X61s WWAN fitting

[oniichan]

Hello.

I have the extra slot, and SIMcard holder next to the RAM in my X61s, but it came without a card, and without the antenna(antennae? antennas?). It's a 7666-34E.
I saw another person with the extension-type "pull-out-like-old-phone" antenna on the train the other week, and I was thinking of getting one of those. I think I also need an antenna for under the wrist rest? So it seems in the HMM anyways.
So, I need to know what FRU numbers apply here. I want a modem that can do decent speeds, and is preferably relatively cheap. Linux compability is also a must. Middletons is flashed, so no issue there.
I also need the FRUs of the two (or is it three?) antennas. The one you pull out, top-left mounted, and the one for under the wrist rest.

I'm also a complete newbie regarding WWAN in laptops, and I've never done anything like it before. Is there anything specific I should know of?

M

[EOMtp]

Parts:
http://tinyurl.com/pxd2wq8

Instructions:
http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... 550_03.pdf

Regarding installing antenna in LCD housing:
This is a project for the intrepid -- this is NOT an easy task if this is your first time with such adventures. Easy to disassemble, but putting it all back together -- especially the bezel around the LCD panel -- is likely to be more much more "interesting" than you would want it to be!

Do not attempt to disassemble the LCD panel housing while the "top" of the machine is connected to the base. Separate the "top" from the base, disconnecting the LCD and antenna cables, and only then start disassembling the "top".

Good luck!

[RealBlackStuff]

I've got an X60s (1702-A11) with the motherboard of an X61s (7666-3EU).
This machine is in excellent condition, no shine on the keyboard, no dead pixels on the LCD.
The LCD has some tiny scratches, but these are not visible when it is powered on.
The machine also has WWAN antennas and an 8-cell battery that is good for almost 5 hours.
It has Middleton's BIOS in it with Slic2.1, SATA-II speed and whitelist removed.
It happens to be for sale for a very reasonable price.

Getting one like this would save you the hassle!

[oniichan]

Parts:
http://tinyurl.com/pxd2wq8

Instructions:
http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... 550_03.pdf

Regarding installing antenna in LCD housing:
This is a project for the intrepid -- this is NOT an easy task if this is your first time with such adventures. Easy to disassemble, but putting it all back together -- especially the bezel around the LCD panel -- is likely to be more much more "interesting" than you would want it to be!

Do not attempt to disassemble the LCD panel housing while the "top" of the machine is connected to the base. Separate the "top" from the base, disconnecting the LCD and antenna cables, and only then start disassembling the "top".

Good luck!

Thank you. I ordered these and the MC8775, since it came with it originally I assume it should be fully compatible.

I've got an X60s (1702-A11) with the motherboard of an X61s (7666-3EU).
This machine is in excellent condition, no shine on the keyboard, no dead pixels on the LCD.
The LCD has some tiny scratches, but these are not visible when it is powered on.
The machine also has WWAN antennas and an 8-cell battery that is good for almost 5 hours.
It has Middleton's BIOS in it with Slic2.1, SATA-II speed and whitelist removed.
It happens to be for sale for a very reasonable price.

Getting one like this would save you the hassle!

Sorry, not interested to buy one, but thanks anyways. Shipping over here would be too expensive anyways.

[EOMtp]

... I ordered ... the MC8775 ...

Do not be surprised if the MC8775 you receive has only one antenna connection, not two (see picture below). If so, then there may be little point in going through the trouble of installing an antenna inside the LCD case. Install only the antenna under the palm rest, and see if that works satisfactorily.

[oniichan]

You were right - the one I got only came with one connector.
However, the palmrest antenna doesn't have a cable long enough to stretch it to fit, as the connector is on the left side of the card.

What I did was install the LCD antenna anyways. It wasn't "hard", but it was a little tricky. I forgot to screw the display cable into position properly and had my heart skip a few beats as it booted up without output. It works fine, I get around 70-80% reception everywhere.
Note to GNU/Linux users who want to try this - wicd doesn't support WWAN at all. I had to switch to NetworkManager, which is bad because nm-applet requires a tray - something I don't have in my setup. You can use "trayer" to temporarily gain a tray, configure it, and then just leave it be.
Seeing as this upgrade was very cheap, I have to recommend everyone to do it. It also gave me a really cute looking antenna by the monitor that is a great conversation starter on public transportation.