Fixing an $800,000 Laptop?

[@jamiedoesstuff4877]

I've got to say, not many people would even think of going through the lenght of repairing a weird laptop from 30 odd years ago. I've been watching your videos since the famous 701C one and you keep excelling at everything: the massive effort, dedication and most importantly patience are what amazes me in every project you do! Of course, all while retaining perfect filming angles and A+ editing. Please keep up the great work!

[@polymatt]

This is so great to hear that you’re enjoying the videos and these projects. If I weren’t filming them I’d probably still be tinkering away but it’s just so good to see the time spent on the other bits is resonating and appreciated. 🙏

[@zebetite]

strictly speaking you shouldn't replace one type of capacitor with another as they have other properties beyond just rated voltage and capacitance

[@polymatt]

Good callout. Sometimes I overgeneralize to not let the video get bogged down but you’re 100% right.

[@Dekkia_]

@@polymatt I'd like to disagree that overgeneralizing is the right word. In general the information you gave is false. In some cases it might be right.

[@TheBasementChannel]

@@polymattyes you need to make sure it’s the right colour

[@karlkarlsson9699]

you are wrong, just dont mix electrolyte with tantalum. And you can always go up in voltage.

[@wolfrig2000]

​@@Dekkia_overgeneralizing is the correct term.

[@thcoura]

Fix the machine. Because in the future it will not be possible.

[@devashish8588]

💯💯💯

[@unixoid]

I own one to, got it years ago for free. As a passionate ThinkPad collector I restored mine as good as I could. I also have a broken spare unit (50 EUR in 2018) for donor parts since the hinges tend to crack out the base beside notorious leaking caps in the display which I replaced under sweat. For you display issue check the fuses on the inverter if they are intact. Many of your troubles are familiar to me in my journey to repair my unit. Great video!

[@polymatt]

Very cool. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks so much for the tip! I’ll definitely check out the fuses. Hopefully I’ll be able to get part 2 out shortly, fully restored.

[@lydialoud]

I needed to replace the keyboard and CD-ROM drive on my IBM ThinkPad 760ED, and now the active matrix LCD has a bunch of rainbow pixels. It's my favorite to use for retrogaming and exploring old applications

[@KatarinaMelki]

Really great to see that PE getting all that TLC. I spent a lot of time last year restoring a 360P I picked up from eBay. It was in an unknown state when I first got it and had visible vinegar syndrome. I got pretty lucky in finding a replacement new old stock panel and some other parts I needed. It is now one of my favorite project machines.

[@polymatt]

Thanks Katarina! And wow - finding a NOS LCD for one of these is nuts. The one I found from a supplier in Japan was super beat up and still wanted $150. These are such fun to work on and hopefully I can get it back to its former glory :)

[@BentonVonKitten]

I used to be a warranty tech for IBM laptops in the mid-90s, watching this really brings me back... very nicely executed video, glad that your video appeared on my feed! 9:45 All of us have made mistakes working with electronics, releasing the magic smoke is the only way to attain wisdom... inhaling the magic smoke is a way to attain cancer...

[@polymatt]

Nice and I appreciate the support :). No matter how careful you are sometimes things just go south!

[@SusanAmberBruce]

I liked what you said at the end of the video, I would say it's an act of love, which we all need to see more of.

[@f16madlion]

I’ve seen that guys 800k listing on ebay for years in my search results, he lists other trash items too, you’ve done him too much of a service even mentioning as there is nothing to stop some moron listing a gameboy for 10 million dollars on ebay.

[@polymatt]

It's funny... there apparently have been articles written about it for years. They started at $2k, then 20k, then 200k... not sure what they're going for but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .

[@Skilowi]

i have been buying old thinkpads a lot. How much 360PE is worth? 300€ up to 500€ if its in good condition (might even pay 600€ if with some accessories) but anything above is clear stupidity. Really some sellers should glue themselves back to reality.

[@jj74qformerlyjailbreak3]

If I had known a decade earlier, I wouldn't have tore this down for the, very limited amount of gold it yields. Im glad to report I still have the display.

[@konsolendoc]

That is a Awesome Retrofit i have never seen . Sooo COOOL

[@LetsPlayKeldeo]

Great video Also love just seeing retro hardware being fixed

[@shadowflash705]

800k? That's three zeros more than this one should cost new old stock complete in a box. Reminds me of people trying to sell Super Mario Bros cartridges for s price of an average car.

[@somefreshbread]

Man people were selling it for the price of an average Bugatti

[@BlackLotuses]

An NVIDIA NV1 graphics card is going to be worth 800K in working condition. Mark my words.

[@polymatt]

It’s kinda wild what ends up being desirable and what doesn’t. Some of the most low end or middle of the road machines and components are desirable again because people had one back in the day and want one again.

[@woldemunster9244]

@@polymatt Low and middle-end are the most overlooked pieces of hardware, it's not nostalgia when "normal use" HW has been recycled to non-existence. I have dual core GPU radeon from early 2000's, it will consume almost 200w when i make my XP dream machine. Found it from E-waste bin. Those passive-cooled low-middle-end GPU's would work for me a lot better for my use but now i will build a beast... :D

[@Ink_my_WOOMY]

The MS Surface Laptop Studio's Hinge is very similar to this ThinkPad on how it flips forward. This ThinkPad was so far ahead into the future with that convertible design, I love it

[@f16madlion]

I’ve had similar issues in the past with 760 it was the ribbon connector peeling away from the flex pcb, it looks like a signal wire issue somewhere

[@ibapreppie]

ROFL. Ebay saying 5 people have that 818,888.88 dollar laptop in their cart. I call BS.

[@DELTA9XTC]

hahahaha okay maybe some ppl put in their cart as a joke, could be happening. If its happening, this is exactly the listing someone would do some shenanigans, trying to be funny lol

[@lorenzoskyhawk]

I'm completely baffled but it was fun to watch.

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much!

[@TheBasementChannel]

Great video Matt. Love the calm voiceover and great shot selection and B roll. Excellent music as always. Also, new studio looks 🔥

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much Johann! Small changes here and there very time :)

[@marceloandrade2740]

Common issues with these Thinkpads: Bad screen backlight, Bad connector edge on the keyboard flat (its a sinal that laptop has been open more than 1 time), Bad and dry plastics, stuck floppy drives .

[@polymatt]

And don't forget the rubber-feel paint that degrades into goo for some of the mid-90s models...

[@lydialoud]

Definitely experienced bad connector edges with the keyboard on my TP 760ED

[@plateshutoverlock]

I got stung pretty bad touching the contacts on the power cable on a cold cathode fluorescent backlight inside a laptop around the vintage of this Thinkpad. Almost all laptops back then used a high voltage tube for the backlight (stepped up to around 1,000v upon power on and a couple hundred volts continuous), so this is something to watch out for when working on a laptop of that era.

[@retr0life]

I got one for 25$ like 10 years ago and still fully functional, the only caveat being the screen which is not a TFT one and the HDD caddy which is the proprietary IBM one. I was kinda horrified when the time will come to fix this, but thankfully there is a video like yours for guidance.

[@IpfxTwin]

I may not have an emotional connection, but if I saw one of these at a thrift or flea market I'd absolutely get it. It may not be a GRID laptop but it looks fun!

[@collectingretrotech]

Just came across your channel and watched this video to the end, great content with awesome quality, subscribed.

[@polymatt]

Hey glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for the sub!!

[@kyuevren]

I haven't really been having the greatest day and watching this cheered me up, probably because I really like retro tech and this interested me a lot. The concept of the laptop is really cool especially for the time period it came out of. Great video 🩷

[@ichigen511]

eBay prices are 100% real once you click the "SOLD" tag in the left column to see what people actually paid for something. This is eBay 101. After doing this you find out that this ThinkPad has never been sold on eBay before so yeah. $800k is a ridiculous scam at this point. To your point.

[@bummers]

Can't wait for part 2!! Thanks!

[@jwdkuna]

I have one that works, no issues. FREE It needs cleaned but I do not trust myself to disassemble it.

[@hyoenmadan]

Sincerely, I don't think the Apple One, or the LISAs, or any of the first Macintoshes are worth the price they are commanded/auctioned on. Nor the Amiga's, or any of those selling for 1,000,000 bucks. But looks like their respective cults, and/or museum curators have their own idea about that. The Apple One for example, is a very basic circuitry with all the documentation and schematics published, which can be done completely in an FPGA with 100% accuracy, let alone emulated, and the software isn't that special, unless you are actually a low level programmer and want to push it to its limits. There are more complex Arcade Boards which sell for less, and, for me, are more valuable as offer a more interesting experience/software.

[@polymatt]

I think that’s exactly the point. The reason you value the arcade boards you do may hold no interest or value to someone else - the same way you wouldn’t value an Apple 1. Perceived value is real value. There are a lot of reasons people place value on things; intellectual interest, emotional attachment/nostalgia, historic, rarity. The funny thing is that it doesn’t actually matter why people place value on things, it just matters that they do. And if enough people do, and there isn’t enough of something for the demand, then prices go up. And then if at some point there isn’t a market for it anymore, prices go down. It doesn’t matter what the thing is or why.

[@orinokonx01]

Great video! Subscribed! This reminds me I have two IBM Thinkpad 730T's in storage (one with a busted LCD). I really need to revisit them sometime... very interesting little tablets.

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much for the sub and glad you enjoyed the video! That’s really funny because I’m working on an upcoming project to restore my 730TE - also with a busted (actually cracked) screen - and I’m currently testing different ways of bringing the broken LCD back to life.

[@orinokonx01]

@@polymatt I look forward to it! They are very interesting little machines. The PCMCIA based HDD is a tricky one, since without a dock for the 730TE, you have no easy way to transfer data to it. Unless you use another machine, but then that can have further issues too. Bahh I really need to get mine from storage now 😂

[@danlowe]

I personally like the w700ds better as a gimmick anyway. Much newer multicore. Had a second screen that could slide out. Wish I'd gotten one before they disappeared

[@phobiac281]

Ive been enjoying your work from the first video hehe. Ive seen some posts of someone putting a modern framework system into 701C butterfly... Which made ma ahve a thought of putting a raspberry pi in x41 or x40 but i have no knowledge or even equipment for that atm so ill just enjoy ur vid for now. Great work as always!

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much and glad you're enjoying the videos! I love those kind of projects... but usually watching other people do them ;)

[@NunesHR]

Amazing video!!!!! Do you mind sharing where you ordered the screen? Mine is broken 😢

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much! Was able to find one on Alibaba.

[@InnoVintage]

woah, a Polymatt video with commentary! I always thought the captions were essential on your repair videos, so it's good to see them as a "core part" of them. That said, the style change is a little jarring. I always liked that the captions made me 100% focus on the videos while I was watching them.

[@polymatt]

Haha yeah I’m growing into this while KZbin thing and trying to find my style. Glad to see you’re coming back for more! 🙏

[@pojuh645]

Imagine giving your broken computer or graphics card to this guy and he is telling you he "messed up"^^

[@polymatt]

You’re not wrong. And this is why I don’t work on other peoples stuff 😁

[@wiebel7569]

Someone is watching Baumgartner Restoration as one should.

[@polymatt]

💯 The man has some life lessons woven through those videos!

[@johncoptu5829]

Cool 😊

[@matthewkeen6281]

nice.

[@404-ThisUsernameIsAlreadyTaken]

Hey, I'm in the process of repairing an X301, I'd love to know what kind of adhesive you'd recommend to use on the small plastic screw covers.

[@polymatt]

Awesome. For those little circles, I’d recommend a (very) small amount of contact/rubber cement applied with a toothpick. They’ll keep them stuck down but will still allow you to pull them off again if you need to get back in the machine.

[@404-ThisUsernameIsAlreadyTaken]

@@polymatt I figured superglue would be a bit too strong. I'll pick up some contact cement then, thanks for the advice!

[@tubularmonkeymaniac]

Awesome bud friend! Music was distracting though. Didn’t need music at all, your sultry tone was all it needed!

[@polymatt]

Hey thanks so much! Music is a tough one to get right I’m finding. I think next video I’m going to do some intro and outro music and leave it at that :). Really glad you’ve enjoyed the videos and thanks again for the feedback!

[@ctrlaltrees]

Oops. Still, looking forward to part 2! I enjoyed the part about pricing too, absolutely spot on. 🙂

[@polymatt]

You know, the good old unintentional-two-parter 😁. Thanks Rees!

[@iamdmc]

Is it worth it? No. Will there be a fool out there that pays that price? Maybe

[@polymatt]

Exactly.

[@anthonybush3134]

i have one i bought almost 2 years ago from goodwill. and it was only 13$

[@polymatt]

Very cool! Still in working condition?

[@anthonybush3134]

@@polymatt yes but needs an os install.

[@DJLAWOLF]

Either way bro it's still cool price is ridiculous I mean I understand that it's from the the era you guys know what I'm talking about but again it looks like anybody can make that seriously you can make one and call it the retro I mean I really think it's cool that has two one in the back one in the front

[@Wanton110]

When a vintage display has a block missing it is always the top right

[@polymatt]

Wow is that really a thing?

[@Wanton110]

​@@polymatt I can't say for certain, but anecdotally, every 90s LCD that's had a block that I have personally worked on was the top right, every 'for spares' I've seen with a block it's been the top right, every youtube repair or look at like your video that's had a block it's been the top right.. /edit/ It's definitely more consistent a problem than purely coincidence

[@polymatt]

@@Wanton110 nice. That’s actually good news for me then since that would point to a common component failure rather than damage related to impact or something more random :) thanks for the tip!

[@ryablow]

I bought a 360PE in LA for $20 around Christmas time I believe. Doesn't boot anything on the display, but the seller threw in another laptop a Gateway for free. It's an awesome machine, but I have so many questions I guess the most important being do these machines display BIOS w/o a hard drive? If yes then I, too have a screen issue. I get a green light when the charger is plugged in, but it appears like the power switch when toggled just cuts the power indefinitely to the machine; causing it's green light to instantly dissapear. I've thought about turning the chassis into a great cyberdeck with a rasp pi or something, but it's historical significance probably outweighs my technical knowhow and probable ruining of it in the process.

[@polymatt]

Hey there - so yes, you should be able to see the POST (power on self test) which would be the ram counting up and any error codes - even without a hard drive. You should also hear the beep from the BIOS. If you’re unable to figure out the issues a cyber deck would be an awesome project, but I’d definitely ask that you give away or sell the parts for others who may be able to use them to repair their own. I’ve got a buddy who is building a Framework laptop into a 701C chassis and it’s amazing.

[@mabuchild]

这些老物件,对某些人来说是通向过去的唯一线索.或者说是一种怀念.

[@viperdio69420]

I thought it was a laptop cooler

[@mikemar42]

GAT DAM

[@VlVMW]

Guys I'm using 8 or 9 years old phone it called Samsung j7 prime with broken screen and it's lagging you can feel how bad is it, i need a good phone can anyone help me and thanks

[@bougougesjeweleryworld]

bad idea re doin the coat, it just lost alot of value

[@saschapurner9579]

I have RAM from this time for a Laptop.^^ Mybe someone would pay some bucks for it.^^

[@1eyedwilli3]

Its worth about $8500.

[@Chaggy1978]

or $850

[@mabuchild]

又一篇大作!

[@unbiased1004]

Throw it in garbage can, no body buy

[@bombacimulayim1453]

i wont give 8 dolars to it

[@kborak]

No, the correct answer is never, is it worth it to you. Things have actual value, and that laptop is worthless.

[@plateshutoverlock]

I gave it some thought, and I conclude that the person selling this laptop for $800,000 on eBay is 'fishing', hoping that someone with a lot of disposable income but little market knowledge trying to aquire something supposedly rare and valuable will buy this item outright, or be locked into a payment plan that lasts for years and in return the seller enjoys a windfall or a steady income as long as the plan lasts. This is a bit like the 1,000$ "I am Rich" app before Apple pulled it from their app store but with a different customer base (those seeking "status"). I wonder if eBay is aware of the scam?

[@Nimith15]

lovely video. like the work your doing!