"Frankenpadding" a 14.1" T60

[vladimir1986]

First of all: Thank you very much for letting me in on this forum: I actually spent here long times without logging in and got lots of solutions for random problems I encountered with my loved Thinkpad!.


My laptop now is working fine. As the title hints, it is a T60 14.1" with the ATI X1400 graphics card (originally a X1300, also tried Intel from a trashed laptop). However, I am running on some issues:

I am using Linux and the free ATI drivers quite suck.... When I want to try a game on my laptop, It is a bit like playing russian rulette with 4 bullets on the revolver: More often than not, the game will not work. Using Intel is similar, but this time is not software but hardware problems, and it loads 5 bullets, not 4.

I know that Nvidia have better results, as far as it doesn't melt, but I want to keep my dear 4:3 1024x768 resolution, so I know that I don't have many options.

When I read about Frankenpads, I always found that they use as a base a 15" T60, not 14.1" like mine. Furthermore, I did read that I need to fit a 14.1" T61p motherboard on a 15" T60 chassis, so I assume they won't fit on my chassis...

Honestly: What are my options? Will I need to hint for a new chassis?

Thanks you very much

[vladimir1986]

*About the game and some programs compatibility:

I solved the issue: It didn't had anything to do with the free ATI drivers, but me using the 64bit version of wine. Recompiling and enabling 32bit wine libraries solved the problem.

I am still interested on knowing how would I be able to do this: I really want to use this laptop until It melts and they don't sell spares anymore, and I want to know I will be able to stretch its power to its maximum

[rumbero]

When I read about Frankenpads, I always found that they use as a base a 15" T60, not 14.1" like mine. Furthermore, I did read that I need to fit a 14.1" T61p motherboard on a 15" T60 chassis, so I assume they won't fit on my chassis...

Honestly: What are my options? Will I need to hint for a new chassis?

The main reason for creating a 15"/4:3 Frankenpad is to combine the superior IPS/Flexview display benefits of the T60's with the much enhanced computing features of the T61. The IPS/Flexview display option is absent from all 14.1"/4:3 T60/T61, though. If you don't care about such a much better display, why don't you just buy an additional 14.1"/4:3 T61 and be done with it?

Apart from the 15"/4:3 UXGA Flexview Behemoth, simply for mobility reasons, I also use 14.1"/4:3 SXGA+ Frankenpads. These are very much easier to make than its larger brethren: just get a a standard 4:3/14.1" T61 with the required technical specs and then simply swap the complete display unit and keyboard bezel between your T60 and the T61. That's all that needs to be done.

Those 14.1"/4:3 T60 and T61 basically use the same chassis, with only slight differences of the internal roll cages, keyboard bezel, and palm rest. Although the hinges appear to be very much different, seen from outside, they are a perfect fit into either chassis if you also swap the keyboard bezel. For me, this was the perfect way to get rid of these wobbly and easily broken T61 display hinges.

In fact, you get two Frankenpads this way: the original T60 combining the inferior parts of both machines, while the actual target T61 is even further enhanced both technically and aesthetically.

Nonetheless, if good WiFi reception is of primary importance to you, then keep in mind that the T61 display unit was designed with exactly this in mind, and that you might lose one of three antenna connectors when swapping displays. For this very reason, i also swapped the WiFi card with one of the recommended Atheros cards.

Pick your poison!

EDIT: It is BTW usually very much cheaper to acquire a complete working T61 than just the parts. On eBay, a used T61 can often be had for less than a used replacement mainboard, but this then also includes additional parts like RAM, HDD, keyboard, CPU, cooler unit, etc. But if you really want a good NOS T61 Nvidia mainboard without potentially broken GPU, then i'd refrain from anything eBay and rather get in touch with trusted forum member TuuS, instead.

[QWERTY Andreas]

It is also possible to install a 15.4" Widescreen T61/p motherboard in a 14.1" T60/p

It requires some modifications to the structure, and you will Loose the ultrabay. On the other hand you can have the much more powerfull 256MB Quadro FX570m, instead of the 128MB version (which also have faulty GPU).

Look at my thread http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=110323, and don't look at the spelling

[MisterB]

A T60p motherboard with a 256mb FireGL GPU is a good improvement. I have one such T60 which would qualify as a Frankenpad. I was given a 14" T60 with a flaky motherboard and X1400 processor. I bought a trashed T60p and swapped the motherboards. An easier upgrade would be a T7200 or T7700 processor. I have a 2613-LJU T60 that I'm refurbishing that has a factory T7200 and X1300 GPU. It is quite a bit faster than the more common T2400 processor in T60s.

[vladimir1986]

After a long pause (didn't had the money or time to upgrade my laptop anyway) I opted for Rumbero's solution: I got the cheapest possible 14.1 standard aspect ratio refurbished laptop and I'll change the screen and keyboard. I opted for the Intel GPU, as I know that even if powerless it gives sort of meh results on Linux and I totally avoid the Nvidia fail. I think that the chances of using an SSD and 8GB of RAM are well worth it anyway.

The only annoying bit is that it seems terribly difficult to find spares for the standard ratio 14.1 T61, 99% of the times a spare will be for the 14.1 widescreen....

[ajkula66]

The only annoying bit is that it seems terribly difficult to find spares for the standard ratio 14.1 T61, 99% of the times a spare will be for the 14.1 widescreen....

What parts *exactly* are you looking for?

[brchan]

All exterior parts of a 14.1" 4:3 T60 will fit perfectly onto a 14.1" 4:3 T61 (base cover needs slight modification, though). That includes:
-keyboard
-keyboard bezel
-palmrest
-HDD cover
-base cover
-LCD cover

If you want a T60 lid in a T61, you must use T60 hinges and the T60 LCD bezel. The base cover will fit perfectly after filing the small plastic area to the left of the battery compartment (there is extra plastic here compared to the 14.1" T61 base cover). T60 14.1" lids are commonly put into T61s because the hinges are higher quality and are not prone to snapping. Personally, I have found T60 machines to have higher build quality, so I have swapped all new T60 exterior components onto my T61.

[vladimir1986]

All exterior parts of a 14.1" 4:3 T60 will fit perfectly onto a 14.1" 4:3 T61 (base cover needs slight modification, though). That includes:
-keyboard
-keyboard bezel
-palmrest
-HDD cover
-base cover
-LCD cover

If you want a T60 lid in a T61, you must use T60 hinges and the T60 LCD bezel. The base cover will fit perfectly after filing the small plastic area to the left of the battery compartment (there is extra plastic here compared to the 14.1" T61 base cover). T60 14.1" lids are commonly put into T61s because the hinges are higher quality and are not prone to snapping. Personally, I have found T60 machines to have higher build quality, so I have swapped all new T60 exterior components onto my T61.

That is my idea. I though at first to swap the T61 motherboard on the T60 chasis too, as I like the metal casing, but I heard that the T61 has better heat dissipation and runs cooler. I acutally got blisters from resting my T60 on my lap! (It went away after I compiled my kernel to use "power save mode" for the CPU, undusting and termal pasting but still gets quite hot when it wants). Another concern would be to install Middletton BIOS as I don't have Windows (the installation method states ou should install from it) but I need to wait until my T61 arrives. Maybe my worries are not necessary and I can just use an installation CD like I did with my T60 so it could detect my T7200

[TuuS]

I have pretty much any part you could need for a T61, they would have to ship across pond, but if the parts aren't too heavy the cost shouldn't be too bad.