IBM Thinkpad T20 does not power up!

[coldheart66]

I have a T20 which does not power up though the battery is new and the AC adapter is plugged in. The only thing that happens are the lights of the battery and HDD flashing up but no power up. I am rather clueless about what's going wrong. Is it the mainboard or just the RTC?

[vakero1]

wow..

samething happend to my old t21.
Dead mobo.

[coldheart66]

My T20 now powers on again as I changed the CMOS battery ... weird???

[JHEM]

My T20 now powers on again as I changed the CMOS battery ... weird???

Not weird, normal.

On modern laptops (since the days of implementation of APM) the CMOS battery does far more than simply maintain the BIOS settings. In fact it provides the current to activate the solid state solenoid that actually turns your machine on when you press the power switch.

Regards,

James

[coldheart66]

[quote="JHEM"][quote="coldheart66"]My T20 now powers on again as I changed the CMOS battery ... weird???[/quote]
Not weird, normal.

On modern laptops (since the days of implementation of APM) the CMOS battery does far more than simply maintain the BIOS settings. In fact it provides the current to activate the solid state solenoid that actually turns your machine on when you press the power switch.

Regards,

James[/quote]

Ok, I see. Many thanks for the advice. This actually was a cheap solution

[verktyg]

James,

Any suggestion where I can get the correct replacement CMOS battery in the US?

I've done a number of searches and haven't found one that I would trust installing.

IBM 02K6541 FRU 02K6572

I know that it's just a CR2032 battery with leads welded onto it but....

About a month or so ago, I read some messages about T20 Sudden Death Syndrome and a few weeks ago it happened to mine!

Chas.

[verktyg]

On modern laptops (since the days of implementation of APM) the CMOS battery does far more than simply maintain the BIOS settings. In fact it provides the current to activate the solid state solenoid that actually turns your machine on when you press the power switch.

James

James, I took your advice and replaced the CMOS battery in my T20. Still No Joy.

If I unplug the AC adapter with the power battery removed no lights flash when I hit the start button. I wonder if I got a bad "new" battery?

I was able to get it running this weekend and get all of the data I needed off the hard drive. It started up several times with the power battery removed after sitting for awhile with just the AC adapter plugged in.

The BIOS screen came up when it first started and I had to change the date from 1980 which would indicate a bad battery.

Bad system boards seem to be pandemic with the T20, T21 and T22 TPs. . These models are selling used for ~ $400-$500 USD so I don't want to spend too much money on it.

Quandary, do I spend $20 on another CMOS battery or do I try to find someone to check out the system and repair it. IBM wants $425 USD and a local shop wants $350.

While I've schlepped it around the country for the past 3 years it's still in really nice shape and probably doesn't have more than 400 hours of use.

I already picked up an X31 to replace it but I'd hate to see the T20 go to waste.

What to do, what to do, what to do.....

[verktyg]

Follow up.

After trying all of the different suggested fixes with no permanent success, I replaced the system board on my T20 and so far it's been working perfectly.

I picked up a brand new IBM board on eBay for $69.00 USD. The replacement job is pretty simple if you have some experience with electronics.

[Cal166]

Thank you SOO MUCH OP. I fixed one of them broken laptop by replacing the CMOS Battery!

Thanks AGAIN!

[SleeplessHacker]

I've caught this problem I'll try changing the CMOS battery.. I wonder if somone has one cheaper that $10??

[verktyg]

I've caught this problem I'll try changing the CMOS battery.. I wonder if somone has one cheaper that $10??

That's pretty inexpensive. I've seen them priced as high as $30 USD. Sure is a lot of money for a $2 USD LiON watch battery with 2 leads welded on and a piece of plastic shrink wrap over top!

Don't try to weld the leads onto a battery, it could explode. There is a special process for that.

Make sure that you get a new battery. I've seen a lot of used batteries for sale an the web and eBay.