Thinkpads Forum

Hi there!

I'm having some very strange power-related trouble with my thinkpad 390X and have searched google and come up empty.

First, here are the specs of the machine and, since this is a power related issue, the accessories I attach to it:

Thinkpad 390X (Type 2626), production year: 1999
Pentium III 450mhz
Ram upgraded to 256mb
40gb toshiba hard-drive
New Li-ion battery
wireless USB dongle
pcmcia 10/100 ethernet card
pcmcia two-port USB card
usb mini optical mouse

Operating System:
VectorLinux 5.8 Standard (lightweight slackware based distribution) running kernel 2.6.23.

I bought this laptop refurbished on ebay 3 years ago (most of the accessories and upgrades included), and have had no complaints really.

However, about two months ago, I noticed after getting to classes and opening the laptop lid that is was on and already at the login screen. I ignored that incident and didnt think much of it since I was still working out a few suspend/unsuspend quirks with Linux.
But then the same thing started happening more often, even if I powered the laptop off completely; it would just power itself on at what seemed to be random intervals.

It was extremely annoying to pull out the laptop to use it, only to find that it had somehow turned on and that the battery was almost depleted.

Now with the semester over, I hardly used the laptop, only occasionally to use the mail client.
And every single time I try to power it on, the battery is completely flat, even though I left it charged only a couple of days earlier; meaning that it still continues to power itself on at random.

I have tried just about everything I can think of without actually opening the laptop physically, and all have failed:

-resetting bios settings
-disabling power management
-disabling ALL extra bios power-on features (and suspend/hibertnate)
-using the old original battery

NOTE:
-the charger is not in very good shape (i have to wriggle the wire around a bit to get power through, but this was already the case before the "automatic" power-ons started happening).
-the power switch is the old "slider" type located on the left side of the laptop, and although it works, it feels a bit "sticky".

Is there anything else I can try?
Any ideas what can be causing this to happen?

When I first got this laptop, I really didnt expect it to last very long, being second hand and old, but so far it has outlived some of my friends' brand new Acers and no-brand laptops (go thinkpad!); so I'm more interested in trying to get this "hiccup" sorted out than even thinking of getting a new one (which I couldnt afford at the moment anyway ).

Hope the descriptions and data are sufficient

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Ok, its been a while since I opened this thread, and I have some new information that may help identify the problem.

The other day, by chance, as I was picking up my laptop to pack it away, I happened to turn it over and saw that a small orange LED was glowing on the under-side of the laptop. The sticker next to the LED seems to indicate that the Floppy/CD removable bay should not removed while the LED is on. But I had already turned the laptop off!

Obviously, there is something still running (floppy/cd bay components perharps?) after the laptop switches off.

Given this new information, what might the problem be, and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks

A belated, Welcome to thinkpads.com!

From your description, I'd have to guess that there's a problem with the motherboard. I have not seen a 390X in person before but if the slider switch is like the one on the 600-series systems, then it's firmly soldered down to the motherboard. The "stickiness" could be an indication that the switch is broken (or almost so). There could also be a problem with the power control circuits on the motherboard. Was there any software or hardware change made to the system just prior to you having this problem?

rkawakami wrote:A belated, Welcome to thinkpads.com!

From your description, I'd have to guess that there's a problem with the motherboard. I have not seen a 390X in person before but if the slider switch is like the one on the 600-series systems, then it's firmly soldered down to the motherboard. The "stickiness" could be an indication that the switch is broken (or almost so). There could also be a problem with the power control circuits on the motherboard. Was there any software or hardware change made to the system just prior to you having this problem?

Thanks!
Well, about 6 months before these strange problems started I got a RAM upgrade and new battery for the laptop.
I initially thought that the problem could be related to these hardware upgrades, but then the problem would probably have manifested itself right away, no?

So far the solution has been to make sure the LED is off before I pack the laptop away, and if its not, I just unplug and replug the battery to make sure the LED turns off.

About the power switch: it is indeed quite "sticky", and feels like its gotten worse in the last couple of weeks: after pushing it all the way forward to turn the computer on, the switch wont "jump" back to its original position.

Anyway, I know I cant really expect much support for this computer as its very old, but I'll just keep using it until it breaks down entirely (whenever that may be ).
Wonder how long it can keep going though. Its a 1999 model, so its almost a decade old.
Maybe I'll post some pics of it in the photos section some time

The battery and RAM shouldn't have an effect on the system which would cause it to automatically turn on. The sticky switch on the other hand, sounds like the source of the problem. On the 600 series systems, there's a spring built into the switch so that it returns back to the "normal" position. If that spring is broken or if the slider is encountering something which prevents it from easily moving (dust, dirt, grease, etc.), then that could explain your power issue. You could try taking the system apart and cleaning the area around the slider and inspecting the switch. There's some chemical agents which can possibly clean the switch but you have to be very careful that you use one which will not harm the plastics in the switch and surrounding area. Spray cans of "contact cleaner" or "switch cleaner" is what would work. If you can't find anything like that, then a source of compressed air can be used (aerosol can or from an air compressor but don't overdo it; a couple of PSI is all that's needed).