Replacing an IBM Thinkpad X31 Bios Battery

Some time ago I got a second hand IBM Thinkpad X31 which a few days ago, its bios battery gave up the ghost, so I had to search for a replacement.

Ebay was helpful enough to provide a few different options, all of which were a bit more expensive than I thought a bios battery would cost. So I took a gamble.

Instead of buying an "IBM bios Battery" I looked for and found cheaper bios batteries suitable for Dell machines.
And OMG! it fits and works in the IBM X31!!!

It would have been even cheaper had I time and tools to make a replacement using the cables and the connector from the original battery and using a 2032 button cell, available everywhere

Pixel Q will be providing a very interesting opportunity soon. Their Do It Yourself (DIY) kits will allow 10'' laptops owners to change their net-book screen to a E-Ink screen design.

I have opened to repair several full sized laptops and CE devices, but never a net-book type so I don't know what kind of screen cable connectors they have and if it is a universal type cable. But from experience I am pretty sure it is not. So hopefully they will address that issue with different screen connectors of different motherboard laptop manufacturers.

And I surely hope that they will launch a product for 15.4'' laptops and other screen sizes. It will boost laptops life cycle wayyyyyy more and will be able to repair my laptops whenever the screen breaks. What? You have never broken your laptop screen? Me neither actually but take a look at Ebay...

FLICKERING - DARKENING LAPTOP SCREEN

I bought my laptop back in 2007. its not some not a Banded super wow machine. However it worked for the purpose I need it.

Within the first 6 months 1 USB port was not functioning and the screen was flickering. Since it was still under warranty I send it back and they replaced the motherboard. It also seemed they fixed the flickering screen...for a few hours.
I didn't payed much attention to it, cause the screen did not flicker while it was left alone. It flickered only when I was moving it. Sometimes it was darkening completely (but was visible under strong light) when I closed the lid and didn't come back on afterwards, unless the powersaving settings kicked in and "turned it off" while it was still like that, so it subsequently could turn on by moving the mouse or pressing a key.

I wasn't sure what was causing it cause the flickering was happening too when i moved the cables leaving the motherboard through the hinges to the screen.

About a week ago, the screen started darkening for no apparent reason. And what a surprise, It would not get back on unless the power saving setting kicked in, but wouldn't stay on for more than a few minutes at best.

Something had to be done this time and out of warranty.

Three things could be faulty.
The cables (easy fix), the inverter (easy fix) or the fluorescent lamp (difficult fix),

A previous experience with a faulty fluorescent lamp resulted in me braking the old lamp initially, the replacement lamp had a short connecting cable, and eventually I scraped the screen cause I broke the contacts of the vertical screen signaling.

An other experience with a faulty cable was 100% successful after replacing the cable.

So hopping it was one of the two easy fixes, I ordered an inverter from EBAY which was pretty cheap rather than buying a whole faulty laptop to loot the inverter. The seller said that it was brand new, never used, so I got it and replaced it.

My goodness. Watching my screen never felt better. Perhaps a bit when I had first bought it but surely the difference is great and works like a charm.

Total repair cost: 9.99£ for the inverter and a couple of hours for the screen disassembly test and assembly.

Detailed instructions on how to do all that can be found here and here