New T42 questions

[Flamengo]

Hi there,

Newbie at the forum, but not a newbie to thinkpads. This week i received my latest and so far best thinkpad. It´s a (refurbished) T42 (2373-4TU). I bought a refurbished simply becouse it´s low price. I´m just a (20 years old) student that can´t afford a new t6x series, but wants the IBM quality. I also love the simplicity but still sophisticated Thinkpad design.

As you can see in my signature i´ve owned a R50e. Now i have a few questions about the T42 that came up in me when i studie the T42.

When i close the screen and hear the click off it i can feel there is some space. It is closed, working fine and feels safe. Only, it has some space. Now, if it was my first thinkpad i wouldn´t ask this question, but since i´ve had a R50e i think that the t42 has more space than the R-series. Is dat normal?

Second question: I´ve noticed that the T42 battery (well, the battery that came with it) is a little more darker than the rest of the Thinkpad housing. Is that normal?

And a (bonus ) question: does any of you has a briliant idea of what to do with some shiny keys?

Thanks allready,

Ray

[syedj]

Ray,

Welcome to the forum!

1. I am not sure how to answer your question correctly so I will let someone else take a stab at it.

2. The material used for the battery case manufacturing is different from the material used for the body that's why it looks a bit darker. I would consider that "normal."

3. Shiny keys are a result of normal wear of the keyboard. Usually space bar suffers the most and usually only at one spot because of our individual typing habits and the finger or thumb we habitually use for it, followed by the most popular keys (A, S, T and etc). I am not aware of any remedy to get rid of it except to buy a new keyboard.

[Flamengo]

Hi syedj,

Thanks for the soon reply. The color of the battery housing make sense now. Thanks! I was aware of how keys get shiny. Indeed the keys that are shiny, are the most common ones. Spacebar, F, J and E and left mouse click. Pherhaps there was/is a simple remedie. But very thanks allthough.
Hoping someone still has the anwser obout the (little) space diffrence when you close the screen between R-series and T-series.

Kind regards,

Ray

p.s. Sorry for the bad english

[schen]

Hi syedj,

Thanks for the soon reply. The color of the battery housing make sense now. Thanks! I was aware of how keys get shiny. Indeed the keys that are shiny, are the most common ones. Spacebar, F, J and E and left mouse click. Pherhaps there was/is a simple remedie. But very thanks allthough.
Hoping someone still has the anwser obout the (little) space diffrence when you close the screen between R-series and T-series.

Kind regards,

Ray

p.s. Sorry for the bad english

I'll take a stab at the "closed-space" difference question, at least until someone else come up with other answers anyway. As far as I can tell, it can be one of two reasons:

* One is that the latch closures are not quite as tight on the T4x as previous machines. At some point around the generation of the T4x, IBM went to the right hand only latch release so that the machine could be opened one-handed. They used a sliding bar that spans the width of the screen to actuate the other latch. Of course, the latches would both have to move in the same direction instead of opposite as in previous ThinkPads which I believe to be a little less mechanically stable and could contribute to it not closing as tightly.

* The second and more likely answer is the the hinges (or their attachments) are a little tweaked and therefore causing the lid the not align as it should. The T's have a little less room for error as they are thinner and have less material to provide ridgitity.

Of course, that is all conjecture and definitely just my opinion.

One more side-note. I'm certain that your command of English is far superior than virutally all of us with Dutch! At any rate, it is more than adequate. Welcome to the forum.

[Flamengo]

Thanks for the reply and awnsers i´ve been searching for.

My previously R50e allready had the right hand only latch, so don´t think that´s it.
However, the second explanation seems likely! If i got it right, you (Schen) said it´s a design diffrence between R-series and T-series. Not a wear issue (used to much). So it seems nothing to worry about!

Quote:
"One more side-note. I'm certain that your command of English is far superior than virutally all of us with Dutch! At any rate, it is more than adequate. Welcome to the forum. Very Happy"

Allready feeling verry welcome! Thanks!

Ray

[NovaKnowledgeNow]

1. Latches are a bit loose(common)
2. Battery could be from another possibly newer Thinkpad(ie. t43)
3. Replace the keyboard. It's like 4 screws on the bottom. Pops out pretty easy. Push up on the strip at the top, then it should pop out.