Swap-out 3945ABG for 4965AGN OK in R61 8932-CTO?

[AlphaGJohn]

Hi Folks,

I'm fussing around inside my still-working R61 to replace the LCD screen. One of the things you have to take out is the WiFi Mini-PCI NIC. Mine is the Intel WM3945ABG (FRU 42T0853).
As I took it out, it's clear that there's an antenna wire in there for an 802.11n connector on the NIC--if it had one. Looking at the R61 manual, it lists the Intel WiFi Link 4965AGN as an option (my 8932-CTO model is in the models list).

So, I'm wondering which (if any) of the 4965AGN Mini-PCI NICs that are available for sale might work. I see from a couple of other posts that others have made similar changes: replacing an existing WiFi ABG NIC with an 802.11n-capable one. I'm hoping someone can help me know what's a feasible part to drop in. I'd be most grateful to have someone explain the manual's listing to me (see below), point me to other reference material, or enlighten me with a direct reply (or any combination thereof!).

I'm looking at page 131 in ThinkPad R61, R61e, and R61i (15.4-inch widescreen) Hardware Maintenance Manual and it gives this rather confusing chart at the end of the listings of the models with the 4965AGN:

Code: Select all

(No heading on this column)                               FRU No.  RoHS ID    CRU ID
xxB, xxF, xxH, xxL, xxM, xxP, xxS, xxU, xxV, xxY          42T0865   R           **
xxG                                                       42T0867   R           **
xxC                                                       42T0869   R           **
xxE, xxJ                                                  42T0871   R           **
xxK                                                       42T0905   R           **

So, because my model is CTO does that mean I need FRU 42T0869 (on the line w/ xxC)? Or is that just what that part is referred in that model series? (Or perhaps that xxC doesn't even refer to the CTO portion of my model number at all?)

At any rate, I find any number of parts like this one available for sale on the 'Net:

IBM Thinkpad T61 Fru: 42T0865 4965AGN
(Which is in the above list, but not on the xxC line--and perhaps that doesn't matter; I don't know how to judge compatibility from the manual's charts.)

There's a few 4965AGNs with this FRU also (which does not appear in the parts list in the manual in question):

42T0947

So, will the FRU 42T0865 (and/or 42T0947) likely work in my R61 (and am I likely to easily find the appropriate driver for it)?

Thanks for whatever you can tell me.

John

[underclocker]

So, will the FRU 42T0865 (and/or 42T0947) likely work in my R61 (and am I likely to easily find the appropriate driver for it)?

It will work for sure - I've upgraded several R61 and T61's with this adapter. Just make sure your BIOS is up to date and you might have to run the Lenovo system update utility OR download the driver package directly from Lenovo.com.

They sell for $10 and up on eBay.

Good luck.

[AlphaGJohn]

Thanks, underclocker!

Do you happen to know (for my own education) whether the FRU ("Field Replaceable Unit", I suppose) number has any significance in a situation like this?
That is, when I was figuring out what LCD screen to buy, I found three FRUs listed for the WXGA+ screen, but they apparently refer to hardware from 2 different manufacturers (Samsung and two different parts from LG/Phillips). Because of the organization of the info in the manual, I felt confident buying an item with the LG/Philips FRU# even though the dead one I'm replacing is a Samsung. In this case, the info seemed quite confusing.

So, in looking at the manuals, can you pretty much assume that a part identified by a given name/section in the parts list (e.g. Intel WiFi Link 4965AGN) can be have any of the FRUs listed for it and be an appropriate substitution? Does the xxC, xx<whatever> stuff mean anything, afayk? (If there's a document describing the parts lists somewhere on the site, I guess I missed it and I'd be happy to know if such a beast exists.)

Thanks much!