A31p antenna help!

[redsparrow]

Hi all,

Really want to sort out the wifi on my A31p and after looking through a few threads on this forum, i've concluded that my machine never came with antenna's installed. Now, no doubt this is a royal pain in the backside and i've tried locating the antenna assembly for the A31p (27L0684), however i've had no luck finding it. Can anyone point me in the direction of a compatible antenna kit for the A31p, and maybe any other tips you can offer before i embark on this project.

Cheers!

[ajkula66]

Your best bet is to find a complete lid from A30p or A31p and transplant your screen...

Good luck.

[ElbertR]

A quick Google search turned up 2 US part suppliers who sell the antenna FRU for $45. ACSOUTLET and THINKPAD-PARTS. Have bought and installed a couple of these myself in the past. Not too difficult, just follow the HMM.

[ajkula66]

While I agree that installing a set of antennae in an A3x lid is not a big deal, I'd question the wisdom of spending $45 for a set of wires when an entire wi-fi/BT equipped A31p can be bought for not much more than that...

[ElbertR]

Buying whole units for parts off Ebay can be a gamble. You'll never know if the parts you need will be in good working order...

[ajkula66]

ElbertR wrote:

Buying whole units for parts off Ebay can be a gamble. You'll never know if the parts you need will be in good working order...

Having bought and sold a zillion of these, on and off feebay, I would generally agree.

Having said that, I've *never* come across a single one that had antennae messed up, which is pretty much all the OP needs.

[ElbertR]

ElbertR wrote:

Having bought and sold a zillion of these, on and off feebay, I would generally agree.

Having said that, I've *never* come across a single one that had antennae messed up, which is pretty much all the OP needs.

Good units are becoming harder to find. Lots of sellers advertise 'A31P', but on closer examination it turns out to be just a regular A31.

For just the antenna wires you could just buy a complete A31 screen also, but make sure the seller confirms that it has the antenna wires.

You could also use antenna wires from another computer also. As long as the connectors fit on the mini-pci card and the wires are long enough you can run them up the side of the screen. The one that goes on the right side of the screen needs to be a lot longer, because it has to run all the way along the bottom of the screen to were the wires come out on the left side.

To run the wire on the main board you still have to remove the bracket for the CPU fan, the bracket for the screen connector, the piece in between the ultrabays and the right ultrabay itself.

[redsparrow]

Guys, thanks so much for your help...apologies i couldnt reply sooner. Anyhow, i've had no luck finding complete screen units...so for the time being i'm using an external wireless card. However, the missus loved the flexview so much she has actually "borrowed" it...who knows when i'll see it again lol. Thanks again!

[jronald]

This type will work and do ok
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IBM-Thinkpad- ... 3a6abd7bf1


Ron