Thinkpads Forum

Hi!

I got a T500 with a destroyed screen, (damaged would be an understatement since the panel was broken, the lcd cover and cage badly damaged) and since I have a complete LCD assembly from a T61 lying around, I was wondering if I could re-use some parts in the T500

I know the T61 lcd cable doesn't fit in the T500 board. My idea would be to get a WUXGA LCD, the proper cable and try to re-use the T61 lcd cover and T61 lcd cage with the antennae. Will that work?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Yes.

Great news! Thanks

I'm presuming you're re-using the damaged lid since the direct swap is not possible AFAIK...

Oh no, I meant to re-use the T61 LCD cover and LCD magnesium frame. The T500 ones are badly damaged

I've never tried the swap myself, but am doubting that it will work...

Give it a shot - you've got nothing to lose but time - and keep us posted...

Good luck.

I've tried some swapping between the T500 & T61 15.4" myself. Here's the situation;

1. The cable and connector on the T500 is wider than the T61, so cables are unique.
2. The LCD cover, magnesium subframe, bezel and hinges are all unique for each model, HOWEVER, the hinge designs where they attach to the base are the same, so a complete T61 assembly can be secured to a T500 base, and visa versa.
3. The cover clasps fit and hold perfectly with the T500 palmrest.
4. 15.4" T61's never offered webcams, so transferring over a T500 webcam would require some custom cutting, for sure!
5. Without question, you can swap the LCD panels between any 15.4" ThinkPad, any resolution - Z60m/Z61m/T61/R61/R500/T500/W500 - no need to swap LCD cables or inverters.
6. The microphone was moved from the palmrest area on the T61 to the LCD bezel on the T500. So, you'd need to make a custom hole for the microphone in the T61 bezel. The microphone on the T500 is found on the LCD cable, near the Bluetooth connector.
7. The Bluetooth securing screw slot seems to be shifted a little between the T61 and T500, so if you have Bluetooth, the module may not be able to be secured with a screw. However, I don't think it's going to go anywhere, tucked into the tight space below the LCD bezel.

Bottom line (so far), it might be possible to use a complete T61 assembly with a T500 LCD cable (and small plastic T500 cable roller found at base of cable) on a T500. However, since the T500 cable is wider, slight custom cutting of the frame/bezel/cover might be required to accomodate the T500 LCD cable. Update, I have all the parts in my spare parts bin, it would be a really tight fit, but the T500 cable just might fit without any modifications.

Bonus info: The T500 LCD assembly is much easier to disassemble/reassemble.

underclocker wrote:Here's the situation

Thanks a lot for the help!

My problem is that the LCD assembly of the T500 is unusable. Really. The magnesium case was cracked in both lower corners (and small parts even missing)

Getting new components like the lcd cover and lcd cable seems easy and affordable enough, but the few sellers offering magnesium frames I've checked so far are asking for a lot of money. So I was hoping I can re-use the one from my T61 that is collecting dust anyway.

The T500 LCD bezel is in fair good condition, is slightly bent and has only minor cracks. I hope that the electronics like camera and inverter are ok too.

I will keep an eye open on offers for a complete T500 assembly as well, or a complete lid with bad LCD. Let's see, I'm not in a hurry

Cheers!

T

Sounds like the right thing to do.

I updated my comments after reviewing my parts at home. The T61 assembly fits perfectly and the closure clips secure perfectly to a T500 palmrest bezel. I also added comments about the microphone and Bluetooth module.

Overall, a swap might be possible, but several things do need to be considered.

By the way, I'd offer you some parts, but my spare T500 frame (and cover) is damaged, probably like yours.

underclocker wrote: 4. 15.4" T61's never offered webcams, so transferring over a T500 webcam would require some custom cutting, for sure!

It's been awhile, but I have a memory of the webcam being an option in the configurator when I ordered my CTO 15.4" T61. I didn't choose it, though.

I actually swapped my t60 15" into the t500 15", had 0 problems

rsutoratosu wrote:I actually swapped my t60 15" into the t500 15", had 0 problems

I guess you were using the T500 lcd cable then. Right?

Clarification on the webcam issue. T61 only had webcams on the 14.1" wide screen models. Webcams were an option on the 15.4" R61 only

richk wrote:Clarification on the webcam issue. T61 only had webcams on the 14.1" wide screen models. Webcams were an option on the 15.4" R61 only

Interesting. It's obviously been a few years, but I remember seeing it. I suppose it could have been a grayed-out option, but I think I would have remembered that. Ah well...that bezel is incompatible with the T61 15.4" lid?

Short status:

I could grab a complete W500 WUXGA Lid assembly and installed it on the T500. Screen was supposed to be on working condition. After installing unfortunately I got the following problems:

- Screen very very dark, had to use a flashlight to see the details on the screen (e.g. when entering in the BIOS)
- Clear plate doesn't show signs of life. All lamps are off. No power lamp but the system boots. No WLAN, WWAN on although all components are installed. No battery charging light although a good battery is there.

I tried loading up the BIOS defaults just in case. No changes...

I had once a similar problem between X200/X200s (see here:http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=106396)

Is this a similar issue? What checks can I do next?

Thanks in advance for the help!