Starting to build a T60/T61/T601 Frankenpad

[stryker86]

Hello everyone,

I want to create my own retro T60/T61/T601 Frankenpad and I need your help in navigating this journey.
I had modified a t430 in the past and got the bug.
The problems that I am facing at the moment when trying to build my T601 are:
1. I just cant find a T60 15" with a 4:3 screen. I have found numerous models of T60 15" but with widescreen, and from my documentation this model is not good for what I am doing.
I want to put in the T601 a HV150UX2-100 screen to get the 4:3 feeling.
So for this reason I want to buy a Lenovo R60 15", beceause they have 4:3 ratio screens, and use this as the case for my Frankenpad build. I know that R60 does not have the same build quality as a T60 but I am out of options.
So I want to ask you if by using a R60 15" I am gonna have any problems with fiting the screen, the T61 board, cooling etc. I would value all your opinions. Most or all of the R60 models I looked at are 4:3 1024x768 but beeing 4:3 I think that I would not have any problems fiting my new screen.
If I am wrong please tell me.
And just for the record a T60 15" with a widescreen can be adapted for this project with mods or not?
2. Now the big problem. I cant find anywhere a T61 or a T61 board from a 4:3 aspect ratio device. I searched on ebay, vinted, amazon and local websites in Romania and all I can find are t61 14" models with widescreen. From my documentation I understood that the board from this devices are not good for this project as they do not fit in the T60/R60 15" 4:3 case and also I cant connect the new 4:3 screen to the board.
If workarounds exist please tell me, an adaptor or cuting the case something like that. I also tried to find an R61 to replace the T61 like in the previous step, but from reading Lenovo psref for the withdrawn models I cant find any R61 with a 4:3 screen ratio so this is not an option, I gues that they never produced a R61 with a 4:3 ratio screen.
So if you have any thougts about where can I find a T61 or a T61 board that supports a 4:3 ration screen and they deliver to Romania please let me know.
Thank you.

[Glaurung-quena]

TL,DR: You're dealing with 18 and 20 year old computers. There aren't a lot of them left in the wild. Be patient, and eventually you'll see one come up for sale, for more than you would like to pay.

I have the impression that Thinkpads are harder to find in Europe than in the US. And I can understand how the cost of overseas shipping plus a surfeit of parochial sellers who don't allow international sales makes buying something from the more abundant US market dramatically less affordable. I don't know about how common the models you want are in Europe, but hopefully me talking about availability in the US will give you an idea of what to expect over there.

15" T60's are uncommon but not rare. But they are rarely affordably priced. Here in the US on Ebay I'll see one for $50-70 a few times a year. And then every month, I'll see a few going for $80-150. That's compared to multiple new listings for 14" models showing up every day. Those prices are for ones sold "for parts," "untested" - the seller either has no charger and has no idea if it works or not (90% of the time it works fine), or they have a charger and can confirm that it boots into BIOS, but they've done nothing else with it and are offering it as-is, probably without a hard disk, possibly missing other parts or with obvious damage. The next tier up are complete laptops with nothing missing, with an OS, offered as "used" - for 15" T60's, expect to pay a minimum of $150 for one with an XGA screen, and multiple times more than that for ones with flexview screens. At any given time there are a handful of really expensive flexview T60's on sale.

Non-wide t61's, on the other hand, are rare. Again on Ebay in the US, maybe 10 show up over the course of a year, total, at all price points. You need to be diligent about checking every T61 listing and looking at the photos to determine if it's wide or not, because the sellers almost never mention that they've got the non-wide version. The good: the seller typically doesn't realize they've got something special and the prices (in the without a hard drive, untested, as is segment) are often reasonable. The bad: people like us are watching for those listings and snapping them up quickly, so you'll need to act fast when one finally appears. In contrast, I see several new widescreen T61 listings show up every day.

Since you are in Europe, you might be able to find a non-wide 15" R61 - they actually existed, but IIRC, not in North America and they were just as uncommon as the 14" non-wide T61s. If you can find one, you won't need to do a motherboard swap, just install the display you want and be done. You'll want to study photos of the different sizes of R61 so you can easily identify the non-wide 15" ones, because most sellers don't know what they have and will often list a 14" screen as 15" or vice versa.

The vast majority of the affordable non-wide 15" laptops, in either R60 or T60, that show up on Ebay these days are TN XGA. Physically, the IPS screens will fit just fine. But: you'll need to source a compatible inverter board. The inverter boards that shipped with 15" XGA screens are NOT compatible with any of the flexview IPS panels. I don't know for sure if the same applies to the R60 inverters.

IIRC, some intrepid souls have fit a 14" widescreen T61 motherboard in a non-wide 15" case. You will have to leave out the optical drive, and more case modding will be required than with a non-wide motherboard.

[Glaurung-quena]

As it happens, there's an ebay auction happening now for a 15" T60P, with a low opening bid. The auction ends tomorrow. I have no idea if the seller offers international shipping, but if you have an american friend you might be able to have them transship it to you. As usual, the seller has no idea what he has. The listing title says it's 14", but the photos are clearly of a 15". https://www.ebay.com/itm/206071219786

[RealBlackStuff]

As it happens, a complete Frankenpad is for sale in our Marketplace: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=138011

[rumbero]

[...]
I want to put in the T601 a HV150UX2-100 screen to get the 4:3 feeling.
[...] I cant find anywhere a T61 or a T61 board from a 4:3 aspect ratio device.
[...]

I still have a never used 4:3 T61 42W7872 replacement mainboard (Intel graphics), and also a Hydis HV150UX2-100 LED display panel (sold with condition "formerly handled", so used) in excellent condition, as well as the matching cables/inverter once made by our one and only RealBlackStuff.
Since the mainboard was never used its working condition status is still unknown.
I'd be inclined to go through the time consuming hassle of testing the mainboard, and packaging/shipping within Europe if there were a sufficiently generous offer i simply couldn't refuse.
Not interested in selling it off just for peanuts.
Location is in Europe/Spain. If interest has been piqued, contact me for further inquiries via PM.

[stryker86]

Thank you all for your replies.
Here is where I stand at the moment.
1. I managed to buy for 150$ + 100$ shiping a T61 14" 4:3 with an Intel board from the USA on ebay, that is the most expensive part of the project so far.
2. Also I found locally a T61 14" 4:3 with a Nvidia chip that I bought for testing as it waas really cheap. Its built in 03/2008 so it has the Nvidia problem.
I will keep the keyboard for the main build and the cpu cooler.
3. I secured locally 2x4 gb ddr2 ram for cheap.
4. I also found for a very good price a hv150ux2-100 screen.
Now I need to be on the lookout for 15" T60 to get the chasis. I found mostly 14" models but hey you never know when you will get lucky.
I got nearly free a mint condition a R60 9456-A13, 15" 4:3 but sadfly it from what I read it takes a lot of moding to fit a t61 14" 4:3 in it.
My soldering experience is 0 and using a Dremel I can manage but I dont want to over complicate if a T60 15" 4:3 provides a better fit as it is.
A major bump in the road is getting the kit for the hv150ux2-100 screen and for this I will require your help in finding one.
I dont know how these are listed on ebay.
I do this for a hobby I do not plan to sell the frankenpad once done, if it will be done ever.
Once again I am very grateful to you all for your help.

[stryker86]

[...]
I want to put in the T601 a HV150UX2-100 screen to get the 4:3 feeling.
[...] I cant find anywhere a T61 or a T61 board from a 4:3 aspect ratio device.
[...]

I still have a never used 4:3 T61 42W7872 replacement mainboard (Intel graphics), and also a Hydis HV150UX2-100 LED display panel (sold with condition "formerly handled", so used) in excellent condition, as well as the matching cables/inverter once made by our one and only RealBlackStuff.
Since the mainboard was never used its working condition status is still unknown.
I'd be inclined to go through the time consuming hassle of testing the mainboard, and packaging/shipping within Europe if there were a sufficiently generous offer i simply couldn't refuse.
Not interested in selling it off just for peanuts.
Location is in Europe/Spain. If interest has been piqued, contact me for further inquiries via PM.

I cant PM you for some reason the pm button is not visible, maybe because my account is new.
I would be interested in the cable/inverter for the screen at this time as I have a t61 board and a screen. If you are interested PM me.

[RealBlackStuff]

You should be able to PM now.

As for the R60, see this post.
The 15" R60 chassis is almost identical to the T60 15" chassis.
You need to shorten the "standup", as shown in the lower red circle.

And cut away some part, as shown in the top red circle.
That is roughly where the modem port sits on the T61 motherboard.

[stryker86]

You should be able to PM now.

As for the R60, see this post.
The 15" R60 chassis is almost identical to the T60 15" chassis.
You need to shorten the "standup", as shown in the lower red circle.

And cut away some part, as shown in the top red circle.
That is roughly where the modem port sits on the T61 motherboard.

Thank you for reply.

1. So to clarify, I can use the case from a R60 15" 4:3 to host a 14" T61 4:3 board and a HV150UX2-100 screen without any major problems if I just cut the areas in the red circle from the picture in your post?
2. Regarding the screen, do you have any advice from where I can get the cable and the inverter to use the HV150UX2-100 screen? What parts I need and how to search for them and where?

Thank you again for your time and advice I really apreciate it.