Fun uses for an old ThinkPad?

[dmillerw]

I recently got an old ThinkPad, but am unsure of what to really do with it.

The battery life is next to none, so it has to be plugged in at all times, and the backlight is dead.

I've currently got a minimal version of Ubuntu installed (no GUI, console only)

Any suggestions on what to do with it?

[Sef]

what are your specs?

[dmillerw]

Pentium III @ 1.2Ghz
512MB RAM

[Paqman]

Would make a good little server. Throw Apache on it, sign up to DynDNS and say "Hello World".

[dmillerw]

Would make a good little server. Throw Apache on it, sign up to DynDNS and say "Hello World".

That's definitely one of the things I've been considering. Especially since my last one died. xD

[Rasa1111]

Ive got a Thinkpad older and weaker than that,
and while I never use it.. it runs Lubuntu great. With less than 200MB RAM.
Thinkpad E600.
Battery (both of them ) are also shot, and it needs to be plugged in..
but its about 13 years old.. and still kicks! lol

A server would be a good idea I think. For yours anyway.

Only laptops Ill ever buy are Thinkpads.
my Z61T (about 5 yrs old) kicks even new laptops arses. lol :P

[2F4U]

The nice thing about ThinkPads is that you can get spare parts for even old machines. You may be able to buy a replacement battery. I have an old ThinkPad X31 (12" screen size), which I carry with me as kind of netbook. Xubuntu is installed on it and runs very well. I use it for notetaking and web surfing. I have installed Firefox Aurora, which is much faster than the current stable versions.

[2F4U]

Only laptops Ill ever buy are Thinkpads.
my Z61T (about 5 yrs old) kicks even new laptops arses. lol :P

The nice thing about ThinkPads - the older models, I don't know much about the newer ones - is that these are business class machines. You can't compare a ThinkPad with any consumer laptop with respect to build quality and durability. I also found that they provide a very good Linux compatibility.

[dmillerw]

As I've said, the backlight is shot, so the screen is basically useless. I'll probably just go with the server.

[mips]

As I've said, the backlight is shot, so the screen is basically useless. I'll probably just go with the server.

Repairing the backlight should be easy & cheap, plenty of used spares going around.

You say the battery does not hold a charge for long which means the electronics are still good but the cells shot. Buying replacement cells and repacking the battery is pretty cheap and with the new cells today you will get better performance than with a replacement battery.

What's the exact model number of the laptop?

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki The best Thinkpad site out there!

I would restore it to it's former glory and install something like Crunchbang or Arch on it ;)


.

[dmillerw]

Repairing the backlight should be easy & cheap, plenty of used spares going around.

You say the battery does not hold a charge for long which means the electronics are still good but the cells shot. Buying replacement cells and repacking the battery is pretty cheap and with the new cells today you will get better performance than with a replacement battery.

What's the exact model number of the laptop?

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki The best Thinkpad site out there!

I would restore it to it's former glory and install something like Crunchbang or Arch on it ;)


.

Very very tempting actually. I have an older thinkpad (t20) where the LCD is cracked. Is it possible to salvage the backlight from that? and if so, know any good guides for that?

[ssam]

The nice thing about ThinkPads is that you can get spare parts for even old machines. You may be able to buy a replacement battery. I have an old ThinkPad X31 (12" screen size), which I carry with me as kind of netbook. Xubuntu is installed on it and runs very well. I use it for notetaking and web surfing. I have installed Firefox Aurora, which is much faster than the current stable versions.

i had a x31 as a 'netbook' for a while. quite a nice laptop.

[mips]

Very very tempting actually. I have an older thinkpad (t20) where the LCD is cracked. Is it possible to salvage the backlight from that? and if so, know any good guides for that?

Provide model numbers for the two laptops please.

I think it's worth fixing it as they will probably outlast their owners. Strip it, clean it out properly, add new AS5 thermal paste etc and you will have something you can still use as a server or take on a road trip camping etc.

[dmillerw]

Provide model numbers for the two laptops please.

I think it's worth fixing it as they will probably outlast their owners. Strip it, clean it out properly, add new AS5 thermal paste etc and you will have something you can still use as a server or take on a road trip camping etc.

The one with the cracked LCD is a ThinkPad T20 (can't get more specific then that.)

The current one, is a ThinkPad T23.

[mips]

The current one, is a ThinkPad T23.

13" or 14" display?
14" came in 1024x768 as well as 1400x1050 resolutions.

At the bottom there will be a specific model number like 2647-7G1, 2647-9RG etc which is a much better identifier.

They used 7 different display panels in the T23.

[whatthefunk]

Throw Lubuntu on it. Ive got a laptop with similar specs and similar problems (no battery) and it runs Lubuntu like a champion.

[dmillerw]

13" or 14" display?
14" came in 1024x768 as well as 1400x1050 resolutions.

13"

The T20 is the same.

[Duncan J Murray]

Yep - a T23 isn't that old for a Thinkpad! They are selling backlights on ebay - but you'll need to get the right one, and I think replace the inverter as well. You can usually find the maintenence manual online as well... I haven't done it myself, but will be looking into it when my T40's screen gives up the ghost.

The other thing that goes after a while is the fan - I've replaced mine, and it hums nicely now... Wasn't too hard if you buy the correct part and follow the instructions..

D

[Duncan J Murray]

PS Once you get it working, you could install a minimal no-x install of ubuntu, load vi or emacs on it, and use it as a distraction-free writing machine. They are becoming very fashionable.

Duncan

[mips]

13"

The T20 is the same.

Okay then just try swapping the backlights out between them, it could also be a faulty inverter.

T20, T21, T22, T23 - Hardware Maintenance Manual (April 2002) (http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/62p9631.pdf)

http://www.fonerbooks.com/test.htm
http://kihwal.fayoly.net/proj/t23_bl.html
http://www.thinkpads.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=55196&start=0
http://www.thinkpads.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=50335&start=0
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19340&view=next
http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/2007/01/31/replace-screen-inverter-fix-backlight/
http://www.mymegabyte.com/2008/06/backlight-replacement-for-ibm-thinkpad-t42p/

This should give you something to do for the weekend :D




TAGS: LCD Inverter Backlight Testing Replacement Thinkpad

[jimrz]

Throw Lubuntu on it. Ive got a laptop with similar specs and similar problems (no battery) and it runs Lubuntu like a champion.

+1 ... have my old TP 600x PIII 500 / 384Mb ram running Lubuntu 10.04 like a champ

[DangerOnTheRanger]

I would just use it as a netbook or something. I actually have a computer with almost identical specs, and I use it as a netbook.



I would restore it to it's former glory and install something like Crunchbang or Arch on it ;)


<something about the punny sound crunchBANG and old computers goes here>