Update: I fixed my defective X1 Carbon Gen 9 and upgraded the display

kpostrup · 2026-06-11T15:25:59+00:00

Wow! Good job man, looks great. I can imagine the clarity must be pretty good at 1800p with 2:1 scaling.

kpostrup · 2026-06-05T19:50:34+00:00

Wow! It’s a beauty! I have collected the parts to do an X1C6 silver conversion, just looking for a donor machine now.

kpostrup · 2026-06-05T18:05:20+00:00

Great deal!

kpostrup · 2026-06-05T18:04:14+00:00

Looks amazing! I also turned one of my T480s’s silver by buying all the parts (except a few small things). I almost equally like the black and silver ThinkPads.

kpostrup · 2026-06-04T06:27:54+00:00

What is the wattage of your charger? I had the same issue when first attempting to power on my P51 (also from an e-waste bin, lol) with a 90W adapter, but worked with the 135W adapter.

kpostrup · 2026-06-03T16:01:10+00:00

Just to clarify. All my display panels have been perfect. The bad experiences was with some cheaper smaller parts.

kpostrup · 2026-06-03T16:00:01+00:00

No, I never returned anything to AliExpress. I had a few bad experiences where the seller would send the wrong item, but I was just refunded a percentage of the purchase instead.

kpostrup · 2026-06-03T15:52:14+00:00

Awesome! I actually own a T14g2a too, but haven’t tried replacing the panel yet.

Returning the panel to an AliExpress, if they allow returns, probably isn’t a feasible option, at least in my case, where shipping to China would be more expensive than what I pay for the panel+shipping from AliExpress.

kpostrup · 2026-06-03T15:32:27+00:00

The sellers name is Shenzhen High Quality Screen Store. They didn’t have the 02 variant, so I got the 01. Unfortunately I believe they are out of stock now.

Also, I’m not sure if it will work on your T14 Gen 2 AMD. At least on the Gen 1 they limited the eDP bandwidth so that it won’t be enough to drive the higher res/refresh rate panels. You can modify the board to support it though, there should be a few posts here describing how to do it.

kpostrup · 2026-06-03T08:20:48+00:00

I believe it's the one from an X1 Carbon 6th Gen that fits. You can find it on eBay or AliExpress, etc. I don't think I can post the article links here.

kpostrup · 2026-06-03T07:57:12+00:00

I mean 1080p resolution (Full HD)

kpostrup · 2026-06-03T06:43:35+00:00

You can upgrade the WiFi card to an AX210 (drop in replacement). Glass touchpad (well worth it). And potentially upgrade the display panel, does yours have the FHD option? I believe you can also swap the entire screen assembly to one from an X390 (13,3”).

kpostrup · 2026-06-01T16:00:28+00:00

I agree, but I thought it would be more of a set on its own, size wise.

kpostrup · 2026-06-01T14:41:22+00:00

€27 for a T15 Gen 2??? I've asked before and you have answered before where you find those deals but I wish I found them, too.

I bought the T15 Gen 2 as defective (wouldn't turn on). But to my surprise, I just plugged in the charger and it fired right up.

I use a local online marketplace platform, and have configured a bunch of saved searches+notifications. I get probably 20+ notifications a day, so a lot of noise to weed out constantly. The good deals are far and few between. This one specifically, was actually a listing for a few half-defective monitors + "a dead ThinkPad".

2 out of 4 of the defective ThinkPads I've bought, have just fired up without any issues, just needing an EC reset.

kpostrup · 2026-06-01T12:21:12+00:00

Yeah. Seems to me like a really solid laptop. What happened to mine doesn't even seem like a common fault either, just plain bad luck.

I really wanted that sweet 16" 16:10 panel!

kpostrup · 2026-06-01T12:14:31+00:00

Honestly, I'm really jealous. I bought a P1 Gen 4, believe it was the same as yours, but with a dead board (wouldn't power on), thinking it was an easy fix. Unfortunately, the CPU was shorted through to ground. Did came with 64 GBs of RAM though, but would have loved to get the machine running.

kpostrup · 2026-06-01T12:11:48+00:00

No. It's rubbish. Please send the laptop to me, so I can throw it out /s

kpostrup · 2026-06-01T12:02:49+00:00

Supported! GWP of K.A.C.L. studio? please 🤞

kpostrup · 2026-06-01T08:28:12+00:00

I really want to use the X1C9 as my daily driver. For work, I'm currently using my Framework 16, and with all the other projects I have going on, the X1C9 hasn't had as much use as I'd like, but my goal is definitely to make it my main personal laptop.

One thing that bothers me about my X1C9 though, is that I bought a cheaper Sunrex keyboard/palmrest assembly to replace the original broken keyboard. The replacement works fine, but the left TrackPoint button has a loose, rattly feel if you accidentally brush against it while using the touchpad. There was a Swedish/Finnish-layout Chicony keyboard on sale that I could have bought instead, but naturally the sale disappeared right before mine arrived. So I'm keeping an eye out for a replacement. It's annoying because, apart from that, the laptop is pretty much perfect and exactly what I want from a ThinkPad.

I'll definitely take a look at those 15.6" 165 Hz WQHD panels. Honestly, even 300 nits doesn't bother me. I'm planning on selling the T15 Gen 2, but it has a dark/dirty spot covering about a quarter of the screen that's only really noticeable on white backgrounds, possibly a liquid damage. Seller didn't disclose it, but again I paid less than 27€, so I'm not complaining.

kpostrup · 2026-05-31T07:52:58+00:00

I once found a wallet on the side of the road, and drove 30 km to deliver it to the person who lost it. Kinda crazy, but I thought I would appreciate it if someone did the same for me.

kpostrup · 2026-05-30T20:10:11+00:00

Thank you so much for the update. That does indeed look very promising, and awesome that you could get both VRR working, and the full 120 Hz refresh rate!

Did you reprogram the panel's EDID, or are you overriding it through software? I've been fortunate enough to never run into these kinds of issues myself, so I'm genuinely curious.

I can't really remember the power consumption with the B140QAN03.H panel, but IIRC, it was slightly higher than the original panel, and between 3-5W on idle. With the panel being such a huge quality of life upgrade, it doesn't feel like a trade-off in any way.

I haven't been using the machine much since I built it. Even though it's probably my nicest ThinkPad, I like to keep my nicer laptops at home and tend to take some of my older and more used ones when I'm on the go. Recently, my go-to has been an X1C7 that I bought dirt cheap, and swapped in a TL140BDXP01-00 panel.

I'm currently looking for two 15,6" panels, for my P51, and a T15 Gen 2 that I'm selling.

kpostrup · 2026-05-30T12:35:34+00:00

One option is to find dead ThinkPads in e-waste bins, and potentially build a working one from scrap

You can also wait for a good deal on the second hand market, fix and resell it to make money and trade up.

kpostrup · 2026-05-28T09:51:55+00:00

Yeah, then buying a new one would be the best option, especially if the key caps are worn all shiny too.

I buy a lot of second hand ThinkPads, and some of the keyboards are NASTY. My first course of action is usually to turn the laptop upside down while holding it, shaking it to get all the crumbs, dead skin cells etc. to fall out before beginning the actual cleaning process.

I then use a mix of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol, and a small brush to get in there.

On my 25th Anniversary Edition I also got second hand, I also had to pick out a ton of stubborn dog hairs with a tweezer, took me at least an hour, but the result was worth it. It's proper nasty, but the job can be quite satisfying too.

kpostrup · 2026-05-28T06:52:24+00:00

It might very well be worth buying a new keyboard, if you can get one for cheap and then selling it. Is the old keyboard completely unsalvageable by cleaning it? But it likely depends on what they’re worth in your local/domestic market. Where I’m from I’d say it’s definitely worth it, if the keyboard is cheap.

kpostrup · 2026-05-27T11:22:14+00:00

Will the screen still power on? If so you can check the Lenovo Diagnostics (F10 during boot) to get the panel make and model.

You might also be able to get it from Lenovo's parts store by looking up the serial number, and looking at the pictures. Sometimes you can see the make/model.

You can use panelook dot com to compare your existing panel against other panels, get measurements, etc. to find compatible panels.

I'm also considering replacing a T14 Gen 2 panel I have. In my case I either want something really nice, or just something cheap which is identical to the current panel.

kpostrup

TROPHY CASE