couple issues - help needed.

[wolfie]

1. The fan on my laptop (Lenovo T60) is on its last legs, and the hot-running that this causes leads to the application I use most often (GPS) crapping out on a regular basis. The direct-replacement part would cost almost as much as replacing my laptop with a newer-but-still-used model, and I've got a few other major expenses to deal with right now.

I was thinking about taking a regular computer fan, and putting ductwork to have it blow INTO the air intake for the internal fan (i.e. offload the bad fan's work onto an external fan). Since 5V fans (which could run off a USB plug) seem to be made of unobtainium, that leaves me with 12V fans. Can a 12V computer fan run off nominal "12V" automotive power, or would the 13.something volts burn it out, so I'd need to do something like put a 7812 regulator between the lighter plug and the fan?

2. My home system had an ancient genuine IBM "clicky" keyboard. Recently a couple of the keys (including the spacebar) became "sticky" and wouldn't respond when hit (but repeatedly hitting them would get them working again for that session). It finally stopped responding, and I had to swap in my spare keyboard (fairly new cheapo POS). Is there any way to get the old keyboard cleaned up/repaired? Its feel was SO much better than the new one.

[Arcus]

The fan itself isn't that expensive ($5-20,) it's the labor to replace it that is killer. I've replaced dozens of them in laptops. It's not hard if you are not afraid to completely take apart a laptop and put it back together.

A computer fan will run on 13+ volts, but it's life would be shorter. A voltage regulator or even a simple resistor would keep it from dieing too fast. There is an another way though. The do make Laptop Coolers that just sit under the laptop. Many of them run on USB power. You could pick one of them up and if the fan is in the wrong place, take it apart and mount the fan where you need it

[sms001]

Since 5V fans (which could run off a USB plug) seem to be made of unobtainium,

Thermaltake makes one.

If you do decide to replace the internal fan, here is the parts reference. The only tricky part is figuring out whether you have a discrete or integrated graphics model.

Is there any way to get the old keyboard cleaned up/repaired? Its feel was SO much better than the new one.

Wow! Is it an 'M'? If so, you're in for a bit of a struggle, but it'll be worth it.

You have to remove the faceplate, which means you'll need a thinwalled nut driver. I bench grindered a 7/32's outer wall down, but you may be able to buy one, or you MIGHT be able to remove them with a very slender pair of needle nose. In any case, take a picture before hand (for key replacement) and then take things apart slowly and carefully. There aren't really any surprises, it's pretty straightforward. Leave the base buttons on, there are springs under them. The exceptions are the bigger keys, like your space bar. They (iirc - been a while) have no inner shell. Be careful but firm.

The outer plates and buttons can go in soapy water, the base you can airblast then damp paper towel and q-tip. (Side note - don't submerge the back panel's label if you ever want to resell it.)

Dry, Dry, DRY. I just left the parts out on newspaper for a few days, tossing them about randomly now and then. NOT recommended for cat owners!!!

[wolfie]

The fan itself isn't that expensive ($5-20,) it's the labor to replace it that is killer. I've replaced dozens of them in laptops. It's not hard if you are not afraid to completely take apart a laptop and put it back together.

I'm fairly comfortable with desktops, but dissassembling a laptop is something I'd rather trust to the professionals. Besides, the OEM fan is over $100 for the part.

As for the cooler, it blows air at the bottom panel, while the vents are on the back (intake) and side (exhaust). Better (and cheaper) to start with just a fan than with a cooler.

Wow! Is it an 'M'? If so, you're in for a bit of a struggle, but it'll be worth it.

Yep, it's an "M", built on January 24, 1994. Considering the difference in "feel", it's definitely worth fixing. I'm surprised that there's no "niche" vendor of premium keyboards (after all, it's a part that doesn't become obsolete) for people who appreciate a GOOD keyboard. Of course, most of the market for keyboards is corporate, where the person using the keyboard isn't the one making the purchase decision.

[EricKei]

There are places that make "niche" keyboards such as the old-school, loud-as-all-get-out M90 "clacky" types...for Desktops. For laptops specifically? Doubtful. Sorry. >_<

[Chromatix]

Most 12V DC fans in good condition will run on 5V, just a bit slower. If the jury-rig fan is relatively large, that won't matter. Also, with the same duct-work, you can arrange the fan to blow outwards and thus keep the airflow in the same direction that the laptop was designed for.

[wolfie]

There are places that make "niche" keyboards such as the old-school, loud-as-all-get-out M90 "clacky" types...for Desktops. For laptops specifically? Doubtful. Sorry. >_<

This keyboard is for my desktop (actually a tower).

Most 12V DC fans in good condition will run on 5V, just a bit slower. If the jury-rig fan is relatively large, that won't matter. Also, with the same duct-work, you can arrange the fan to blow outwards and thus keep the airflow in the same direction that the laptop was designed for.

On my laptop, the heatsink with the internal fan is in the left rear corner, intake openings on rear, exhaust on left. Due to how I mount the laptop in my truck, it's going to be less in-the-way to have the external fan blow into the intakes than to have it suck out of the exhaust. I've got a 50mm fan - now I have to round up a cheap lighter-socket accessory to "borrow" the cord from (and a 7812). For those not into electronics, the 78xx series ("xx" is the output voltage) are fixed-voltage 3-terminal regulators rated at 1 amp (far more than the fan draws) - a bit of overkill in terms of the voltage stability needed by the fan, but an easy-to-rig single-device way to drop the voltage.

[EricKei]

My bad. Misread

Found a couple sites, tho the pricing is 9the second one describes $500 as "a reasonable price"...

http://www.ikey.com/design-and-customization.html

http://www.datamancer.com/cart/keyboards-c-65.html

[Plague*Star]

I'm a Lenovo tech and I've changed lots of T60 fans. The fan has three states:
1. Working normally.
2. Working normally, but making noise.
3. Not working.
In no. 3, the computer will not boot. You say the laptop is overheating, but don't mention noise. You might not notice in that environment. Still, I think it's possible your fan/heatsink is clogged. If you remove the keyboard, held on with 4-5 small screws on the underside marked with a keyboard icon. The fan will be visible in the top left once the keyboard is removed. If you hold the fan rotor from turning, you can blow the dirt/hair out from where it is trapped by blowing air through the intake and exhaust ports. There is usually a big clump that gets hung up in the fan blades and has to be removed with tweezers. Repeat until you're sure the heatsink is clean, then re-assemble. If you allow the fan rotor to be spun by the air, you will ruin the bearing.
If you need to replace the fan, you will have to also remove the palmrest and keyboard bezel. Then you can remove the fan/heatsink assembly and replace it. I would recommend downloading the HMM (hardware maintenance manual) for the T60 from the Lenovo support site. If you need to replace the heatsink, I can give you some further tips. I hope this helps.
P*B

[It's me]

Brand new Model Ms can still be had:
http://www.pckeyboard.com/

Although used ones are still pretty easy to come by.... I've got about a dozen.

As for you fan... yep, T60 is very easy to work on. If you care about such things, you can get "sticker kits" on eBay that have replacement screw-cover stickers for not much money. You can get little packs of screws as well, in the event you lose any of them.

[wolfie]

In no. 3, the computer will not boot. You say the laptop is overheating, but don't mention noise. You might not notice in that environment. Still, I think it's possible your fan/heatsink is clogged.

Already had the fan cleaned by a tech - problem is not as bad as before, but still overheats (USB stops receiving data from my GPS gizmo once temperatures hit around 50 degrees Celsius). Can't hear the fan even with the truck's engine off. How would "windmilling" damage the bearings?

Best bet is to try to keep it going for a bit longer, then replace the whole thing (somewhat newer equivalents are in the $250 range).

[lordlundar]

I'm a Lenovo tech...

Were you aware that the Thinkpads hard drives are ceramic platters? Those are always fun when we have a new person destroying them for security purposes.

[wolfie]

Did a quick substitution (hooked the GPS receiver up to my desktop - still had the simple "GPS locator" software installed from when I first bought the unit), and it can't even find the device. Looks like the GPS receiver is toast, and I only noticed the hot running when I was searching for the cause of the GPS not working. Anyone know of a good, relatively inexpensive GPS "puck" with USB connectivity that supports NMEA 2.0 or higher (needed for it to work with my software), and can be bought at a "bricks and mortar" location near Toronto?