Thinkpad X61S SXGA+ upgrade

[Weogo]

Hi Y'all,

I got a nice X61S off Ebay with the 1.8GHz L7700 processor.
The screen has stripes through it, a fine candidate for an SXGA+ upgrade.

While most Ebay sellers note when they have the special UltraLight model,
it appears this seller did not know and did not mention it.
So it turns out I have an UltraLight display, and know I need the standard lid for
installing the SXGA+ screen.
(On the side of the lid I pulled the middle screw cover off, pulled the screw out and down in there is threaded Brass, which indicates an UltraLight panel.)

I paid for and a forum member has already sent to me an SXGA+ screen, custom cable and
three different kinds of tape.


My question is, do I need anything besides the lid?
Is there a different bezel I also need?
And, is the lid on the standard X61 the same as on the standard LCD X61S?


One more question, I need to re-solder a couple wires on the custom LCD cable, on the X61 connector end.
I'm fairly sure I have figured out what wire goes where, but does anybody have a correct
guide/table that I can check to be sure?


For anybody wondering, yes, I know I need to update the BIOS!

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[Weogo]

Hi Y'all,

Answering my own question:
I found a German site with the pinout table for the cable:

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... 3%25BCsten

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[mrj47]

Hey Weogo,

How did the upgrade go? I am interested in doing this too but I also have a UltraLight model. What was the price for the display and cable?

Cheers!

[Weogo]

Hi MRJ47,

The upgrade is a work in progress!

BIOS updated, 1400x1050 resolution enabled.

Custom LCD adapter cable connects and I have turned the X61S on and confirmed the resolution.
It was a bare-bones connection with everything lying open and there were a few random scan lines across the screen. this will likely clear up when everything is properly installed/grounded.

Mine was originally an UltraLight screen.
I read that the lids for the standard LCDs from X60, X60S, X61 and X61S are more roomy.
I got a replacement X60 lid and an X61 42X3937 bezel but the bezel doesn't seem to fit the lid, and the lid has the bosses for locating the Thinklight in a different location that won't work.
So I have a 42X4880 lid on the way.
Testing with the X60 lid, it is a TIGHT fit getting everything in there!
Getting the screen bezel on completely is going to be a challenge. For more bezel clearance I'm actually considering taking off the metal frame around the screen, and taping it together with electrically conductive tape...

No more 4GB limit on RAM, so 8GB loaded and recognized.

NO HD whitelist, so loaded Win7Pro on an Intel 320 series 160GB SSD.
Boots, runs, shuts down pretty fast!

Totally dead battery replaced with 8-cell that will hold about 50% of original charge.

I'll post more after the new lid arrives.

Thanks to Steve Mugiri and others for helping me get this far!

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[trmsw]

Testing with the X60 lid, it is a TIGHT fit getting everything in there!
Getting the screen bezel on completely is going to be a challenge. For more bezel clearance I'm actually considering taking off the metal frame around the screen, and taping it together with electrically conductive tape...

It depends what tape you use, but you may find that replacing the frame with tape doesn't gain you that much space - and you make the screen more fragile. Be careful of the connectors at the top and at the front on one side, especially the ones at the top.

For what it's worth, when I tried it I didn't dare tape the top contacts, for fear of breaking them. I left the top frame on, but then found that it was too deep. In the end I modified the plastic to fit the metal frame from an XGA screen. It worked really well. I was even able to add screws at the top & bottom to fix the screen to the hinges. The hardest part is trimming the top without touching the contacts.

Regards,
Tom

[Weogo]

Hi Y'all,

Update on my X61S SXGA+ transplant.

The SXGA+ screen was working fine before I got it.
Right now there are 'scan lines' on the left side.
Here's a close-up of the bottom-left corner of the screen:
http://weogoreed.zenfolio.com/p22611591 ... #h355af5b7

On the back of the screen, where the electronics are,
all along the top there are what look like ribbon cables going to the top edge,
probably to send the signals to different screen areas.

Messing around with the screen I found that if I push on the left-side ribbon cable just right the lines clear up.

I tried taping down the ribbon cable but that doesn't work.

Any suggestions on how to make this work?

Thanks and good health, Weogo

[RealBlackStuff]

Hire a schoolkid who needs extra pocket money, to keep the pressure 'on' while you surf...
Seriously, those lines are signs of faulty column-drivers. The contacts from electronics to LCD are made with a very thin film with embedded wiring, which is easily dislodged/damaged.
I doubt very much that you can fix that.

[projanen]

My X60T SXGA+ used to sorta do that but horizontally along the bottom. It had three warranty replacements in its first two years for that problem. While waiting weeks for the first replacement to come in, I found that steadily increasing pressure was necessary to clear the lines. In the end, my pinch proved insufficient, and a C-clamp took over for me (I didn't tell the warranty guy that part of it).

[Weogo]

Hi RBS,

Thanks for the reply, even if it is less than stellar news.

At this point it appears I have the opportunity to experiment.

A) I could put something between the lid and back of the screen, I was thinking of some soft foam, to take the place of a schoolkid for the pressure,
or
B) Attempt gluing the column driver in place.

Sure has been educational.

In the end I may just go with an XGA IPS screen, since that is the resolution I'm used to working with on the
X41 Tablet for one particular program that I use a lot, that does not scale, and
I will still have a pretty small, fairly fast laptop.

Projanen, I don't think I'll be able to fit a c-clamp in there! : -)

Thanks and good health, Weogo