Shell Cutting

[aouate3]

Well, i have a T42p thats went through a lot, its in 'good" shape, everything works, but i want to do a casemod on it, just something simple, What im doing is putting a Apple logo on it, to go along with my OSX theme on Ubuntu, Now i dont want some crappy sticker, what im going for is a actual logo, that lights up, Ive been repairing computers for quite a while, and i know this laptop inside and out, every part, every piece, every screw, every latch. I have the designs all done, everything planed out, and the plastic apple logo to fill the cutout all ready, But i need to cut the thinkpad shell, not the plastic, but the "rollcage" type shell on the back of the TFT housing, you know, the one with the rubber-ish texture, Ive already traced it, and made the inital etching, but im afraid that if i cut it, it will break, i have removed the housing allready, but i just need to know how to cut it, What does the all-mighty thinkpad forums reconmend?

[rkawakami]

How about a Sawzall®?? On the slightly more serious side... maybe a Dremel® with a cutting wheel? What shape is the hole going to be?

[aouate3]

Have you ever seen a Apple laptop, Like a powerbook G4, the apple logo on the mac, im trying to re-create on the thinkpad... What i was thinking, was taping off the whole top with some heay duty tape, and cutting the logo, then sandblasting it, repeatedly, it may take a while, but it may work, but im not positively sure...

[aouate3]

And btw, Hello rkawakami, I was referred to you a while back on something, But i never got around to contacting you, Its nice meeting you

[aouate3]

I have a dremel.....somewhere, Im 15 and my parents generally dis-approve on using the dremel since my brother, who is now 31, almost cut his finger off on accident.... even though i have used tools more dangerous then a dremel, a dremel may be perfect, but hard to perfect the cutout

[craigmontHunter]

A dremel with a cutting bit (looks like a drill) would be perfect. If you have a hand tool that connects to the end of the dremel, that would give better control, as well as practicing before the final cut

Good luck, post pictures after you finish.

[aouate3]

Ok, I will see what i can do, And i will be sure to post pictures throughout this whole project

[aouate3]

And does anyone know what material the thinkpad's rear screen housing is made of?

[Harryc]

T4X parts are pretty cheap. I'd get a T4X lid and try it before dismantling the existing lid. The lid material is magnesium alloy.

[aouate3]

I have no experince cutting magnesium alloy, but i do have a little experince on breaking thinkpad lids, accedently of course, So, how easy are they to cut? I am going to take Harryc's advice and get a new lid, its probably a good idea just in case, So my question is, how easy is it to cut magnesium alloy?

[tfflivemb2]

I don't think it should be too hard with a dremel tool. The accuracy for detailing should be easiest with the dremel, because of the hand held ability, and small tips. I have drilled through an older 600 series lid, and it took a little patience, but it worked.

If I had just an ounce of energy, I'd go down stairs and test it out for you, because I believe I have 2-3 spare T4x lids.

Recommendation on getting the lid...look on ebay for a busted screen that is still in the housing. Then decide which one is nicer, and test on the one that is in the worst shape...

EDIT: What size lid? 14"?
Check this one out: http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-T40-Type-2374-L ... 43a1a88d35

[aouate3]

its a T42p so its whatever size screen comes with it, i really dont know what size it is, i would have to google for the specs, I know its bigger then normal t4x screens

[tfflivemb2]

The p just means that it has a higher resolution. What is the full model-type number off of the bottom? It will tell whether it is a 14 or 15" screen.

[aouate3]

The type is 2373 so according to this http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/thinkpa ... 14120.html it is a 15 inch

[rkawakami]

2373 does not tell the full story since some T42p 2373 systems came with 14.1" screens and others with the 15". You can either measure the diagonal distance across the LCD display or provide all seven characters of the TYPE (e.g., 2373-ABC) that's on the bar code label on the bottom.

[aouate3]

The problem i am having is that i dont have the rest of the code, But i do have a screen from a different thinkpad, and i am positive that this screen is a 14.1, so im pretty sure that this laptop is a 15 inch, like 99.9999% sure

[aouate3]

because this laptops screen is larger then the 14.1

[tfflivemb2]

If you are sure, then you are sure, but you can get the rest of the Model-Type number in the BIOS settings. Once you open the BIOS look for system information, and get the three numbers/letters that follow the 2373. It should be near the serial number, but it will have more than just the standard 7 digits.

[aouate3]

I know it would say in the BIOS, But it would help if this laptops motherboard was its original mobo, The original mobo fried itself (literally, it cooked itself, in my laptop bag, solder on the southbridge melted enough for it to shift, short out, and fry ) And ajkula66 Was nice enough to mail me 2 T4x Motherboards with various problems, and i was able to reball the northbridge on one of them (with a heat gun, solder, soldering iron, several tooth picks, a suction cup, solder sucker, and some solder resin, in the comfort of my backyard, and yes, Im 15) and its been working for several months now, so the bios wont tell me the full type because i never reprogramed the type into the bios using the bios flash tool. but i am positive that the screen is a 15 inch

[aouate3]

I think i made you guys wait long enough, Now here is what you were waiting for

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... d13471d07b

Check out the pictures, also, i havent finished tapeing the edges because i added the lighting last

it runs of a 5 volt source on the docking port, runing to the screen, then the positive lead is connected to 3 49 ohm resistors wired in series going to 2 LEDs wired in pararell and taped to the fiber optic panel