R61e (7650-DPG) palmrest swap

[frankiepankie]

Hi

I have bought (it has not arrived yet) a ThinkPad R61e.

It is a model without a touchpad.

I want to change the palmrest to a one with a touchpad (the mainboard already has a connector for the touchpad right?)

Which FRU do i need?

I saw some touchpad palmrests for R61 on eBay, but i don't know which one is the exact type that i need.

7650-DPG:

Celeron M 550(2GHz), 1GB RAM, 160GB 5400rpm HD, 15.4in 1280x800 LCD, Intel X3100, CDRW/DVDRW, 802.11abg wireless, Bluetooth, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, Secure chip, 6c Li-Ion, WinVista Business 32

Oh, and my 2nd question: What are common things (hacks, tricks, etc.) that i need to know about the R6x series? I only have worked with T3x, T4x and T6x, not with laptops from the Rxx series

[RealBlackStuff]

Unless the mobo has been swapped out, there is most likely no connector for the touchpad.
Wait with buying new parts till you verify this.
Yours is a 15.4" widescreen.
In R61e the e stands for Economy, meaning they have left several things out to save money.
You cannot put that machine on a dock for instance.

[frankiepankie]

OMG

They left the connector away ?

I will certainly check that


But in the meantime, which FRU do i need to get if it do has the connector (i hope so, i can't live without the touchpad )

[RealBlackStuff]

Download this: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-67859
Then pick from 6 or so palmrest options. In other words: RTFM

[richk]

The R61e machines have no touchpad connector and no docking station connector.

[frankiepankie]

Received it today, it has the solder points on the mainboard, but no connector installed

current palmrest: 42W2250

[richk]

I believe there is also circuitry missing

[frankiepankie]

Hi guys,

What are the possible CPU upgrades for this laptop? Is there a list of supported CPU's ?

[underclocker]

FYI, pages 48 & 49 of the hardware reference manual that is linked above, lists many CPUs that will work. Others may work, too, but you'll have to investigate / test.

I've been using an R61e with an upgraded CPU for over a year as a home media server, it's a fast, solid and reliable machine.

I swapped out the Celeron for a T5750 Core 2 Duo. While the T5750 is a 667MHz bus CPU, the maximum this mobo supports is 800MHz bus CPUs.

No touchpad/fingerprint reader connector on my mobo either. FYI, at least one forum member had a similar situation with the Bluetooth connector missing from a T60 video cable. He was able to (micro) solder one on and it worked. Unless some other chips are missing from the R61e mobo, then perhaps a little soldering would add the touchpad / fingerprint reader support back? Now there's a little project!