R40 intermittant posting

[skou]

This is a unit I got today, along with a working T23, for $20 off of Ebay.

OK, when I press the power button, 5 of the 6 lights will blink. If it is plugged in, the power (little battery looking) light will stay on, and dim, as the other ones turn off.

Sometimes, it will post just fine. Screen looks good. When I got it, I tried to fire it up, and got the 1-3-3-1 beeps, then put in a stick of the right memory. (Just happened to have one.)

It will randomly shut down, or not post. SOMETIMES, playing with stuff, (removing the battery, hitting the power switch, reinstalling battery, or removing memory, or unplugging power cord) will let it power up. Once, I was able to get the CD with a WXP disc in, to start loading windows, but it shut off in a few minutes.

Here is the specfic symptom, if it helps. Push the button, lights blink. If I push and hold, lights still just blink for a fraction of a second. If the cord is not in, all 5 lights blink. (With a charged battery) If cord is in, the power connected light will dim, as the others blink off.

2681-7FU

Any suggestions or ideas?

steve

[RealBlackStuff]

It's probably overheating. Clean out the fan and replace the thermal paste (preferably with AS5).
R40 was made under license by Acer, they don't have the same quality as other Thinkpads.
The R40 has a CMOS battery with opposite connections as any other Thinkpad.
You could take a regular TP CMOS battery and reverse the cables in the little plug, then it will also work in R40, as it has the same connector.
A stupid thing really .

[skou]

It's probably overheating. Clean out the fan and replace the thermal paste (preferably with AS5).
R40 was made under license by Acer, they don't have the same quality as other Thinkpads.
The R40 has a CMOS battery with opposite connections as any other Thinkpad.
You could take a regular TP CMOS battery and reverse the cables in the little plug, then it will also work in R40, as it has the same connector.
A stupid thing really .

Don't think it's overheating, since I just hit the button, after it's been sitting since I last posted.

I haven't touched it for 5 hours, and I just now (after reading your post) re-tried it. Hit the button twice, in 1 second, and the LEDs just blinked, like before. I don't think it is the fan, because the fan wouldn't even have enough time to start spinning, in the time this thing takes to blink.

It's not like this thing powers up, then starts blinking, you hit the power button, and get 1, real quick blink. Maybe, 1/4th second, or shorter.

One more thing I just noticed, the green "power applied" LED goes from green to orange, while the other 4 are blinking, with power applied, and blinks orange, when unplugged.

I'll agree with you on workmanship, I took the keyboard off, to have a look-see. Oh well, the T23 was worth the price of admission.

steve