Quick X220 LAN port repair
Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 11:10 pm
Having the Ethernet jack right next to USB port usually results in having a flash drive inadvertently plugged into it. Because of that, my X220 would only connect at 10 Mbps. The LAN port on the Series 3 dock gets 1Gbps just fine, so I knew the problem was in the jack itself. After thinking about it for a while, I though that maybe the exposed metal contacts on the LAN port got bent as a result of getting a a USB plug shoved into it.
I looked at the RJ45 port with a magnifying lens, and indeed the contacts were slightly bent downward. I removed the X220's battery (just to be safe), got needlepoint tweezers and used one of the tips to coax the contacts upward. After finagling for at least 15 minutes, I decided it was good enough. Put the battery back in, powered it up. Connected it to my X61 via a patch cable and 1Gbps link established.
I looked at the RJ45 port with a magnifying lens, and indeed the contacts were slightly bent downward. I removed the X220's battery (just to be safe), got needlepoint tweezers and used one of the tips to coax the contacts upward. After finagling for at least 15 minutes, I decided it was good enough. Put the battery back in, powered it up. Connected it to my X61 via a patch cable and 1Gbps link established.
Indeed this problem of attempting to plug a USB connector into an RJ-45 port is quite common, and it is good to know that in case something gets broken, the fix can be quite simple. 