I am trying to stretch the life of this 10 year old Thinkpad that I love. I refused to buy any current new Thinkpad as they no longer have the best keyboard and touch pad which are major reasons I have always have Thinkpad.

I am fixing a problem and this is a photo I took after buttoning everything back up. I fix notebook like I do cars. Just no brass hammer.

 

Have you tried the Lenovo X1 Carbon 3rd Gen or newer? Thinkpad touch pads were a nightmare on the Thinkpads when they went to the single panel for everything. On the 3rd gen Carbons, we get the two mouse buttons back and the touch pad is back to its normal use. Avoid gen 1 and 2... but check them out...

 

I have many generations of T series Thinkpad. The ones that I love the most is the 4:3 T40 - T42 series. When the whole industry went 16:9 crazy I bought this T400s which has composite chassis at a premium. The series runs thru 2 refreshes T410S and T420S. These are some of the nicest compact notebooks. After these Lenovo, like all PC vendors, all copycat Apple and its chiclet keyboard.

For someone learnt to type on a typewriter I cannot stand chiclet keyboards. I refuse to buy another Thinkpad as it lost one of the most important reasons that I am willing to pay more.

The Alps touchpad has always been excellent for me especially the advance gestures. I am trying to stretch the life of this notebook as long as possible. Right now I am trying to fix the hinge which threaten to break the screen assembly. Once I have that sorted, I will upgrade to a SSD and it would be a lot faster. I might get the last of this series that is the T420S.

After than I will have to switch to Macbook. I just hate the dumbed down Mac OS UI. Mac's touchpad is very clunky compared to the featureful Thinkpad's that is carefully set up.

my T400s with classic T series keyboard


X1 Carbon with chiclet keys

 

Yes, the keyboard layout had changed but it does not take long to get used to using. In fact, I leave the Function lock on so the keyboard acts like it historically should. Besides being a tank, it is incredibly light which is great to lugging around. Thinkpads were solid in their time but are showing their age now.

 

Early in the season I discovered the soles of my fancy Simpson driving shoes has turned into dust.







I went through the season making do with a pair of Costco cut rate sneakers as it is the closest to driving shoes. I would eventually went to a local shoe repair to see if they can resole the Simpson which I only used once. They quoted $85, which I can understand because of the labor.

I have been eyeing and eventually I decided to give it a try, after some procrastination and now some sizes and colours are gone. This has the rounded heel and the heel of the sole does not look too thick according to the photo. I was unable to determine the thickness so buying a pair is the only way to find out.

it arrived - I am not too crazy about the colour and I will never look as cool as Steve McQueen but the price is right


This pair is not as soft as the Simpson, but better than your typical sneakers which tends to have exaggerated outcrop at the heels. I am counting on, in time, the shoe will loosen a bit and becomes more pliable. The thickness at the heel is about 3/4" to 1".

 

I have for the last three years only worn Puma motorsport shoes. I found some at a DKW shoe store when the wife and I went shoe shopping. I didn't really need anything but as she was finding the best shoes I wondered the store and found the Pumas. I was hooked. If you watch very carefully in The Grand Tour season 2 episode 2 where Jeremy Clarkson is bemoaning the movable peddles in the Ford GT you can see the shoes that I am wearing right now - they are even the same color... come to think if it that may not be a glowing endorsement... anywhoo...
http://us.puma.com/en_US/pd/bmw-m-dr...or=02#start=11


I get mine from Puma directly and when they go on sale. The price and size availability varies greatly. low as $35 to as high as $140. Shipping is normally free on things $80 and up but currently all shipping is free on everything.
http://us.puma.com/en_US/men/shoes/motorsport


They are very comfortable but do run a little on the narrow side. They seem to be some kind of leather like material of some kind that does stretch out a bit like real leather. The soles are thin with a very low heal. They are driving style shoes, just not high tops.

 

Thanks for sharing this. I was totally pissed with the used-once Simpson and I vowed to never spend a dime on these fancy wannabe racer apparels. I came across Goodyear Footwear USA and browsed their "racing shoes". The truth is with most of these shoes the fancy brand labels mean jacks1tt. All are produced in small factories in China, Vietnam, Thailand, or India. Goodyear Footwear USA price points are very similar to Puma. For what's worth, I would not be surprised to find near identical shoes just with different labels.

Shoes industry is so obsessed with a special shoe design for each activity, and we all fall for it. Yet an average Joe cannot find a general purpose walking shoes. Most shoes are so over-designed in the name of ergonomics and yet a lot of these designers has zero notion what is ergonomics. I simply hate those over-cushioned, over-supported, super-stable platform designs. And these leads to why I like flip flops.

 

I hear you on the shoe industry... Living in Portland you can't walk a block without bumping into someone who works for either Nike, Adidas, Under Armor, Salomon, Columbia... the list just keeps growing... They all say that they have the perfect shoe for whatever it is that you are doing a that very moment and that you will need another type of shoe for the next moment.


Puma calls these motorsport shoes but they are just made in the style of true motorsport shoes. If you are really serious about the shoes you have for driving get Piloti. They are not cheap. Made with Nomex. So when you crash and burn in your car, they will be able to identify you by your feet... I assume you are like me and don't have a fire suit... Most of their casual driving shoes have the soles come up around the outside edge of the shoe for better heal and toe shifting... I guess...?

 

You guessed, my friend. I am too cheap to invest in a proper crash and burn fire suit. But then unlike Lewis Hamilton, I don't plan to crash.

Still I am cautious. I wear all cotton - not the skin-tight poly stuff that John wears

 

I went took the Mini out for a test drive with these shiny new shoes. They are quite comfortable and I like them being narrow and without the exaggerated stability design. The soles are well molded to the shoe top and appears to be of as good quality as most casual shoes under $100.

it is nicely narrow without the common "stability" exaggerated support platform


here I till the outside edge up slightly so you can see the side



pretending to do heel and toe at the set of lights; people are giving me a strange look


The only thing that I can pick on is the shoe laces are a bit thin and feel cheap to the hands.

 

I've tried the puma's on, and even 2 full sizes bigger will not fit on, way too narrow.

Nobody makes E size wide driving shoes anymore.

 

Sometimes due diligence is no help.

I spent a lot of time checking the ODB port on the Mini and how I want to route the extension cable for used with the Bytetronik FA53 Miniport module. I went shopping on Amazon for an extension cable with the optimum length and orientation so the Miniport can reside securely on the European parcel shelf. I made sure that the cable has all 16 pins routed between the male and female connectors. What can go wrong when you are as thorough as possible?

note that the production title as well as the description emphasize 16 pin


I was careful not to buy this one that only has 9 pins routed


The cable arrived and even the plastic ziploc bag shows all 16 pins are supposed to be routed. I didn't ran out to the Mini and just try it. The reason is just because some functions that I test work has no guarantee that all the signals are available on the far end of the extension cable. Hence I broke out my DMM and checked the continuity of all corresponding pins between the two connectors.

note the ziploc bag's "pin assignment" shows all 16 pins are supposed to be routed - so what can go wrong?


I broke out the trusty DMM to verify and the result is not good



The pins that are routed are 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 14, 15, 16. The pins that are not routed are 1, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13. Additionally, Pins 4 and 5 are shorted which suggest they did this to save one lousy connector because both these are ground. As in the above photo the pins used in the Mini are 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 16.

So what gives? It appears that they are all selling the same cable in both of these listings, despite the different representation. I have noted that many buyers' post purchase review report their Scangauge II does not work with the extension cable. Sure, as the standard ODB II signal pins are routed most basic data are still accessible, but not with many vendor-specific information.

I really like how this cable is made as it would tuck nicely away from the busy left foot bracing onto the dead pedal on the track.

Right now the only cable that I have faith is this one, which I can always take matter into my own hands:

 

One reason that I've always have PC is I do a lot of stuff in which Mac would be a major PITA. Here is my update to prolong this Thinkpad that I love. I don't own a Mini scanner so this is one. So here you go if you wonder why is this here. It is highly Mini relevant for me.

From my preliminary investigation I knew I need to get a display bezel, and a left hinge. A tiny locking tab of the bezel had broken off. The left hinge is beyond serviceable. If these are not taken immediately eventually the stress will kill the LCD screen as well as the cover.

the alloy cast bracket of the left hinge has fractures from extreme stress


a pair of brand new hinges; as there are many for sale on eBay obviously this is a very common failure; these hinges must have at least a pound-foot of torque each


On some older Thinkpads the torque on the hinges are adjustable, but not these one. It turned out the WD40 that I sprayed did nothing to ease the friction (torque).

the screen bezel removed


I am very fortunate that I can replace the hinge without having to get into the inside of the notebook computer; there are two screws (at the red arrows) securing the hinge to the base chassis


I also have to carefully maneuver the steel lever arm from the the slot of the LCD screen cover


here the failed left hinge is removed (left); you can see the broken bits of the cast alloy bracket


more over one of the two rivets that securing the steel lever arm has sheared off


I found a compatible bezel that is off a T410s; so fake badge (like fake news)


If you ever work on one of these T series Thinkpads you will appreciate how well made they are. It took some care and patience to install the bezel so all the locking plastic tabs engage. If one is broken or does not engage, that whole side will bulge out. Every locking tab has a job to do, and they all have to function.



A 256GB mSATA SSD and a mSATA to 1.8" drive adapter are coming to make the notebook faster and shock resistant.

 

I came across this brass hammer that looks to be very nice for the price. It is Amazon Basic. Only that it is 1 pound, which I think may be a bit too heavy for automotive inspection.



BTW, those giant cast bells on bell towers, after they are casted the first check conducted for casting defects is done with a hammer with mass proportional to the weight of the cast bell. In the old days, locomotive engineers looked for loose nuts with an inspection hammer sized for the job.

 

I was curious to examine closely the difference in the design between the much touted Valeo SM clutch kit and the Exedy SM clutch kit that I installed. The two designs are quite different. When I was shopping for the kit, I looked at many kits including South Bend at the advise of a Miniac. Ultimately I settled on the Exedy which price is nearly on par with the Valeo, instead of South Bend that costs 2x.

I decided to compare closely my Exedy against the South Bend Stage I Heavy Duty. What I found is shocking, not at the differences, but at my inability to discern any difference except the color of the pressure plate housing. I compare every minute features, hole locations, number of rivets and locations, the two different sizes of springs, bent tabs and locations, and yes, even down to the logo on the friction disc.

South Bend Stage I Heavy Duty



Exedy friction disc


Exedy flywheel


a slight different lighting of the flywheel and the release bearing


Exedy pressure plate housing side


Now I feel pretty good about my ~$325 clutch kit, except with a case of red envy.

 

Oh, it gets better. Here are the part numbers of the two respective kits.

South Bend Stage I Heavy Duty - BMK1001FWHDKT1
Exedy OE SM kit - BMK1001FW

Photo puzzles are fun

 

Why did you pick exedy over valeo, if i may ask?

 

The only difference that I can see is the location of the blue springs in friction plates. on the South Bend they appear to be next to each other and on the Exedy they are opposite each other.

 

Good catch. There are two set of springs of different rates on mine. I suspect the one on the South Bend are all the same rate despite only 2 are painted blue. It would be a bad practice to not install springs of different rate lopsided. The part number is quite telling:

BMK1001FWHDKT1
BMW MINI Kit 1001 with Flywheel; The extra suffix on the South Bend denotes Heavy Duty Kit One

I selected the Exedy as I dislike the unique recessed friction surface on the Valeo flywheel. With the Exedy's flat surface I have the latitude to buy higher performance friction plates from other brands. At the time I spoke with South Bend and were able to infer a number of their different level kits mainly differ in the friction plates.

 

My neighbor asked me to help him troubleshoot an intermittent problem with his auxiliary gauge cluster on his circa 1980s Isuzu Trouper. At times the fuel level gauge and the engine temperature would stop functioning. The most peculiar symptom is they stop functioning and start functioning in tandem. Seems simple enough, I thought how hard can it be?



In most of the automobiles built before the 90s bimetal thermal gauges were predominant. Yet surprisingly very little information is out there on the web. It is probably how trouble free they are due to the extreme simplicity and low cost.

I have owned cars with these gauges. The first time I notice them was they drew my attention that there is almost nothing there. Not even a piece of magnet, as well as the featherweight lightness.

The auxiliary gauge panel has 3 gauges. At time the temperature and fuel gauge will both stop working. When not failing, all three gauges will function. The oil pressure gauge never fails.



I have to remove all there gauges in order to get to remove the PCB for further inspection


there are a (appears to be ) voltage regulator; a few resistors, one capacitor, and an inductor on the PCB


the water temperature gauge has only two terminals; same also is the oil pressure gauge


Looking closely the design of these gauges one has to be impressed to the ingenuity of the designers. There is nothing to further optimize for lower cost. One thing that puzzles me is temperature compensation. It seems there is no provision for temperature compensation, as least on these gauges that I inspected.

the fuel gauge is most puzzling as there are two bimetal assemblies and 4 terminals





It is amazing how little information I could find on automotive bimetal gauges by googling. Additionally, many are simply wrong and confused with milliamp gauges. I have to resort to try figuring this mystery problem myself. My neighbor found a closest wiring diagram for this aux gauge panel but it shows all three gauges has 3 contacts.

As I don't yet have the luxury to trouble shoot this gauge pod in the vehicle, I have formed my reverse-engineered theory of operation. I soldered up a few probing wires so a number of signals can be monitored when the gauges function, and malfunction. While it is possible the problem is due to something else other than the gauge panel I think that is very unlikely. This is a very common problem with this generation of Troopers and so far the cause has eluded all on the Trooper forum. My hunch is on the extra bimetal subassembly that is a part of the 4-terminal fuel gauge.



Mini's Christmas decoration


an icy Mini

 

Hmm! Looking at the photo of the PCB, it just occurs to me the three-pin device is likely not even a linear voltage regulator. It has "Tr" as well an "E" suggesting it is just a BJT.

 

Here the local media make it a really big deal days in advance forecasting if we might get a white Christmas. It is very rare here in town. Last night the snow came and stayed till this morning.

not so white Mini in no so white Christmas

 

The weather here has been below freezing most of the last few days. Here the city has stepped up the use of road salt because of drivers' complaints. Unclear as to where the roads received this additional benefit, Mini is staying put so not to contract the incurable disease called rust.

Patiently waiting for the PNW rain to wash the chloride away.

 

So in the ice this last few days I had to drive a bit, into NW Portland from NE Portland and over to Camas. The Blizaks worked like a charm which is more than what I can say for the door handles. They, yes plural, both of them, froze... open. You read that right, OPEN. So for the time being I am carrying a spray bottle of windshield washer fluid to deice the door handles. Not the best thing for them but it allows me to actually close the door.

 

According to local news, Portland didn't use salt, but the State did on some highways.