A31p novel with PICs (fixing USB)

[FryPpy]

Gets up this morning and i have feeling that this day is made for a one good deed.
I have A31p with german keyboard and broken USB ports. I have spare US keyboard on shelves and it is time to replace it. I have opened HMM unscrewed 2 screws and removed keyboard.
On the other shelf living P-IV M 2.4 from my first notebook (samsung P25) and why don't get it a try to work some more time for me.
So i have removed palmrest and HSF. Cleaned all dirt from fan and removed CPU.
Observed broken USB port and begun reading TPF.
Yes i understand that PCMCI USB 2.0 adapter is the best decision. And old owner already placed one. But this ugly USB socket that makes ThinkPad reboot when accidentally plugging something makes me sad.
After reading couple of topics i have found main idea.
To replace this socket it must be completely destroyed. To not overheat mainboard we can unsolder pins one by one.
I have found dead desktop mainboard with dual USB socket and unsoldered it (more precisely - i have cut the mainboard and then unsolder pieces of mainboard from the pins of USB socket to not overheat it).
I have unscrewed all thinkpad and removed mainboard. I have tried to disconnect backup (coin) battery but wires have jumped out of connector and i think have shortened. So i have replace this battery. This good that all Thinkpads (i have) use the same 02K6572 batteries.
Unsoldered broken USB socket and soldered new one.
Advice - use solder sucker to remove extra solder from holes.
1st step - destroy the USB socket. Small parts of pins are still in mainboard. Good USB socket from desktop mainboard in the right bottom coner.
2nd step pins removed
3nd step new socket soldered.
Do not hurry! I have tried to heat both rightmost pins with big soldering iron and have scratched green lacquer.

Then i have assembled ThinkPad. 2 times have to remove ultrabay plus. First when i understood that i can't place WiFi antennas to underside of mainboard. And second when after installing all CDCs and WiFi i found small thing on my table - security chip
Old USB socket have "ear" for screw to fasten it to back panel. On sockets from ATX mainboards haven't this ear. But i have screwed ear from old socket. It can't completely fasten socket but can provide some support for it.

Conclusions.
To replace socket destroy things that already broken (broken USB socket or broken desktop mainboard). It saves time and protect things from overheating.
All working well. USB ports. 2.4GHz CPU (but i haven't stress tested it). And of course US keyboard.

[automobus]

Excellent. Super. Good job! Thank you for sharing.

[Saucey]

One of the 770's I own sported a broken headphone jack and a bad LCD hinge.
Another unit had a dead motherboard but was in better condition.
When I swapped the boards, I decided to desolder the headphone jack.
As long as you have flux to dab on the ports, they aren't too bad to unsolder.
I had a tricky time too, they were being persistent, but after a few tries, it hung on and worked.

[FryPpy]

When I swapped the boards, I decided to desolder the headphone jack.
As long as you have flux to dab on the ports, they aren't too bad to unsolder.

All things can be done... but what the price?;)
Metall body of USB socket is a good heat consumer so when unsoldering big pins (which belongs to socket body) you need to provide much more heat. And this heat will overheat mainboard too. Other bad thing that this big pins are curved - so to remove socket you need to bent them while solder is liquid.
Yes with solder sucker you can unsolder them one by one. If you don't hurry all will be ok.

Today i do some stress testing with super_pi_mod. Good thing - CPU temps haven't go above 65C on stepping C1 SL6K5. TPFC reported that "crd" have maximum 77C.
But 8M Pi calculating lasts 13.5 minutes vs 4.5 minutes on T8300 X61. This A31p is good ThinkPad but his time have passed years ago. So it will be good member of my collection.