Need Help.... T20 to T23 motherboard upgrade

[LymanSS]

Hi all,
I'm in the process of trying to upgrade a T20. I got it with a bad motherboard and decided to try to upgrade to a T23 board in the repair process. I got the board with the whole "tray" (IE the underside of the laptop, inclusive of the ultra-bay, PCMCIA slot, etc etc. Machine type is 2647-CU5

After a few snags I managed to strip the HDD, DVD drive, battery, keyboard, Keyboard bezel, hinge cover, and screen from the old machine and have just started installing the parts on the new one. Here's where I got stuck. The hinge for the screen doesn't seem to fit. The "hinges" seem to consist of three parts. Two actual hinges, and one big chunk of aluminum which sits under the CPU fan. It's the big chunk of aluminum that's giving me problems. It has a rib on the underside of it that is contacting the USB port. On the T20 there's only one USB connector. Whereas on the T23 motherboard there's a double USB port, and it's wide enough that it hits this rib.

Has anyone else encountered and solved this problem? I tried using the board's search function but haven't found anything. I suspect that if I grind down that rib with a dremel tool it'll fit, but I'd really like to hear from someone else before going off and grinding it down. I'm also not totally sure it'll fit under the CPU fan assembly once I get around to bolting that back on.

I'd very much appreciate any feedback or advice anyone can offer on this swap. Any other problems I should anticipate? I've heard there are some issues with the keyboard bezel fitting, but that it can be modified to fit. Any details would be very helpful. Thanks very much in advance.

Scott


Edit: After looking more carefully I'm now rather sure that the big aluminum piece won't fit under the fan/heatsink assembly. The screw holes don't line up and the whole assembly doens't seem to fit together. Have I backed myself into a corner here?

[tfflivemb2]

If you get it to fit, I will be very suprised....and impressed.

It is pretty widely spread here that only the T20-T22 system boards are interchangeable. The T23 is a different beast, since it is physically different (ie. 2 usb ports instead of one, etc.)

I have been tempted to try this, as I am hoping that I will be getting in several dead T20's, and I might have a T23 board or two that I might be able to repair.

[dsigma6]

pardon me if this is a silly question, but why are you trying to fit the t23 mobo into the t21 base, when you could just get a t23 base and be done with it!

if it's in the name of conquering the unachievable, then i understand.

[tfflivemb2]

Cost can be the biggest issue. In my situation in particular, I'm most likely going to have some dead T20s...so it is worth the attempt, just because its there.

[LymanSS]

Thanks for the responses. In re-reading my post I think I did a poor job of describing what I'm doing. I have a T23 motherboard in the T-23 base. All I'm trying to do is swap the rest of the parts from the T20 onto this base. In other words I'm moving the keyboard, screen, keyboard bezel, hinge cover, optical drive, HDD, battery, and all covers from the T20 onto the T23 base.

The problem arises with the screen. Next to the left screen hinge there's this aluminum piece. it's about an inch and a half wide. Looks to be attached to the screen by some sort of shaft that allows it to hang down and pivot like the hinges. This piece is hitting the second USB port. In all the diagrams in the assembly manual this piece is absent. I can't even tell what it does. It doesn't look structural. It may be part of the heat sink on the T20.

I guess I'm going to have to either remove it or modify it. I'm leaning toward removal, but I do wish I knew what it was for. Any help would be appreciated. If I can find a way to take a picture I'll post that.

Scott

[tfflivemb2]

Thanks for the responses. In re-reading my post I think I did a poor job of describing what I'm doing.

Actually, after re-reading it myself....I think I did a poor job of reading it the first time. I see now where you said that you bought it with the tray. I missed that the first time.

Not sure what to tell you though about the part.

[Orevin]

Can you post a picture? I have no idea what that might be.

About the other parts: The keyboard bezel will not fit but you can modify either the bezel or the base cover with a dremel tool or a sharp knife. The modem cover will not fit at all, I'm not sure about the memory cover. Everything else should cause no trouble.

[LymanSS]

Unfortunately I don't have pictures yet. But I'll post some. I want to figure out how important this part is. For the moment I've removed it. I carged down the keyboard bezel into a shape that fits rather well (but not perfectly). It's presently mounted. the door that covers the modem did not fit. The memory door did fit. To protect the modem I've covered the area with cardboard and secured it with tape. I'll need a new door. I'd also like to get the right beze, and perhaps a different hinge cover because it's not a perfect fit for some reason.


Anyway I've got the thing up and running and I'm actually typing this response on it. I'm thrilled that it's working. It took several hours of work to make it happen and I'm not done yet, but I've at least got a functional machine now. Hopefully I'll get it into perfect running order in not too long.....with the correct door, bezel, hinch cover, etc. Thanks for the responses. Any more advice, suggestions, questions or opinions would be appreciated.

Scott