Thinkpad 25 - Early failure symptoms? (probably similar to T470)

[dr_st]

My Thinkpad 25 stayed docked and unused for 3 weeks while I was on a family vacation.

Turned it on for the first time - no POST, melodic beep symptoms. The HMM instructs to download a phone app to analyze the audio signal and convert it to an error code, but neither the Google Store nor the App store list it, and when I tried to install through the weblink, it told me it was not compatible with any of my phones.

So I tried the "reset hole" in the bottom cover after disconnecting the external battery. Low and behold, the laptop booted.
Next day - wouldn't come out of Standby - rebooting yields the same beep symptoms.
The following day - no POST, but different symptoms - stuck in POST loop: LED and keyboard light come up, screen blank, PC restarts and all over again, until forced off with power button.
Today - suddenly turns on and works again.

I assume something is going out in the POST circuitry. I wonder if it can be remedied without motherboard replacement.

[TPFanatic]

Can you try Bluestacks Android Emulator and see if you can run the App with it on PC?

https://www.bluestacks.com/download.html
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... tics&pli=1

[dr_st]

That's a good idea. I will try it if I hit the melodic beeps again.

[dr_st]

An update to keep track of things:

No issues for ~3 months (from the day of the last post).

Today, removed it from the dock (while in standby), tried to wake it up (on battery). It crashed, then got this again:

stuck in POST loop: LED and keyboard light come up, screen blank, PC restarts and all over again, until forced off with power button.

After about 5 such cycles I plugged in the power cable (to the USB-C port, if that matters), and it booted on the second try.

Still no recurrence of the beep symptoms.

[dr_st]

I got the beep codes again, and this time was able to download this to my phone:
Lenovo PC Diagnostics 2.0

It gave the error code 0001: Reset error (platform reset not de-asserted).
Recommendations:
1. Remove the ac power adapter and the removable
battery if your computer has one. Then, reset the
computer by doing one of the following:
• For models with the emergency-reset hole,
insert a straightened paper clip into the
emergency-reset hole. Wait for one minute.
Then, reconnect all power resources and restart
the computer.
• For models without the emergency-reset hole,
press and hold the power button for about
seven seconds. Then, reconnect to all power
resources and restart the computer.
2. Replace the system board (service provider only).

Did neither of this, as I was going on a trip. A few hours later it booted just fine without me having to do any work on it.

Oh well, I guess I'll be using this thing until the symptoms become unbearable, and then start diagnosing it. Probably will end up with a system board replacement; good thing the TP25 takes T470 system boards without any changes, so there shouldn't be a shortage of them (unlike keyboards and some of the chassis parts).

[RealBlackStuff]

If you are a regular T25 user, you should buy a spare mobo now and be prepared...
By the time it really happens, they may no longer be available!

[micrex22]

If you are a regular T25 user, you should buy a spare mobo now and be prepared...
By the time it really happens, they may no longer be available!

There's also always the T480-T25 FrankenPad: https://www.xyte.ch/mods/t25-frankenpad ... frankenpad

[Edward Mendelson]

If you are a regular T25 user, you should buy a spare mobo now and be prepared...
By the time it really happens, they may no longer be available!

There's also always the T480-T25 FrankenPad: https://www.xyte.ch/mods/t25-frankenpad ... frankenpad

That site hasn't been updated since 2022 and the most recent post is an apology for lack of progress.

[TPFanatic]

I think the idea is folks can DIY it. When I tried sourcing parts for a simpler t470 conversion I couldn’t find a power button cable , so unless I’m missing something obvious it takes sacrificing a 25 to build a frankie.

[dr_st]

Frankenpads aside, the point is, as far as I understand, is that T470 and TP25 motherboards are identical, so a failed TP25 can be revived with any plain old T470 board, which are far more common.

[TPFanatic]

That is the truth.

All it takes is the official EC flash for any t470 board to adapt to the 7 row.

[H-Atkinson]

You don't even need to flash the T470 EC for the 7-row to work, it has the necessary matrix in-memory already. The T480 requires a flash via JTAG.

[TPFanatic]

I had to update my T470 to recognize the 7-row properly, I guess my T470 came with an old version that lacked the compatibility.

[dr_st]

I had to update my T470 to recognize the 7-row properly, I guess my T470 came with an old version that lacked the compatibility.

Indeed. Support for TP25 has been added in UEFI 1.39 / EC 1.25. Since that version, the systems share the same BIOS image.

[theterminator93]

The T480 requires a flash via JTAG.

Was this process ever expanded upon for replication? I've been living with my T480 FrankenPad function keys being mislabeled, but it would be quite the cherry on top if it could be fixed finally.