Lenovo ThinkPad T61p Motherboard Replacement
Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 11:28 pm
I finished this job up a couple of weeks ago and am finally getting around to posting some pics. My previous laptop was a Lenovo ThinkPad T61p. After using it for a couple of years it stopped powering on earlier last year. According to the troubleshooting procedure in the service manual, the main board was at fault. At the time, the replacement motherboard was well over $200 and for not too much more money, I bought a newer W510. I also had the option of buying another semi-broken T61p and building one functional machine, but that was around the same price. Fast forward almost a year and the price of the board is now just over $100. So I figured now is a good time to fix this still a capable machine.
I have owned several ThinkPads and their interior construction is similar, so this walkthough may have uses for other machines too. I recommend grabbing the service manual from the support website as reference too. http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/ Their support sight is fantastic, not just for manuals, but also up to date drivers. They have current Windows 8.1 drivers for this machine, even though it is from 2007. One of the benefits of buying a business-class machine off a corporate lease.
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz
4GB DDR2 667MHz
Nvidia Quadro FX570M
Intel Centrino AGN WiFi
Other fancy bits including Bluetooth, DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet, PCMCIA slots, 4-in-1 card reader, and a 56K modem (!)
Now for the repair. The (slightly blurry) laptop: The motherboard (or mainboard): Start by removing the battery. This machine has the optional 9-cell battery. Then the hard drive. One screw holds the door on. With the door out, the hard drive can then be slid out. Remove the DVD drive. There is a small switch on the side which makes the release lever pop out. Pull on that to release the drive. Remove all the palm rest screws. There are 4 on the underside of the laptop in a line on the front third of the machine, they are marked with the keyboard symbol. There is another one in the center of the underside of the laptop. You can remove that one now or later. The palm rest then tilts away from the keyboard and pulls free. Be careful of the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable attaches with a push on connector next to the memory slots. Memory modules. With performance.
I have owned several ThinkPads and their interior construction is similar, so this walkthough may have uses for other machines too. I recommend grabbing the service manual from the support website as reference too. http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/ Their support sight is fantastic, not just for manuals, but also up to date drivers. They have current Windows 8.1 drivers for this machine, even though it is from 2007. One of the benefits of buying a business-class machine off a corporate lease.
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz
4GB DDR2 667MHz
Nvidia Quadro FX570M
Intel Centrino AGN WiFi
Other fancy bits including Bluetooth, DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet, PCMCIA slots, 4-in-1 card reader, and a 56K modem (!)
Now for the repair. The (slightly blurry) laptop: The motherboard (or mainboard): Start by removing the battery. This machine has the optional 9-cell battery. Then the hard drive. One screw holds the door on. With the door out, the hard drive can then be slid out. Remove the DVD drive. There is a small switch on the side which makes the release lever pop out. Pull on that to release the drive. Remove all the palm rest screws. There are 4 on the underside of the laptop in a line on the front third of the machine, they are marked with the keyboard symbol. There is another one in the center of the underside of the laptop. You can remove that one now or later. The palm rest then tilts away from the keyboard and pulls free. Be careful of the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable attaches with a push on connector next to the memory slots. Memory modules. With performance.