Thinkpads Forum

Hi, I'm new here. My name's Rob, and I've recently picked up a Thinkpad 240 after falling in love with a T21 I bought on eBay, but wanted something a little smaller

I replaced the HD with a CompactFlash card and installed Debian and a wireless PCMCIA adapter, and it's working really well. The only problem I've noticed is a *very* subtle flicker on the screen, which is most noticeable when moving the mouse pointer, but only when the laptop's running on battery power - on AC it's fine.

I disassembled the laptop and checked that the connections were OK, and noticed a pronounced humming noise coming from the inverter which seemed to change in frequency when the problem was observed... Could this be an inverter fault, or is the battery/something else a more likely culprit? The battery is an extended one, and still lasts for around 2 hours.

Thanks for any help you can offer,
Rob.

Welcome to the Forum.
Maybe you need a better driver for the mouse? Linux probably offers a variety.
If you can find one locally, replacing the inverter is relatively cheap. They should not hum.
Just in case, check all the LCD and -cable connections.

I agree with RBS, inverters shouldn't hum, and they are cheap to replace. It might just be a sign of it going bad,,,

Thanks for the replies, it's much appreciated

I've found a possible replacement, but the part number is listed as T18.020.C.03, whereas the inverter in my system is labelled T18.020.C.00. Is this simply a revision change that will still be compatible? There's no IBM part number supplied. If it makes any difference, the pictures of the inverter look identical to the current one.

Thanks again,
Rob.

The FRU is 10L1530.
If you are referring to that inverter on eBay (in Ireland), they claim it's a pull from a 240.

The inverter I saw was on a local computer club message board, but seeing as the eBay one is the same part number, is a 240 pull and is slightly cheaper, it sounds good! The eBay one's cheaper too, so thanks for that.

Love the handle by the way, I'm a big Guinness fan

I just wanted to come back to say that the problem was resolved by fitting an new inverter, and to thank you for your suggestions

Cheers,
Rob.

Good for you!
Another Thinkpad saved from the scrapheap!