T43/p fan runs and LEDs flash for 1 sec. then power off

[RealBlackStuff]

I've got a T43/p with a problem.
When I press the power button, the fan spins for a second, the LEDs flash up, but then nothing!
Machine powers off.
I have to remove the charger and reinsert the plug to be able to do the same fan-run/flash again.
Same on battery alone and on battery+charger.
No beeps or anything.
All fuses are OK.
It almost looks like the T21 BOD (Blink Of Death).
Anybody familiar with this and perhaps have a solution?

[brchan]

Sounds like a connection/fuse problem, but since you already checked them, then the problem is somewhere else. Not sure if the problem could be related to the flaky ATI GPUs, but my old T41 had the exact same issues you are describing after the GPU finally bit the dust.

[axur-delmeria]

Like brchan, I suspect that it's a GPU or chipset issue. I had a dead laptop with similar symptoms, and I'm almost 100% sure it's a bad chipset (nvidia + amd CPU = overheat/solder issue).

OTOH, you can try to diagnose it with an oscilloscope and might get lucky like this guy and his X31: http://kuzyatech.com/fixing-an-ibm-thinkpad-x31

[smashkenazi]

I saw this type of error, but it was reported as "0190 Critical Battery Error".
Luckily the solution was much easier than a graphics controller or chipset.

I took the machine to a local shop and had a power management SOIC-8 near the power plug replaced.
This IC had these markings:
4890
CAD
L SA