IBM THINKPAD R50E - Owner's manual

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IBM Mobile Systems
ThinkPad
Computer
Hardware Maintenance Manual
February 2004
This manual supports:
ThinkPad R50e Series (MT 1834, 1842)


Note
Before using this information and the product it
supports, be sure to read the general information
under “Notices” on page 142.
First Edition (February 2004)
The following paragraph does not apply to the United
Kingdom or any country where such provisions are
inconsistent with local law:
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
PROVIDES THIS PUBLICATION “AS IS” WITHOUT ANY
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
LIMITED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some states
do not allow disclaimer or express or implied warranties in
certain transactions; therefore, this statement may not
apply to you.
This publication could include technical inaccuracies or
typographical errors. Changes are periodically made to the
information herein; these changes will be incorporated in
new editions of the publication. IBM may make
improvements or changes to the products or the programs
described in this publication at any time.
It is possible that this publication may contain references
to, or information about, IBM products (machines and
programs), programming, or services that are not
announced in your country. Such references or information
must not be construed to mean that IBM intends to
announce such IBM products, programming, or services in
your country.
Requests for technical information about IBM products
should be made to your IBM authorized dealer or your IBM
marketing representative.
© Copyright International Business Machines
Corporation 2004. All rights reserved.
US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication
or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract
with IBM Corp.

Contents
About this manual . . . . . . . . . . .1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Important service information . . . . . . . . .3
Strategy for replacing FRUs . . . . . . . .3
How to use error messages . . . . . . . .4
Diskette compatibility matrix . . . . . . . . .4
Safety notices: multilingual translations . . . . . .4
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . .16
General safety . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Electrical safety . . . . . . . . . . .17
Safety inspection guide . . . . . . . . .19
Handling devices that are sensitive to electrostatic
discharge . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Grounding requirements . . . . . . . . .21
Laser compliance statement . . . . . . . . .22
General descriptions . . . . . . . . . .25
Read this first . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
What to do first . . . . . . . . . . .25
Related service information . . . . . . . . .27
Service web site . . . . . . . . . . .27
Restoring the pre-installed system . . . . . .27
Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Power management . . . . . . . . . .32
Checkout guide . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Testing the computer . . . . . . . . . .34
Detecting system information with PC-Doctor . . .37
Power system checkout . . . . . . . . .37
ThinkPad R50e Series . . . . . . . . . .41
Product overview . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Status indicators . . . . . . . . . . .45
FRU tests . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Fn key combinations . . . . . . . . . .49
Symptom-to-FRU index . . . . . . . . . .51
Numeric error codes . . . . . . . . . .51
Error messages . . . . . . . . . . .56
Beep symptoms . . . . . . . . . . .57
No-beep symptoms . . . . . . . . . .57
LCD-related symptoms . . . . . . . . .58
Intermittent problems . . . . . . . . . .59
Undetermined problems . . . . . . . . .59
FRU replacement notices . . . . . . . . .60
Screw notices . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Retaining serial numbers . . . . . . . . .61
Removing and replacing a FRU . . . . . . . .64
1010 Battery pack . . . . . . . . . . .65
1020 Hard disk drive . . . . . . . . . .66
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004 iii

1030 DIMM (optional) . . . . . . . . .68
1040 Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . .69
1050 Ultrabay device . . . . . . . . . .73
1060 DIMM (standard) . . . . . . . . .74
1070 Modem daughter card (MDC-2) . . . . .75
1080 Keyboard bezel . . . . . . . . . .77
1090 Fan assembly . . . . . . . . . .81
1100 CPU . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
1110 Backup battery . . . . . . . . . .83
1120 Speaker assembly . . . . . . . . .84
1130 PC Card slot assembly . . . . . . .86
1140 Ultrabay Enhanced shield kit . . . . . .89
1150 LCD assembly . . . . . . . . . .95
1160 VGA and Ultrabay Enhanced device eject
button cable . . . . . . . . . . .99
1170 System board, interposer card, and base
cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
2010 LCD front bezel . . . . . . . . . 108
2020 Inverter card . . . . . . . . . .110
2030 LCD panel, LCD cable assembly, hinges, and
LCD cover . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Front view . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Rear view . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Bottom view . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Parts list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
R50e series model matrix . . . . . . . . 120
Overall . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
LCD FRUs . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
AC adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Recovery CDs . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Miscellaneous parts . . . . . . . . . . 137
Optional FRUs . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Common parts list . . . . . . . . . . 140
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
iv R50e (MT1834, 1842)

About this manual
This manual contains service and reference information for
IBM ThinkPad R50e series (MT1834, 1842) products. Use
this manual along with the advanced diagnostic tests to
troubleshoot problems.
The manual is divided into sections as follows:
v The common sections provide general information,
guidelines, and safety information required in servicing
computers.
v The product-specific section includes service, reference,
and product-specific parts information.
Important
This manual is intended for trained service
personnel who are familiar with ThinkPad products.
Use this manual along with the advanced diagnostic
tests to troubleshoot problems effectively.
Before servicing an IBM ThinkPad product, be sure
to review the safety information under “Safety
notices: multilingual translations” on page 4, “Safety
information” on page 16, and “Laser compliance
statement” on page 22.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004 1

2 R50e (MT1834, 1842)

Introduction
Important service information
Important
BIOS and device driver fixes are
customer-installable. The BIOS and device drivers
are posted on the IBM support site
http://www.ibm.com/pc/support
Advise customers to contact the IBM Support
Center at 800-426-7378 (800-IBM-Serv) if they need
assistance in obtaining or installing any diskette
fixes.
Customers in Canada should call IBM Support
Center at 800-565-3344 for assistance or download
information.
Strategy for replacing FRUs
Before replacing parts
Make sure that all diskette fixes are installed before
replacing any FRUs listed in this manual.
Use the following strategy to prevent unnecessary expense
for replacing and servicing FRUs:
v If you are instructed to replace a FRU but the
replacement does not correct the problem, reinstall
the original FRU before you continue.
v Some computers have both a processor board and a
system board. If you are instructed to replace either the
processor board or the system board, and replacing one
of them does not correct the problem, reinstall that
board, and then replace the other one.
v If an adapter or a device consists of more than one
FRU, any of the FRUs may be the cause of the error.
Before replacing the adapter or device, remove the
FRUs, one by one, to see if the symptoms change.
Replace only the FRU that changed the symptoms.
Attention: The setup configuration on the computer you
are servicing may have been customized. Running
Automatic Configuration may alter the settings. Note the
current configuration settings (using the View Configuration
option); then, when service has been completed, verify that
those settings remain in effect.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2004 3

Strategy for replacing a hard disk drive
Always try to run a low-level format before replacing a hard
disk drive.
Attention: The drive startup sequence in the computer
you are servicing may have been changed. Be extremely
careful during write operations such as copying, saving, or
formatting. If you select an incorrect drive, data or
programs can be overwritten.
How to use error messages
Use the error codes displayed on the screen to diagnose
failures. If more than one error code is displayed, begin the
diagnosis with the first error code. Whatever causes the
first error code may also cause false error codes. If no
error code is displayed, see whether the error symptom is
listed in the Symptom-to-FRU Index for the computer you
are servicing.
Diskette compatibility matrix
The compatibility of each of the drives with the diskettes
for it is as follows:
Diskette
drive
Diskette
capacity
Compatibility
3.5-inch 1.0 MB Read and write
2.0 MB Read and write
4.0 MB Not compatible
Safety notices: multilingual translations
In this manual, safety notices appear in English with a
page number reference to the appropriate multilingual,
translated safety notice found in this section.
The following safety notices are provided in English,
French, German, Hebrew, Italian, and Spanish.
Important service information
4 R50e (MT1834, 1842)

Safety notice 1
Before the computer is powered on after FRU
replacement, make sure all screws, springs, and other
small parts are in place and are not left loose inside
the computer. Verify this by shaking the computer and
listening for rattling sounds. Metallic parts or metal
flakes can cause electrical shorts.
Avant de remettre l’ordinateur sous tension après
remplacement d’une unité en clientèle, vérifiez que
tous les ressorts, vis et autres pièces sont bien en
place et bien fixées. Pour ce faire, secouez l’unité et
assurez-vous qu’aucun bruit suspect ne se produit. Des
pièces métalliques ou des copeaux de métal pourraient
causer un court-circuit.
Bevor nach einem FRU-Austausch der Computer
wieder angeschlossen wird, muß sichergestellt werden,
daß keine Schrauben, Federn oder andere Kleinteile
fehlen oder im Gehäuse vergessen wurden. Der
Computer muß geschüttelt und auf Klappergeräusche
geprüft werden. Metallteile oder-splitter können
Kurzschlüsse erzeugen.
Prima di accendere l’elaboratore dopo che é stata
effettuata la sostituzione di una FRU, accertarsi che
tutte le viti, le molle e tutte le altri parti di piccole
dimensioni siano nella corretta posizione e non siano
sparse all’interno dell’elaboratore. Verificare ciò
scuotendo l’elaboratore e prestando attenzione ad
eventuali rumori; eventuali parti o pezzetti metallici
possono provocare cortocircuiti pericolosi.
Antes de encender el sistema despues de sustituir una
FRU, compruebe que todos los tornillos, muelles y
demás piezas pequeñas se encuentran en su sitio y no
se encuentran sueltas dentro del sistema.
Compruébelo agitando el sistema y escuchando los
posibles ruidos que provocarían. Las piezas metálicas
pueden causar cortocircuitos eléctricos.
Safety notices
Introduction 5