Power problems IBM Thinkpad 600X

[stperr]

The backstory (if you just want to see what my question is go down below):
I've recently obtained (it was given to me) an old IBM ThinkPad 600X. I was told that it didn't turn on, but I thought it'd be an easy fix. At first glance, the power switch was broken. I fixed that, and tried turning it on. No go. I also searched Google and saw that there was a well known flaw in the 600 series battery. I decided to take out the battery, to see if it would fix it. It turned on, and I looked in the BIOS to see exactly what the systems specs were (Pentium III 650MHz/128MB RAM). I decided that I'd reinstall the OS later, and shut off the laptop. So, later that night, when I decided to install the OS, it wouldn't turn on.

I called Lenovo tech support and went through the usual "your system is out of warrenty", "unplug your laptop battery", "you can buy a new battery and AC adapter from us", and so on. They weren't exactly any help, so I decided to check the AC adapter it self. Unplugged it, plugged it back in. No go. Unplugged the laptop end of it, plug it back in. I see a spark. I jiggle on it for a few seconds and it turns on. Cool! So I install the OS, and then turn it off again. When I decide to use the system again and it won't work, I call up Lenovo again, and I find out that the AC power jack is "loose" and needs to be replaced/fixed.

Here's the question:
Can I fix/replace the AC power jack for free or for a low cost? I want to use it as a UNIX shell/test machine, and I hate throwing computers out.

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

If you will be tearing down the system to replace the DC jack, then you should have the Hardware Maintenance Manual:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... IGR-4DGNTQ

However, looking at my own 600X motherboard, the DC jack has a plastic shell around it with two threaded screw holes (which I guess is used to secure the Sub Card). Not sure if this shell is actually attached to the jack or merely sits over it. In any event, there's several of these being offered up on eBay. Search for "dc jack thinkpad 600x". An alternative would be to post a WTB (want to buy) in the Marketplace forum.

You'll have to pull the whole motherboard out of the case and unsolder the current one and solder in the replacement.