it work?
at least until the modded BIOS is released by the owner.

thanks.

[toshiro]

hello erik... yuuhuuuu... where are you?

[erik]

without the BIOS your image will either stretch 1024x768 across the full screen or it will show 1024x768 in the center with a black border.

as i said previously in this thread, you can use an X61T BIOS on an X61s to get the resolution but docking and bluetooth with not work.   and, the X61T BIOS is unstable on a normal X61 due to the differences in thermal settings for the processors.

[toshiro]

putting X61T on my X61 will make me have a very big risk..
i don't think i have the gut to do that...

getting frustrated since there is no sign the BIOS will be released... :(:(

[crashnburn]

i'm still waiting to hear back from him on my last email.   we keep in good contact but he is very busy with his day job.

btw, i've sent you a PM regarding your X61.

Erik would you mind pinging him to ask for a little clarity on the T6x 14" UXGA Mod link that he posted in this thread ( http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=71752 ) with a whole bunch of links.

I'd be keen on getting clarity on the T6x 14" with UXGA mod and the X61T SXGA Multi Touch mod. (If that is what he has on that thread).

Thanks. Appreciate your being a great source of knowledge and info here on TP.

[erik]

crashnburn - the links are simply pointing to the various projects microwave has done.   there aren't any how-to instructions that i can see.   most require modded BIOSes, and microwave has already stated that he won't personally distribute them.

fwiw, adding a 14" UXGA panel to the T6x should only require a different LVDS cable or a jumper harness.   the BIOS already supports SXGA+.

[emconuk]

Would Lenovo ever consider updating the x60/x61 (non-tablet) BIOS to support 1400x1050 ?

emconuk

[erik]

Would Lenovo ever consider updating the x60/x61 (non-tablet) BIOS to support 1400x1050 ?

emconuk

there's no SXGA+ display that actually fits the X61 so there would be no incentive for lenovo to change the BIOS.   no manufacturer supports rogue projects like this.   sorry.

[emconuk]

so it would be 100% down to the community to get this stuff working....

eric: have you compared the BIOS you received against a stock one ? Have you identified the changes needed ? I'm thinking its some parametric data updates and then a checksum update.

[erik]

the change added the required SXGA+ microcode and updated the checksum to match.

unfortunately i don't (yet) know how to do this myself and haven't taken the time to learn.   all i know how to do is fabricate the jumper harness and mod the LCD parts -- both of which i had to learn on my own.

if someone else can figure out how to mod the BIOS (or tell me how to do it) then i might consider building some sort of a how-to guide on the complete modification.   but, until the BIOS is able to be freely distributed, this mod is going to be difficult for people to accomplish.

and, if there were enough requests, i would consider producing the cable in large quantities.

[emconuk]

but, until the BIOS is able to be freely distributed, this mod is going to be difficult for people to accomplish.

I am looking into this. This situation is a little chicken and egg. Without a modified BIOS it is not possible to be 100% certain the code is being modified in the right way.

From your postings and blog entry I get the impression your x61t/x61s panel merging hardware mods were slightly more than what one would need to do if the Boe.Hydis panel approach was taken. Would that be a correct impression ?

[erik]

From your postings and blog entry I get the impression your x61t/x61s panel merging hardware mods were slightly more than what one would need to do if the Boe.Hydis panel approach was taken. Would that be a correct impression ?

if you can find the panel by itself without a digitizer or writing surface then you'd save a few steps, but i doubt the panels are sold this way.   you don't need an X61 notebook panel to do the mod, either.   all it takes is a lot of cutting of the BOE-hydis panel.

here's a brief rundown of what's involved in the project.   i posted this in the moderator's forum a few weeks ago as one of the mods asked me what i went through to pull this off.

the guide would go something like this...
1. buy an $800+ X61 or X61s with a standard display (add $300 if you have an ultralight)
2. buy a $300 SXGA+ display
3. buy a $1500 crimper
4. buy $35 worth of 20-pin LVDS sockets and pins
5. buy 13' of $5/foot coaxial wire
6. buy $25/roll metallic fabric EMI shielding tape
7. buy $20 worth of kapton tape in various sizes/thicknesses
8. buy $10 worth of GE flowable silicone
9. modify an X61 BIOS to contain the SXGA+ microcode from a T42
10. compare LCD whitepapers and create a pinout guide for the harness
11. assemble the jumper harness
12. test and burn-in the jumper harness
13. modify the X61 LVDS cable to fit the system with the jumper harness
14. grind the inside of the LCD cover to accept the LCD
15. remove the digitizer from the LCD
16. cut/grind the mounting tabs off of the LCD
17. remove the writing surface from the LCD
18. cut the WLAN antenna grounds to fit the LCD
19. tape the LCD to the hinges, being conscious of fore/aft and height positioning
20. assemble all of the above

given this math it would take ~$2735 in raw parts alone unless you get an X61/s dirt cheap or free.   this doesn't include any extras like SSD, memory, modem delete, custom keyboard, soft-touch palmrest, or anything else.   in reality, my X61s required over $4000 (retail) in parts and development as configured.   thankfully my out-of-pocket was considerably less.

because of the cost alone (especially the cable pin crimper), i haven't been very proactive in making a detailed guide.   it's not easy for me to tell people to go out and spend $2700 on a crimper, cable parts, and an SXGA+ display on top of what they already paid for their X61/X61s.

[pianowizard]

1. buy an $800+ X61 or X61s with a standard display (add $300 if you have an ultralight)

Your X61s isn't an UltraLight model, is it? I always thought that UltraLight X60s and X61s have thinner display lids than non-UL models, so they would be too thin for the SXGA+ panel.

[erik]

Your X61s isn't an UltraLight model, is it? I always thought that UltraLight X60s and X61s have thinner display lids than non-UL models, so they would be too thin for the SXGA+ panel.

mine is a 7666-B7U and started life with an L7700 and a standard display.   it's the only model ever configured this way from the factory.   CTO configs forced you to pick the UL panel with the L7700.

besides being thinner, the UL display panels are located slightly higher in the LCD housing than the standard, making two reasons (thickness and location) why the UL LCD housings won't work with the SXGA+ panel.

the reason why you have to add $300 to UL models is because that's approximately what it takes to buy all the necessary parts from a standard LCD assembly -- minus the LCD itself, of course.

[emconuk]

and the cutting/grinding is not necessary if you use a HV121P01-100 rather than an x61t panel ?

I assume the cable crimper is a special LVDS one and not just gold plated !

or could something like this be used (pre-crimped cable...)

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/sear ... 740#header

[erik]

and the cutting/grinding is not necessary if you use a HV121P01-100 rather than an x61t panel ?

I assume the cable crimper is a special LVDS one and not just gold plated !

cutting is necessary on an HV121P01-100 regardless of whether or not it has a digitizer or writing surface.   this panel isn't designed to be sold seperately as it was originally manufactured specifically for lenovo.   there's even a lenovo part number on the same decal with hydis' part number.   the white paper even shows "FRU 13N7094" in the engineering drawing.   for all intents and purposes, HV121P01-100 is synonymous with 13N7094, not mutually exclusive.

the cable crimper has the smallest die size of any crimper i've ever seen.   i've been searching for a less expensive version for six months but haven't found one.   the pins are 0.7mm wide once crimped, making for a very small set of dies.

[emconuk]

the cable crimper has the smallest die size of any crimper i've ever seen.   i've been searching for a less expensive version for six months but haven't found one.   the pins are 0.7mm wide once crimped, making for a very small set of dies.

and that is the absolute maximum for the connectors in question ?
do you have a link to that crimper please ?

Cutting/grinding is not so bad. A Proxxon should take care of that.

thanks.

[pianowizard]

Hey, it just occurred to me that it might be easier to do this SXGA+ mod on other manufacturers' 12.1" 4:3 laptops. If this is easy to do on a Dell Latitude, that would be perfect for me because I prefer their touchpad over the X series' trackpoint. Has anyone tried this mod on a Dell?

[satyavel]

The specs for the crimp can be found in the BOE-HYDIS LCD datasheet (http://www.beck-oled-lcd-tft-display.de ... Rev.P0.pdf):
header: DF19L-20P-1H
socket: DF19G-20S-1C
socket crimp contact: DF19-2830SCFA
Datasheet for the header, socket and contact: http://pdf1.alldatasheet.co.kr/datashee ... asheet.pdf

All of these can be found at digikey (http://www.digikey.com/). Here are the items I ordered and the price. Note that I ordered more than required for backup purposes.
Index Quantity Part Number Description Customer Reference Backorder Quantity Unit Price(USD) Extended Price(USD)
1 2 H10758-ND CONN SOCKT CRIMP 20POS 1MM W/GRD LCD CONNECTOR SOCKET 1 0 1.48000 $2.96
2 2 H3129CT-ND CONN HEADER 20POS 1MM R/A SMD AU LCD CONNECTOR HEADER 0 5.57000 $11.14
3 30 H3151CT-ND CONN SOCKET 28-30AWG CRIMP GOLD WIRE 0 0.28000 $8.40
Subtotal $22.50

Alternatively, if crimping is a problem (I am going to try to crimp it manually using plyers) you can also use the Socket for FPC cable, DF19G-20S-1F.

Good luck!
Satya

[emconuk]

The specs for the crimp can be found in the BOE-HYDIS LCD datasheet (http://www.beck-oled-lcd-tft-display.de ... Rev.P0.pdf):
header: DF19L-20P-1H
socket: DF19G-20S-1C
socket crimp contact: DF19-2830SCFA

All of these can be found at digikey (http://www.digikey.com/). Here are the items I ordered and the price. Note that I ordered more than required for backup purposes.
Index Quantity Part Number Description Customer Reference Backorder Quantity Unit Price(USD) Extended Price(USD)
1 2 H10758-ND CONN SOCKT CRIMP 20POS 1MM W/GRD LCD CONNECTOR SOCKET 1 0 1.48000 $2.96
2 2 H3129CT-ND CONN HEADER 20POS 1MM R/A SMD AU LCD CONNECTOR HEADER 0 5.57000 $11.14
3 30 H3151CT-ND CONN SOCKET 28-30AWG CRIMP GOLD WIRE 0 0.28000 $8.40
Subtotal $22.50

Alternatively, if crimping is a problem (I am going to try to crimp it manually using plyers) you can also use the Socket for FPC cable, DF19G-20S-1F.

Good luck!
Satya

Hello Satya
Are you actually going to attempt this modification ?
How are you going to get around the BIOS issue ?
thanks, Martyn

[AvalonXIII]

This thread may prove useful to you guys:
http://www.51nb.com/forum/thread-705915-1-1.html
To see the picture, sign up to the forum. There are pictures of the LCD cable being connected into the LCD.
The pin layout chart is also there.
BIOS modification hints are also there.
Good luck.

[erik]

crimping will be less of an issue than the crosstalk you'll get from using non-coax wire.   but, that's not to say that crimping 0.75mm pins using pliers will be easy.   having the actual crimp tool makes life much easier.


here's the "cheat sheet" i built six months ago when i first started building prototype cables:

(edit: image removed)


here's a shot of my completed cable, giving away my "secret" in getting this mod to work:

(edit: image removed)


enjoy and good luck!

[satyavel]

Thanks erik for providing the cheat sheet. I obtained the bios through some means that I am unable to disclose. I will document my effort to get the LCD to work and post them here when it is done. I hope the availability of such documentation will encourage others to work on the bios and make it freely available.

[satyavel]

Erik, can you please let me know the repercussions of unshielded cable? I used an unshielded FPC cable for the jumper and LCD appears to flicker when there is a movement in the windows. I just would like to clarify if it is caused by unshielded cable or a defect in the LCD itself. I have not tested the LCD since I bought it.

[erik]

satyavel - if the flicker you see looks like scan lines in a television then you're getting crosstalk in your cable.   if you can't build the cable using 30ga micro-coax then my next best suggestion would be to isolate and shield both of the +3.3v power leads from each other and from the rest of the group.   also make 100% sure you don't have any cables shorted to ground or shorted to each other.   use a multimeter if you have one.   this should solve most of the flicker but you may or may not end up with a perfect signal using unshielded cable.   it's worth a try, however.

unfortunately you've discovered why this mod is so difficult.   in my opinion, building a proper cable is much more difficult than hacking a BIOS.

[satyavel]

Yes Erik the flicker looks like scan lines, I will apply your suggestions and see if I can avoid the scan lines. Thanks!

[lemarq]

Hello Erik.
Sorry for the little off-topic, but based on your great experience, would you know if a X60/s cable can work with a Boe Hydis XGA AFFS screen? I`m assuming yes, since it`s the same native resolution (read: no bios mod). My doubt is if the X60 cable will fit in the LCD connector with no mods (other than removing the digitizer)...
It happens that I already have a X60, and can buy a (really cheap) mint X61t XGA LCD.

Thanks for your time and sorry for my not so good english.
This is a great forum.

[erik]

lemarq,

welcome to the forum!

you are correct in that the BIOS wouldn't need to be modified to use an XGA AFFS display.   however, the X60T/X61T XGA panels use the same connector pinout as the SXGA+ display so you would need to build a jumper harness just like i did.

if you connect an XGA X60 tablet display into an X60 notebook, you'd cross +3.3V positive to ground and damage your planar.   i'd recommend against doing that.

[lemarq]

Thanks erik.
So I have some work waiting to be done. I really like the idea of a AFFS X60, even if it is XGA, not SXGA+...

EDIT: one more thing please: any thoughs if I could use the same inverter from my X60 (once the resolution will be the same)?