Any way to deal with these T400 quirks?

Alright... here's the sitch:

I've been using the T400 listed in my sig for the past few months. Overall I like the machine. It may be a particularly well-built example, but it's built like a brick Buick and has enough power behind it to run all my older games fluently. However, it has a few quirks that really make me cringe:

The Thinklight on it is simply atrocious. It's obvious that this one slipped past testing, as whenever I use it I've got a bright LED blasting me in the face. On the previous TPs I've owned the Thinklight was a great asset, allowing me to view source material off to the side of the notebook when I'm working/writing at night. Now, it's utterly useless. Is there anything I can do to fix this, or am I simply stuck with it?

The display is also one of the worst I've seen in a while... I know I went to this from a Flexview-equipped T60p so I wasn't expecting it to be that good, but this is ridiculous. All I know is that it's a CFFL WXGA+ panel, and I'm unsure of the manufacturer. Colors are acceptable but the viewing angles are just plain trash. Is there a better panel out there, maybe one of the LEDs?

Also... the keyboard is okay but can be improved upon. This is one of the earliest T400's made, and therefore lacks the older-style T60/61 keyboard or the structural brace added to later models. Is there any way to add that brace after the fact, and does anyone know a good source for the wonderful NMB keyboards supplied with the T60?

For the most part I like my T400, but these flaws are driving me nuts. If these can't be fixed I might be sorely tempted to move onto an X200, but I'd like to see what I can do to fix what's wrong first. Any suggestions?

 

Is the cause of the Thinklight due to the positioning of the LED bulb or something?

As for the display, I don't think an LED panel would help much with the viewing angle, only brighter. I haven't seen a CFFL version of the X200 in real life so I can't really compare it to my LED-based one but from what I read, both panels have horrible viewing angles (for anything other than text/school stuff). So maybe someone else could chime in.

Can't say anything about the keyboard as this is my first laptop ever and I don't know how mine is compared to a "legendary" Thinkpad keyboard.

I don't think an X200 would make you any happier because the screen is smaller and probably with the same viewing angle.

BTW, with that user name, you definitely drive/owned a Legend. Yeah?

 

Interesting info... so the LED panels aren't all that great, either?

I do know that the X200 can be fitted with an AFFS panel for better viewing angles... a mod that I would really like to do if I got my hands on one. Definitely not work for the faint of heart but I've Frankensteined most of the Thinkpads I've owned. The screen size doesn't bother me too much as I used to use an X61... great notebook, just wished it had a higher resolution screen.

The keyboard on the T400 had a perforated backplate in order to save a little weight, at the cost of a lot of keyboard flex. Lenovo offered a stopgap measure of replacing the keyboard with one from a T60/61*which had a solid backplate. They later fixed the problem by adding a support to the right of the fan/heatsink area that also helped things. My T400 has neither.

And, yes, I do drive a Legend... '91 L Coupe with rare 5-speed manual. I take it you're a fellow Legend owner?

 

well you should call Lenovo warranty (provided you are under warranty) and tell them that the thinklight is not place properly and the keyboard doesn't have a brace, i think they would provide a suitable solution for these problems.

Not sure what can be done for the LCD, my T400 with the AOC WXGA+ is beautiful and bright, the viewing angle on it also very good.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I am still under warranty, and they may be able to fix the Thinklight... however it is a common problemI've heard about on this system.

How would I go about finding the information about my LCD? I would happily void said warranty if I could just get a better LCD in here.

 

my T400 doesn't shine the light in my eye, it is slightly over-covered and there is insufficient light on the keyboard.

Use something like Everest to check the monitor part number and then google it.

LED makes the LCD brighter in some circumstances but it doesn't change the viewing angle problem.

 

Oh you've used the X61, so an X200 with the AFFS panel isn't such a bad route if you can't find a solution to your T400 (although I hope you do).

I didn't know about the solid backplate on the T6X. So that's what made the keyboard top notch, interesting. Bummer about your keyboard though but good luck.

Nice a 5-speed although you're missing out on some stuff with the L trim! haha and I do drive a Legend, although nothing spectacular and certainly not a manual.

 

You can use the parts look up to see which screen your T400 has. There's a link in the sticky.

 

Sorry it took me long to get back to this. My display FRU is 42T0583. A few Google searches have failed to come up with a manufacturer name or model number so I'm still kind of in the dark.

@lead_org: Do you happen to have a display FRU or anything like that for your T400? I'd be interested to know as you seem to be pretty happy with your display.

 

It's a Samsung. The AOC part number is 42T0597. There's one here on eBay if you want to get your hands dirty and void your warranty. You could ask Lenovo to swap the screens if you're still under warranty. I've no idea if they'll do it, but alls they can do is say no, which puts you right back where you are now.

The reality of buying a notebook in 2010 is that most notebook screens just aren't that great. There's a few like the MBP which offer a high contrast ratio, but none, outside of a few tablets, offer the angles.

Manufacturers are under enormous cost pressure. Every dollar they raise prices to offer something better, costs them sales cause for thread like this bemoaning bad screens, there's 10+ asking how to get the lowest price. On the plus side, notebooks/netbooks are much more ubiquitous these days. It allows us to connect and share in ways that weren't possible when notebooks were preserved for the well-healed or the lucky.