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15.4 16:10 T60 display cable question

T60/T61 Series
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FloppyFish
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Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2025 12:10 am
Location: Lake Stevens, Washington

15.4 16:10 T60 display cable question

#1 Post by FloppyFish » Tue Jan 21, 2025 6:33 am

I've looked around a bit and haven't found a whole lot on the actual display cable itself of of the T60. This may sound stupid, but I really want to try and throw an ARM board into my old 60. Issue being, the display cable. I can't really tell from photos, but it sort of looks like a form of LVDS. Is the display cable in the T60 something that can be easily adapted with a small converter board to something like HDMI/EDP?

I love this laptop for its visuals and the way it feels, but its rough when it comes to something as simple as youtube playback or more than two hours of uptime.... And I suppose this project just gives me something to do. Thank you for any help or insight!

axur-delmeria
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Re: 15.4 16:10 T60 display cable question

#2 Post by axur-delmeria » Tue Jan 21, 2025 10:16 am

FloppyFish wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2025 6:33 am
Is the display cable in the T60 something that can be easily adapted with a small converter board to something like HDMI/EDP?
There are LCD controller kits that have HDMI and/or VGA input, and they usually come with the LCD cable.

Here's an example of a laptop RPi conversion: https://github.com/thedalles77/Pi_Teens ... y%20Pi.pdf

Another relevant project is a USB controller board for Thinkpad T61 keyboard using a Teensy microcontroller:

https://github.com/thedalles77/USB_Lapt ... inkPad_T61
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

TPFanatic
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Re: 15.4 16:10 T60 display cable question

#3 Post by TPFanatic » Tue Jan 21, 2025 12:30 pm

responding to YouTube and >2 hours of uptime on battery:

The modern web is purposefully bloated to discourage using old PCs. I have used YouTube on my own T60 and while slow, it works. alternatives are video downloader tools or offline videos which don't rely on the browser for decoding, they play fine. expectations must be tempered when using an old PC. you wouldn't ask your 80 year old Grandma to walk 5 MPH without her walker - hell, best I can do is 4 MPH.

2 hours is great for a T60's battery runtime.

FloppyFish
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2025 12:10 am
Location: Lake Stevens, Washington

Re: 15.4 16:10 T60 display cable question

#4 Post by FloppyFish » Tue Jan 21, 2025 7:55 pm

TPFanatic wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2025 12:30 pm
responding to YouTube and >2 hours of uptime on battery:

The modern web is purposefully bloated to discourage using old PCs. I have used YouTube on my own T60 and while slow, it works. alternatives are video downloader tools or offline videos which don't rely on the browser for decoding, they play fine. expectations must be tempered when using an old PC. you wouldn't ask your 80 year old Grandma to walk 5 MPH without her walker - hell, best I can do is 4 MPH.

2 hours is great for a T60's battery runtime.
Oh yes of course I completely agree with this, I am impressed it can pull off the tasks I have made it put up with, especially for its age. I can still do my college work on it, and typing on this keyboard is fantastic. Just looking to find a way to extend the life of this chassis.

FloppyFish
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2025 12:10 am
Location: Lake Stevens, Washington

Re: 15.4 16:10 T60 display cable question

#5 Post by FloppyFish » Tue Jan 21, 2025 7:58 pm

axur-delmeria wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2025 10:16 am
FloppyFish wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2025 6:33 am
Is the display cable in the T60 something that can be easily adapted with a small converter board to something like HDMI/EDP?
There are LCD controller kits that have HDMI and/or VGA input, and they usually come with the LCD cable.

Here's an example of a laptop RPi conversion: https://github.com/thedalles77/Pi_Teens ... y%20Pi.pdf

Another relevant project is a USB controller board for Thinkpad T61 keyboard using a Teensy microcontroller:

https://github.com/thedalles77/USB_Lapt ... inkPad_T61
This looks like a fantastic lead, thank you. Though I still am not so sure on the display cable type. I mean, the cable looks like LVDS and I really just want to adapt the specific LCD thats already in this system to an HDMI signal for a Pi clone powered by an RK3588s that I have laying around

axur-delmeria
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Posts: 4413
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Location: Metro Manila, Philippines

Re: 15.4 16:10 T60 display cable question

#6 Post by axur-delmeria » Tue Jan 21, 2025 11:56 pm

To be honest, I'm not sure how much battery life you'll gain from a project like this, as the LCD controller board may offset some of the power savings you get from the ARM board.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

TPFanatic
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Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2015 11:29 pm

Re: 15.4 16:10 T60 display cable question

#7 Post by TPFanatic » Wed Jan 22, 2025 5:55 am

i still haven't trained myself to accommodate all-day runtime on a laptop. i always carry a few power bricks, it's been second nature since i grew up. same thing as keeping your fridge stocked, your gas tank full, and some savings in the bank. Whereas Big PC will always tell its engineers to make things more effficient and tell its marketers to claim something ridiculous like 10, 12, 17, 24, 30 hours of runtime... i ignore them.

I own one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ultraslim ... B002TPMS2C

It's super convenient for travel. i keep one in my knapsack, along with some traditional power bricks for good measure.

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