Fingerprint reader compatibility for T60p palmrest

[sriram00]

Hello all,

Could any of you advice if a palmrest without fingerprint reader can fit in a T60p with the fingerprint reader? I don't need the fingerprint reader, but I need a palmrest and I am only coming across palmrests without fingerprint readers in the 15-inch 4:3 configuration.

Thanks

[brchan]

The palmrests should be interchangeable without any issue.

[ajkula66]

The palmrests should be interchangeable without any issue.

Indeed they are.

[ArtShapiro]

Straying just a little bit off-topic, I'm curious why these 15" palmrests with FPR are getting so tough to find. It took me several months recently; I didn't want to shell out big $$$ at a regular parts distributor.

T60/T60p parts are all over the place, but various plastic pieces for the 15" units seem to be more and more difficult to acquire.

Art

[RealBlackStuff]

That's because of all the T601 FrankenPads!
I have personally done a few score by now!
People want them to look their best.

[sriram00]

Thank you brchan, George.

Art

I'm curious why these 15" palmrests with FPR are getting so tough to find

Part one of the problem is the T60 came in three sizes and two configurations. 14.1-inch, 15-inch, 15.4 inch. And all of them with/without fingerprint reader. Lenovo cites two part numbers in their support site, but I now know two more than are supposed to support T60 15" with FPR. But can't be sure.

Besides, most third party sites - ebay, amazon, alibaba, aliexpress, taobao (never know those last three existed a couple of weeks ago) all list them as 'Palmrest T60/T61'. Which is scary because they are very different. The T60 has the mic on the top left of the palmrest. The T61 has the mic at the bottom centre of the palmrest beside the touchpad and two groves under it for the mic and earphone jack.

Needless to say, these sites don't provide clear pictures. But pictorially, it is slightly simpler to distinguish. 14 inch barely has any distance between the arrow keys and the right edge. The 15 inch has a slight gap. The 15.4 inch has a massive gap.

So, they are still available. And if they are listed correctly and if they have legible pictures, you can get one. But with wrong listings and bad pictures, you will be risking it. I have now contacted some trusted people in India who will ship it to me. It's a long-drawn and expensive process. But with Lenovo ANZ being rather hopeless, and third party sites being cheaper, but unclear, I'd rather pay the extra shipping costs and get it from people I know back home.

Moreover, my machines were under an on-site warranty in India till end 2013. Getting parts -- even the rare UXGA IPS -- never took more than three working days by IBM India. But know the reason now after dealing with ANZ Lenovo. Their three parts warehouses are in the US, China and India. Whatever original parts you order anywhere from the world with Lenovo, they are procured from one of these three countries depending on which one has the part or which is closest to ship.

I am sure the US is a great place for a wide array of parts. But if any of you anywhere else are finding something tough to find or can't trust what you see, do let me know. While I am in NZ, I can liaise with my contact in India. He will charge you the cost of the part (original packaging with serial/part number), cost of shipping, plus about $20 as his charges depending on how much of effort he had to put in -- travelling, phone calls -- to procure it. And if he isn't getting it from the company, he will let you know and offer a cheaper third-party working alternative and you can take the call.

Part two of the problem, I reckon is anybody who has a T60 will only let go of it if there is no hope of getting it working. And even then, Frankenpadding (within the US) becomes an option. I guess the peak of the T60 may have been about 2010-2012 where machines were still working, parts were freely available, and this was the best time to replenish/rejuvenate/upgrade/Frankenpad your T60. I wish I had.

[sriram00]

That's because of all the T601 FrankenPads!

Haha. That's part two of my comment more eloquently put. Didn't read this when posting.

[sriram00]

Hello all,

Just to inform readers of this post that I finally got my palmrest replaced. Got it from my contacts in IBM India. My machine has a fingerprint reader. But got one for a 15 inch T60 without fingerprint reader. Part number in my palmrest now is 41V9907.

In case any one is interested, the part number for the palmrest that was in my machine (the one with the cracks) is 26R9411. This is for 15 inch 4:3 T60 with fingerprint reader. Do note that when I purchased the T60p, it had a different palmrest with an IBM logo and ATI, Intel and Windows stickers. I had once given my laptop for a depot warranty service in India around 2010. When it came back, it had 26R9411 -- without IBM logo and stickers and only a Thinkpad T-series badge. Though this part number -- 26R9411 -- is nowhere listed in the current Lenovo service and parts page for the T60 series.