[x230] replacement parts questions

[samveen]

I'm very new to the Thinkpad world, with a second hand x230 (from parts unknown) purchased 2 weeks back. The seller of this laptop told me that this machine was from a batch of old corporate laptops disposed off in the SEA region (I believe Singapore in particular) which is then imported as e-waste and then refurbished and re-sold (he's a small scale dealer at the end of the chain). As the ram and disk are definitely aftermarket, it's already a frankenpad, as I see it.

The MTM spec is as below:

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Product Name: 2325W4J
Version: ThinkPad X230
SKU Number: LENOVO_MT_2325

I checked on the details on Lenovo's website and this is the info I get:

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Processor: 1x Intel Core i5-3320M Processor(2.6GHz
3MB)
Memory: 1x 4GB PC3-12800
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64(EN:English)
Hard Drive: 1x 320 GB 7200
Optical Drive: 1x DVD-R DL
Wired Network: 1x Integrated Intel 82579LM Gigabit Network Adapter
Wireless Network: 1x WAN Upgradeable
Ports: 1x External Microphone Headphone Line-In/out Combo Jack
Monitor: 3Yr 1Yr Bat OSR
Form Factor: Notebook

To fix the ThinkLight (which is physically broken), and add a WWAN card (a MC7710), a BT4.0 daughter board and a fingerprint sensor, I've ordered parts off aliexpress(1,2,3,4).

The question I have is about the expected lifetime of such after-market parts.The original FRUs from Lenovo are either unavailable near me, or with a 200% to 300% markup as compared to Lenovo US/Canada prices.

[RealBlackStuff]

There is no Optical Drive in the X230, unless you also got an Ultrabase with it.
Ram can go up to 2x8=16GB.
Most of those new parts go inside anyway, so the only thing you may need to worry about is the Fingerprint reader
(which I personally find useless and have never used).

[samveen]

There is no Optical Drive in the X230, unless you also got an Ultrabase with it.
Ram can go up to 2x8=16GB.
Most of those new parts go inside anyway, so the only thing you may need to worry about is the Fingerprint reader
(which I personally find useless and have never used).

You're probably right about the Ultrabase being part of the package, given I'm atleast the 3rd owner of this laptop (if not further in the chain) and the initial purchaser as definitely some large corporation.

Despite that, the amazing thing is that the laptop's still in awesome shape, so it's probably been polished up, or been well cared for.

My main concern as always is the whether the after-market parts work as well as Lenovo sourced FRUs. My experience with an after market battery was horrible and is detailed in this post, and I am worried that this might extend to the other parts.

[w0qj]

These docking stations are compatible with X230:
www.thinkscopes.com/2012/11/10/thinkpad ... replicator

Our own X230 use the ThinkPad Mini Port Replicator Series 3.
And our X230 battery was the same one that came with our original purchase, and is working nicely
(As is our X230 !)

We've purchased 3rd party battery for our T410 years after our original T410 purchase, and this 3rd battery failed *before* our original T410 battery died!!
We try to buy batteries direct from Lenovo/ThinkPad wherever possible after that...
ymmv

[samveen]

<snip/>
The MTM spec is as below:

Code: Select all

Product Name: 2325W4J
Version: ThinkPad X230
SKU Number: LENOVO_MT_2325

<snip/>
To fix the ThinkLight (which is physically broken), and add a WWAN card (a MC7710), a BT4.0 daughter board and a fingerprint sensor, I've ordered parts off aliexpress(1,2,3,4).

The question I have is about the expected lifetime of such after-market parts.The original FRUs from Lenovo are either unavailable near me, or with a 200% to 300% markup as compared to Lenovo US/Canada prices.

So I've finally got my hands on all the replacement parts I'd ordered, and the verdict is as below:

• Sierra MC7710 WWAN card: This MC7710 (FRU:04W3821) looks to be non-Lenovo. Further, it seems that Lenovo has never sold this part (implied by the lack of pictures for this FRU on partslookup), just certifying against this card due to the large availability of them in the market (this is a theory; no proof either way). It works on Windows 7 after firmware updates using Ubuntu 18.04.2 (where it works well enough to be able to update firmware to get it working out of the box). Software requirements are all available via official Ubuntu repos (no PPAs required), with firmware available from Seirra. In fact, I'm writing this post on Xubuntu 18.04.2 connected via a Jio 4G-only data-only sim on the MC7710. Win7 requires a software download from Sierra's website for the card to function correctly. However, my dual-boot system suffers issues when switching OSes after card installation. If I reboot into the same OS as previously, issues are non-existent, and vice versa(root cause unknown as of yet, but pointing to time-flipping issues) Looks like this is Win7 being Windoze. Price USD 50.28
• Thinklight + LED Cable: This definitely seems to be of poorer quality as compared to the FRU(04W1408) pictures on lenovo partslookup, but not by much.. I haven't put it in yet, so no more updates yet (It'll require a lot of taking apart, and that's got me a little worried). Price USD 9.00
• Palmrest with fingerprint reader: The palm-rest is completely missing all ground interconnections at every point (between the palm rest and the express card and MMC card cages, the keyboard, between the grounding on the palm-rest and the track-pad backing plate; every possible interconnection is missing), cushioning in the right bottom corner, and all liquid runoff channels are missing their plastic stick-on walls, are full of holes where the stick-on walls are present, but horribly aligned, and in the case of the left one, sealed shut at the point where it meets the lower body. A view here. I've opened a dispute for full refund (with detailed pictures), as there isn't a chance in hell that I'll use this, given it's a bomb waiting to explode. Price USD 32.58
• BT4.0 daughter board: This looks original(FRU:60Y3303) but old, probably pulled out of some other laptop. Worked without issues on Ubuntu. The BT 4.0 drivers from Lenovo worked perfectly, with the device showing up as Lenovo BT 4.0 in Win7 device manager. Price USD 6.37