Possible to replace power jack on T60?

[beagle72]

I have been having a problem with AC power on my T60. At first I assumed that the flaky connection was a short in my AC adapter, so I switched to another AC adapter. This worked for a short while but then the laptop stopped recognizing being plugged into AC.

I bought a new AC adapter on eBay and it, too, is not creating a reliable connection. Sometimes the T60 will recognize the power source, but even a small jiggle upsets it. Even when the adapter is plugged in "just so" the machine is frequently dropping back to battery and then kicking back in to AC.

All this leads me to suspect the jack itself rather than any of my adapters. I see that replacement jacks are available on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lenovo-Thinkpad-T60 ... dZViewItem

But I can't find information on how I would replace the existing jack, including the hardware maintenance manual. Does it require major disassembly?

thanks!

[yak]

You might want to take a look at this site:
http://www.lenovoservicetraining.com

There are videos explaining removal/replacing of various parts of recent ThinkPads. There's no explicit video for the power connector but you can see that in order to access the screw, you have to take the whole system board along with the roll-cage from the base cover. You can see it clearly in a T61 video called "External Power Connector" and I doubt it's different in a T60. To get the system board out you will have to remove the LCD assembly first along with the keyboard bezel (I'm not even mentioning the palmrest and keyboard). Having the system board and the roll-cage out, swapping the power connector should be easy.

Note that I haven't been that deep in my T60 but I have removed the LCD assembly and the keyboard bezel once.

Good luck.

[Zender]

I once took the mainboard from the casing (after keyboard spill decided it's gonna be better to let it dry a bit, just in case).

Except for the high number of screws you need to take out (and I'd recommend to arrange them so that you know which one goes where - not all are the same), it was better experience than the lid (with front bezel glued... and the LCD cable stubbornly snapping out of place). Just be gentle to all parts, and take a close look at the videos and/or HMM when something does not want to come out / separate.

[Peak2Peak]

I have tightened-up my DC-Power jack when it became loose - I follwed instructions exactly as per the HMM (1200 - Structure Frame section - Step 1 can be ignored) and found it pretty straight forward - It is held in place by a single screw mounted underneath the frame structure which is not mentioned in the HMM, so make sure you do not loose it - Heed the advice from Zender with regards to the screws as there are a fair few to remove and put back!

Before you strip down your T60 to examine and/or replace the power jack, ensure that the connector to the motherboard is firmly attached!

[archer6]

I have been having a problem with AC power on my T60. At first I assumed that the flaky connection was a short in my AC adapter, so I switched to another AC adapter. This worked for a short while but then the laptop stopped recognizing being plugged into AC.
I can't find information on how I would replace the existing jack, including the hardware maintenance manual. Does it require major disassembly?

Yes there is quite a bit of disassembly required, as I have done this repair for my brother. I might also ad that I have a lot of experience repairing ThinkPads, not to brag, but rather to make the point that it is possible, as long as one has a lot of patience especially if this is your first time. Once done the results will be very satisfying, as then you will have first hand experience for the next time you might have to go in and take care of something.

The real key is to make sure before you begin that you have a large block of uninterrupted time. As a point of reference it took me two hours. And yet that said, i'm a bit OCD, and super careful when working on it. The good news is it's rather self evident when approached slowly and with the willingness to look around to understand the sequence of events to be followed. I looked up the link here for the replacement part and it's the correct one.

Good Luck!

I'm sure you can do this.

[beagle72]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Sounds like a job I could tackle if I have to -- I have quite a lot of experience with desktop PC building/repair, but only basic stuff with laptops so far.

Another strange observation: in playing with my T60 connector, I find that the laptop ONLY recognizes the AC connection when the lid is closed. With the machine open and booted up, it never recognizes the AC. Close the lid, and the plug light comes on again. Any ideas why this might be?

[archer6]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Sounds like a job I could tackle if I have to -- I have quite a lot of experience with desktop PC building/repair, but only basic stuff with laptops so far.

Another strange observation: in playing with my T60 connector, I find that the laptop ONLY recognizes the AC connection when the lid is closed. With the machine open and booted up, it never recognizes the AC. Close the lid, and the plug light comes on again. Any ideas why this might be?

Based on your experience, there is no question in my mind that you will do very well. As far at the variable reponse you are getting with the lid open vs closed, I have no answer for that one. I will look forward to hearing your report once the connector is replaced.

Cheers

[richk]

I wonder if the magnesium frame is broken and it moves when you open or close the lid.

[beagle72]

I wonder if the magnesium frame is broken and it moves when you open or close the lid.

Hmm...I'm not sure what the frame does but this sounds like a bad thing (?). What is the relationship between the frame and the power jack? And if the frame IS broken, is that basically fatal (or at least a major repair)?

[richk]

The frame goes around the motherboard and keeps it from flexing. The most likely break occurs in a thin area right over the air vent for the fan. (rear left) That causes flex in the rear when the lid is raised or lowered. The jack is screwed into the frame. It will eventually cause the base to break in the same area. It will be obvious when you take it apart to get at the jack. (as soon as you take off the keyboard bezel) The frame is a significant repair, but not much more labor, once you take it apart to get at the jack. The frame has to be removed from the base to get at the jack retaining screw.

[archer6]

The frame goes around the motherboard and keeps it from flexing. The most likely break occurs in a thin area right over the air vent for the fan. (rear left) That causes flex in the rear when the lid is raised or lowered. The jack is screwed into the frame. It will eventually cause the base to break in the same area. It will be obvious when you take it apart to get at the jack. (as soon as you take off the keyboard bezel) The frame is a significant repair, but not much more labor, once you take it apart to get at the jack. The frame has to be removed from the base to get at the jack retaining screw.

Excellent assessment and explanation.

The question I have is have you seen this often? As I mentioned earlier I just replaced the power connector in my bothers machine and while I saw, and inspected the area that you are referring to, it was not broken and appeared to be rather well designed if a bit thin as you mention. I would be interested in your take on this.

Cheers

[beagle72]

Thanks again for the fast and detailed advice. Can't say that I'm thrilled about this turn of events, but it looks like I will have to break it down once the replacement jack from ebay arrives. Will update or post followup questions then.

[archer6]

Thanks again for the fast and detailed advice. Can't say that I'm thrilled about this turn of events, but it looks like I will have to break it down once the replacement jack from ebay arrives. Will update or post followup questions then.

Your very welcome. On a positive note, I believe you will find this task less dreadful than originally anticipated. I look forward to your report upon completion.

Cheers...

[richk]

I've seen it 4 times - all in the same area. (right over the fan) Twice, the screen was also broken, so I assume they were dropped. The other 2, the owners said they just raised the lid and it broke. Previous owners always say they didn't mistreat or drop, but who knows. I can tell you the IBM will not replace it under warranty, unless you have "thinkpad protection", so they think there isn't a design problem.

[archer6]

I've seen it 4 times - all in the same area. (right over the fan) Twice, the screen was also broken, so I assume they were dropped. The other 2, the owners said they just raised the lid and it broke. Previous owners always say they didn't mistreat or drop, but who knows. I can tell you the IBM will not replace it under warranty, unless you have "thinkpad protection", so they think there isn't a design problem.

Very interesting. Thanks for your valuable report on this.

Cheers

[beagle72]

Thanks again for everyone's advice. I have some more data to add which is somewhat confusing and throws into question my original theory about the power jack.

Before things went awry, I noticed that Windows would throw errors about my battery being poor. I just ignored them -- I rarely rely on the battery anyway.

I currently have two AC adapters for the T60: one is the 90W/20V that came with the machine, the other is a 65W/20V that I bought on eBay (honestly, I didn't realize it was only 65W when I bought it).

With the battery plugged in, the T60 does not recognize either AC adapter when the lid is open.
With the battery plugged in, the T60 does recognize both AC adapters when the lid is closed. It seems to charge the battery in this state, though the battery light sometimes flashes orange.

With the battery removed and the 90W adapter plugged in, the T60 does recognize the AC with lid both open and closed. In fact, I can boot the T60 on AC alone using this adapter, without battery. This works fine, except that there is a short in the wire near the plug, so if I twist it too much to the side the power cuts out and, without a battery, the machine shuts off instantly.

With the battery removed and the 65W adapter plugged in, the T60 does recognize AC with lid both and closed. However, it refuses to boot with the 65W adapter and no battery. Instead it simply flashes the battery light and shuts back down. I am led to conclude that 65W alone is not enough to power on the machine, but it's enough to charge the battery, which is why the machine would boot with battery in + 65W adapter, so long as it had some charge.

Does any of this change the theory that the frame and/or possible crack has anything do with this? What is the relationship between the battery and the adapters here? Why would the T60 refuse to identify the AC adapter with "bad" battery plugged in AND lid open?

Now I'm not sure whether this thing needs a new power jack, a new frame, a new 90W adapter, or a new battery. Or all of the above!

thanks...
-Aaron

[richk]

Without a 2nd machine to test parts in, it's hard to diagnose.

[carbon_unit]

My T60 boots fine with a 65w adapter and no battery. The 65w adapter is sufficient to either run the T60 or charge the battery but not both.

[beagle72]

Just to followup on my little saga...I am now thinking that none of my original theories about a blown power jack or cracked frame are true.

With 90W adapter, T60 would not recognize AC with battery plugged in; battery light flashes orange. AC recognized with battery removed, BUT short in adapter cable near plug made it unreliable.

With new 65W adapter, T60 would recognize AC with battery plugged in, but would not boot without battery.

I tested my T60's power draw using the 90W adapter (with cable pinched to keep short connected) plugged into a Kill-a-Watt meter. Draw on boot was actually in the mid-70 watts -- no wonder it would not boot on the 65W adapter (this is the 15.4 widescreen T60 with 3GB RAM).

Decided that something funky is going on with battery, so placed order for a new one. We'll see when it arrives. In the meanwhile, I was struck by temptation: here I had a 65W adapter too weak for this T60, but with a perfectly compatible plug, and a 90W adapter with a shorted lead near its plug. I decided to take the plunge: splice!

I cut the lead on the 90W cable just before the ferrite block. This preserved most of its length. I cut the lead on the 65W cable near the transformer, preserving nearly its full length. I then stripped down both ends.

Challenge: the 65W cable contained two wires, one sheathed in brown and one in blue. The 90W cable contained two wires, one inside a plastic sheath and the other braided outside the plastic.

Google turned up a suggestion that brown is "hot" and blue is "neutral". I decided that on the corresponding 90W cable, the inner wire (inside the plastic sheath) was probably the hot, and the braided outside wire probably neutral (ground?).

Stripped a quarter inch from all four wires, twisted them together tightly, wrapped well in electric tape and -- TA DA! T60 recognizes AC on 90W adapter. No more short. Boots fine. PLUS the lead from transformer is now nearly twice as long as the original model, which is a neat bonus. Seems to work just fine, well taped, bending and all.

[beagle72]

Just to finish off this thread, I received a new battery for my T60 and it - combined with my newly spliced 90W adapter - have resolved all of the problems described in my earlier posts.

Conclusion: there never was anything wrong with my power jack (or titanium frame). However, the T60 sure behaved oddly when it was unhappy with the old battery.

[Kamika007z]

I'm glad you were able to resolve this.

I'm not usre if this was mentioned, but also please make sure that you are running the latest BIOS, as they might've changed around the battery charging algorithms as well.

Best,
Kamika007z