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WTB: working ThinkPad 701C *PICS*
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 1:39 pm
by ThinkDan
Hi - as the title says, I'm looking for a working 701C... anyone got a spare?!
(I know there's a
Marketplace section, but guessed this is much more relevant to
Legacy Hardware watchers...)
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 2:25 pm
by billp117
Good luck...I would not sell my 701c and I am sure other owners will not part with theirs unless they have an extra two or three laying around.
There is one selling on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-IBM-ThinkPa ... 5642190f64
However it looks like the seller is shipping to the USA. Perhaps you could start a dialog with the seller and see if he would be willing to ship to you...or even sell it and close the auction. It does not hurt to ask.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 3:53 am
by ThinkDan
Thanks, billp. I was watching that one whilst I decided whether to bid - it looks interesting...
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 8:21 pm
by hwattys
Got one. 701C 486/75 40 megs 6 gig hdd. The battery works but gets so hot it can fry the motherboard so I do not use it. Otherwise has all accessories; dock, printer cable, floppy, AC adapter, pcmcia NIC. Running Windows 95. Posting this on it, believe it or not. It is a bit rough cosmetically but the butterfly keyboard works smoothly and the keyboard looks good. I would hate to part with it but would consider a fair offer. Also open to a trade. I rebuilt it from the ground up out of 3 junker units and a new motherboard. The CMOS battery is even good. Holds its time. But once you have it built the fun is pretty well over and I hardly use it.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:40 pm
by hwattys
Well I finally got the parts for my 701C...a new motherboard and display inverter and reassembled and it is working again. However, I am looking at this thing and thinking I want to keep it. But, I did just win an auction on eBay for another one. I paid $30 with shipping. It has a cracked screen, no hard drive, no memory cover and the mobo needs a new CMOS battery as they all do at this point. I have a couple good screens for it I believe (IBM used a couple different screens for the 701C) and I am able to put a new CMOS battery on the motherboard. I do not have another hard drive caddy, however, but have seen them around cheap. I have AC adapters. In other words, I have a second one I can get going and I could let go of cheaper than the one I have. It will be here in about a week, I think.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:16 am
by hjanzen
@hwattys
Would you please mention type, make and particulars of the CMOS battery you are going to buy?
I may need one and I am not completely sure of its particulars.
Some time ago I used type V30H'SLFC,(google) i.e. 1.2 V 30mAh, but I am afraid it gave up service since the 161 163 warning is there again.
Thanks, Hans
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:59 pm
by hwattys
It is a Panasonic BR 1225. 3v They are very small and soldered to the motherboard.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 3:45 am
by hjanzen
Thanks!
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:42 am
by RealBlackStuff
There's a main battery (obvious).
Then what the manual calls a "standby battery", and which plugs in next the the main battery connector.
Expensive little bugger, hard to find, 1.2V 30-40mA, such as
http://batteryfinder.fedcoelectronics.c ... &_fid=2791
Looks like this:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/3 ... AA300_.jpg
And there is what the manual calls an "RTC battery", soldered onto the mobo.
This is of the 3V variety, such as CR2012/2016/2025/2032
An RTC battery is also known as CMOS battery.
Edit: corrected entries.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 2:57 pm
by hjanzen
@RealBlackStuff
The confusion is complete. At least here.
701c MM page 191 shows item 27 , standby battery: 04H8345.
In google various suppliers f.i Pacific Geek advertise this as CMOS battery.
Product Features
Round shrink-wrapped cell with two wires and two pin connector.
NiMH Volts: 1.2 , not a 3 volt coin type as you mention.
Please reconsider
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:09 pm
by hwattys
I guess I have the advantage of having an actual 701C and various parts. Here is an image of the battery taken from the underside of the motherboard. This is the CMOS/RTC battery and if it is dead the computer loses time, if it works the computer keeps time. It is held in place on the motherboard by a soldered bracket that connects the bottom and top to the board. The actual battery is about 60% the size of a U.S. dime.
http://www.huffconst.com/steveh/701CMOS.jpg
Admin edit: Removed 290KB inline image
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:28 am
by hjanzen
This is a picture of my two mainboards, a DX4 ,leftside, and a DX2 before I removed the ( dead) batteries.
These batteries come complete with factory tack-welded clips which are then soldered to the mobo.
There is not any description on either of these.
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
and
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 10:44 am
by hwattys
Yes that looks just like mine and the picture above is of the backside of the battery laying against the motherboard. I bought the motherboards I have from cuiinc in BC Canada and these are likely the batteries they use when they refurbish these boards. I have likely bought 7 or 8 boards from them over the years, including one of the ones they upgraded to a 133 mhz AMD processor, many years back. I don't think those are available any more.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:10 pm
by hjanzen
That or another Canadian supplier is on Ebay again with 'new' mainboards, type DX4.
He told me that he used to make 133MHz as well, but has no stock at present.
http://cgi.ebay.nl/Thinkpad-701-701C-70 ... 45f8c486d8
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:13 pm
by Unknown_K
Thanks for the picture, I ordered some batteries to redo my 701C today. Soldering should be simple (same batteries as pictured with the legs soldered on) but taking the machine apart will be the pain. The other battery with the plug isn't realy needed then is it?
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:26 pm
by RealBlackStuff
I only had that 701c in temporarily for repair, and do not remember exact details.
Your mobo is different from the one I worked on, with different batteries, obviously.
I remember now, the backup battery looked something like this:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/3 ... AA300_.jpg
and connects next to the main-battery connector.
It's indeed the 1.2V version.
Apologies about the confusion. I'll correct the entries in earlier post.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:33 pm
by hwattys
The 701C is actually not very hard to disassemble and reassemble. But you cannot do it without a T1 Torx screwdriver. It looks more like a little icepick. The 4 or 5 tiny screws along the front edge of the case below the keyboard have the tiniest little x etched in the heads for the screwdriver to get a grip. I think it is a special order item at a Sears hardware and you can find them online. I git mine from a parts house in Germany if I recall.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:36 pm
by Unknown_K
Yea, I got a T1 the last time I took it apart (battery had leaked and I had modem issues that went away after I cleaned the modem board).
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 3:57 am
by hjanzen
@RealBlackStuff
As a test I have soldered 2 wires to the mainboard at the spot of the battery and connected a 2032 coincell with tape.
Bios is keeping Date and Time now
161 163 warning is gone.
Sun is shining again..
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Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:56 am
by RealBlackStuff
Goed gedaan!
I last saw "my" 701c in March 2009, no wonder I forgot some of the details.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:17 pm
by hjanzen
Bedankt!
Groet, Hans
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:28 pm
by hwattys
OK I now have a spare 701C..DX4/75 with a good CMOS battery, 720 gig drive, 24 megs RAM loaded with Win 95 and Office 97. I can post pictures if anyone is interested. I have an AC adapter but no other peripherals for this one.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 9:51 am
by hwattys
I have several of these now...see my other post in the Marketplace. One is up on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :MESELX:IT
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 11:49 am
by ozzymud
YAY! i finally won one of these at a reasonable price...
$60 US Shipped with extras(floppy, parallel dock, IBM bag
definately has a bad cmos battery... and apparently the main battery is "swelled"... hopefully i can rebuild it

Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C *PICS*
Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 8:31 am
by hwattys
Here is your chance to get a 701C like ozzymud:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :MESELX:IT
The auction speaks for itself and I started it at .99.
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C *PICS*
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 6:39 am
by ilakast
Re: WTB: working ThinkPad 701C *PICS*
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:14 am
by Temetka
Necro alert!
I did find this nice Amiga 400 being listed though:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Commodore-Ami ... 1389571836