Thinkpads Forum

I have been looking for a 701 "butterfly" for YEARS.

Last saturday, out of nowhere, a guy in the local flea market told me that he knew another guy who worked in the local computer junkyard/recycling facility. "They have one of those there", he told me, "I'm only interested in Apple stuff, or I would grab it right away." I drove over and paid $40 for it, trying not to look too excited.

My precious..... Now you're MINE.

The unit is in mint condition, almost without any sign of use. However the power adapter and battery had been lost, and the hard drive had been removed. Other than that, everything seems to be in place. Any suggestions on how I can get it back to working conditions?



http://westca.org/photo/201303/0102__custom_.jpg

http://westca.org/photo/201303/0101__custom_.jpg

http://westca.org/photo/201303/0106__custom_.jpg

http://westca.org/photo/201303/0108__custom_.jpg

[Mod edit: Added pic warning to title, replaced inline images with links. I, too, love the photos, but please keep the use of inline photos to a minimum to make life easier for our mobile or slow-connection users.]

Such a pristine machine. I am jealous.

Note: the following is based on my experience with a 701c, but should apply to your 701cs as well.

Power adapter: The T4#/X4# generation uses the same adapter, so you're set if you have one of those.

Battery: You're probably not going to find an original battery that still works. I rebuilt mine with fresh NiMH cells: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=109053

Hard drive: From your pics it looks like the caddy is still there. Hop on eBay and buy a 2.5-inch IDE-to-CF-card adapter that looks like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160572407533 This particular design (red PCB, metal bracket, dual CF slots) has screw holes at the proper location for the 701 HDD caddy. Then put a small (1GB or less) CF card in there and enjoy a fully solid-state computer.

twistero wrote:Such a pristine machine. I am jealous.

Note: the following is based on my experience with a 701c, but should apply to your 701cs as well.

Power adapter: The T4#/X4# generation uses the same adapter, so you're set if you have one of those.

Battery: You're probably not going to find an original battery that still works. I rebuilt mine with fresh NiMH cells: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=109053

Hard drive: From your pics it looks like the caddy is still there. Hop on eBay and buy a 2.5-inch IDE-to-CF-card adapter that looks like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160572407533 This particular design (red PCB, metal bracket, dual CF slots) has screw holes at the proper location for the 701 HDD caddy. Then put a small (1GB or less) CF card in there and enjoy a fully solid-state computer.

Thank you.

Power adapter: The label on the back of 701cs says 16V - 1.9A. My 600X and T41 power adapter labels both say 16V - 4.5A. Is it okay to use? Or should I look for something that is closer to 1.9A?

I will look at the other items that you recommended.

That, my good man, is one stunning butterfly.

Best of luck with restoring this beauty to its full glory - not that it needs much.

And yes, a conventional 72W adapter (16V/4.5Ah) will work just fine, no issues there.

twistero wrote: Hard drive: From your pics it looks like the caddy is still there. Hop on eBay and buy a 2.5-inch IDE-to-CF-card adapter that looks like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160572407533 This particular design (red PCB, metal bracket, dual CF slots) has screw holes at the proper location for the 701 HDD caddy. Then put a small (1GB or less) CF card in there and enjoy a fully solid-state computer.

Thanks again for the advice.

I have just ordered the CF/IDE adapter, and will give it a try after it arrives. It comes from Hong Kong/China with free shipping, so I guess 3 weeks?

whoa this unit looks like if it is new..... beautiful.

Museum quality in my opinion.

Nicely done.

What else they got?

Brad

Brad wrote:Museum quality in my opinion.

Nicely done.

What else they got?

Brad

I also bought a nice Omnikey Ultra mechanical keyboard (in original box with literature and replacement key caps) from them for $30. Another item of great value and lots of history.

I will surely be back there from time to time looking for nice old stuff.

twistero wrote: Hard drive: From your pics it looks like the caddy is still there. Hop on eBay and buy a 2.5-inch IDE-to-CF-card adapter that looks like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160572407533 This particular design (red PCB, metal bracket, dual CF slots) has screw holes at the proper location for the 701 HDD caddy. Then put a small (1GB or less) CF card in there and enjoy a fully solid-state computer.

The PayPal ID of this guy is actually "BuyinCoins Inc", which makes me a bit nervous.....

longface wrote: The PayPal ID of this guy is actually "BuyinCoins Inc", which makes me a bit nervous.....

Well, yeah, some Hong Kong- / China-based sellers have a wildly diverse inventory. But in any case, you could search for "CF IDE adapter" and pick any one that share most of the design characteristics (metal bracket, dual slot, etc.) since they are all generic product anyways.

That's great fund! Congratulations!! I'm green with envy now

I guess I should take a week holiday and start visiting some junkyards too

Amazing! You could probably hit a hundred flea markets and a thousand estate sales and not find a better deal. I am surprised that a flea market shop wouldn't think to check ebay to see its worth.

jayton4 wrote:I am surprised that a flea market shop wouldn't think to check ebay to see its worth.

Yeah, Canadians, eh?

Hi longface -- welcome to the forum, and nice score! I assume you picked it up at FreeGeek? I guess I need to make a point of checking that place out... I'm a little worried they'll find out I use Windows and subsequently laugh me out of the place.

What is it like to actually type on? I used a 760ED way back when (may still have it in the garage, actually...), and the tilting keyboard on it was brutal... very un-Thinkpad. My mother had a 600X which was fantastic to type on. Sadly, I'm not sure where that machine ended up.

I'm especially jealous of your $30 OmniKey! I'm a *huge* fan of those keyboards, and have a 101 on my desk. My keyboard unicorn is a nice IBM Model F, the 84-key PC-AT one which came after the 83-key XT one. Perhaps you

That's quite the collection you have!

Cheers,
--jeff

Sorry I couldn't come help contribute to helping you with your 701, but man what a nice find on both items.

That 701 is beautiful.

JeffCullen wrote:Hi longface -- welcome to the forum, and nice score! I assume you picked it up at FreeGeek? I guess I need to make a point of checking that place out... I'm a little worried they'll find out I use Windows and subsequently laugh me out of the place.

What is it like to actually type on? I used a 760ED way back when (may still have it in the garage, actually...), and the tilting keyboard on it was brutal... very un-Thinkpad. My mother had a 600X which was fantastic to type on. Sadly, I'm not sure where that machine ended up.

I'm especially jealous of your $30 OmniKey! I'm a *huge* fan of those keyboards, and have a 101 on my desk. My keyboard unicorn is a nice IBM Model F, the 84-key PC-AT one which came after the 83-key XT one. Perhaps you

That's quite the collection you have!

Cheers,
--jeff

Hi Jeff,

Yes, I got both the 701cs and the keyboard from FreeGeek. They are very nice people to deal with, and prices are fair.

The keyboard of 701cs actually has a similar feel to that of my 600x. For some reason I like the keyboard on the 365xd the best, because feels firm and also sounds better.

I also think the Omni Key Ultra is a nice score, but I may actually sell it later because it is too big for my desk. I'm now actually using a 1993 IBM Model M keyboard, which sounds a bit more harsh than the Omnikey.

longface from Raincouver

Sorry for posting in your thread, but recetly I've got 701C Butterfly in similar condition )
75MHz/24RAM/720HD/Win95
And the second butterfly is not in so good condition, but works )
50MHz/12RAM/540HD/ OS/2 Warp3
http://www.digitalvintage.ru/images/e/ea/TP701C_00.jpg
http://www.digitalvintage.ru/images/c/c3/TP701C_01.jpg
http://www.digitalvintage.ru/images/a/a7/TP701CS_05.jpg

Admin edit: Removed inline images as they are much too big (780KB to 1.8MB). Please post images ~50KB.

That is a wonderful specimen I know everyone on this forum dreams of aquiring a 701, let alone in that condition. Glad you got to live that dream out!

Actually, that's not true. I could care less for the 701.

A 600x, 240, but not a 701.

I personally favor the 701. It's a real demonstration of the sort of radical design ideas that IBM had. I have my respects for other proper machines too-the 760 and 770 in particular have won me over as well as the 600. And I'd absolutely love to have a 240... but a nice one always evades my grasp.

One as nice as this guy found, for $40... is nothing short of a miracle. I found my 701 in a "gold salvage auction" on ebay with a winning bid of ~$30-40, but it was in terrible condition. I may just part it out actually if I get another 701.