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Thinkpad X210

geoff.greer.fm

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Re: Thinkpad X210

#391

Post by leiroigh »

xiphmont wrote: post #366
leiroigh wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Damn, 15 minutes after getting pointed to your mods the disappointment :) Also, thanks for all your guides on the thinkpad forums. Would you mind writing a small idiosyncratic guide about "51nb procurement for dummies"? Like: Buy one of these models of chassis. These aftermarket batteries. These screens (possibly with aliexpress links). Use this preferred method of ordering. Remember that you also need to procure (ra…

The problem with any specific process or link recommendations is they become obsolete instantly. Putting one of these together requires some searching and active exception handling. There are Chinese services that do forwarding (I use FSC), as well as enthusiast engineers, like Jacky (or me), but enthusiasts get overwhelmed quickly... it becomes a full time job for little or no profit. I have to consciously dial way…

I know, and I am super grateful for all the cool things you and the other people in the scene develop, and for the effort you go to to actually ship out modkits. You do what's fun and I won't ask for more.

Don't get me wrong, putting together my x62 from your and other's guides was fun. I am just wishing that some of the Shenzen hardware hackers had an entrepreneurial cousin or friend who made a business out of this. I wish I could just send an aliexpress link to all my friends who rightfully complain about lenovo design quality nosediving.

Re: Thinkpad X210

#392

Post by bb01100100 »

admax88q wrote: post #265
jjeaff wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have raised so much money and have so many engineers. Is performance of their app so low priority that no one is working on that?

They have too many engineers to make a small efficient program.

Comment made my day :-)

Re: Thinkpad X210

#393

Post by eikenberry »

FrankDixon wrote: post #309
eikenberry wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are both issues with running Windows on Thinkpads. The article's author is running Linux. Besides, there are very few options for decently built laptops with good keyboards.

It‘s mostly an issue with the decision makers at lenovo. Were linux as widespread as a desktop os as windows, it would have happened to linux too.

I agree and I wish they had some competition, but they really don't. I'm currently holding out hope that System76 will put out a nice Linux laptop as part of the Thelio line. I'm not holding my breath though and will probably have to get another Thinkpad once my current one dies.

Re: Thinkpad X210

#394

Post by maxerickson »

eikenberry wrote: post #239
ahstilde wrote: post #81

Can someone help me understand why Americans still buy Lenovo computers after Superfish and Lenovo Service Engine? Why isn't Lenovo as much of a security risk as Huawei?

Those are both issues with running Windows on Thinkpads. The article's author is running Linux. Besides, there are very few options for decently built laptops with good keyboards.

The linked computer isn't meaningfully a Lenovo computer anyway.

Re: Thinkpad X210

#395

Post by lettergram »

mbrumlow wrote: post #246
ggreer wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't lie about battery life numbers. People like to say, "I get 9 hours of battery life." when they mean that they get 9 hours if they do doing nothing but let their computer idle with the brightness at minimum. 4 hours with a 55Wh battery is an average consumption of 13 watts. That's because my typical workflow involves running a VM containing cassandra & postrgres (among other services) and recompiling go and ja…

I get about 9 hours of battery life on my T450s and about 6 on my x220 under load, youtube, vms, coding. That is under load. My idle times, browsing something like HN, or sitting in #emacs I get near 20 hours on my t450s and about 13 on my x220. I think low low low idle power consumption is key to long infrequent charges. This is because the second you are not using your computer then it should also not be using powe…

I actually just had the motherboard on my T450s go down. I was regularly getting 10 - 20 hours of development time with the 97WH battery (usually emacs, posgresql, rails and music).

You should be able to optimize and get even higher. I'm actually considering getting a new T480 (since it has the battery expanded slot), but I'm struggling to decide.

Re: Thinkpad X210

#396

Post by flatfilefan »

jseliger wrote: post #318
pixelmonkey wrote: post #71

If you can still find one on then used market, I'll put in a plug for the Lenovo X1C 4th Gen (2016 model) as an ideal Linux laptop. It's what I switched to after the x220, and I describe it here: https://amontalenti.com/2017/09/01/lenovo-linux Fan never turns on, matte display, awesome connectivity, great battery life, and everything on Linux just works.

Have you tried the Dell XPS Developer Editions? They seem to get pretty good reviews as well.

XPS is good. But if you like IBM style keyboard - get a Lenovo, it’s better quality.

Re: Thinkpad X210

#397

Post by jodrellblank »

k_sze wrote: post #380
dgzl wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is a brighter screen what we want though? E-ink type screens are excellent in the sun, but lack gorgeous colors... And I'm almost ok with it.

There’s maybe a billion-dollar opportunity there: maybe someone could invent a hybrid screen that switches from (O)LED to e-ink mode under bright lighting conditions.

Somebody did invent a hybrid screen, Pixel Qi, it was used in the Notion Ink Adam tablet from 2010.

But it wasn't a billion-dollar opportunity and Pixel Qi are so forgotten they were reported by the media as closed down, although might technically still exist (and might have released their IP to the public, I haven't read too far on it just now).

Re: Thinkpad X210

#398

Post by demetris »

weavie wrote: post #272
mbrumlow wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get about 9 hours of battery life on my T450s and about 6 on my x220 under load, youtube, vms, coding. That is under load. My idle times, browsing something like HN, or sitting in #emacs I get near 20 hours on my t450s and about 13 on my x220. I think low low low idle power consumption is key to long infrequent charges. This is because the second you are not using your computer then it should also not be using powe…

I've just unplugged my x220 and it is telling me it has 4:36 battery remaining. I only have firefox open and not doing anything else, so that 4:36 is probably quite a significant overhead. It will drop as soon as I do something.. Yup, just fired up emacs and now it is saying 3:44 remaining. Would you mind sharing what setup you have that lets you get such long battery life?

I don’t think it is possible to get the consumption of T450s on X220.

The T450s generation (and the generation before it) use ULV processors (ultra low voltage).

The processors used in the T450s generation have a TLP of 15W.

The processors used in the X220 generation have a TLP of 35W.

On the flip side, the processors in the X220 generation (and in the next generation) are powerful, which is a good thing if you need the power and if you have the laptop plugged most of the time.

Re: Thinkpad X210

#399

Post by nicoburns »

rayiner wrote: post #243
ggreer wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't lie about battery life numbers. People like to say, "I get 9 hours of battery life." when they mean that they get 9 hours if they do doing nothing but let their computer idle with the brightness at minimum. 4 hours with a 55Wh battery is an average consumption of 13 watts. That's because my typical workflow involves running a VM containing cassandra & postrgres (among other services) and recompiling go and ja…

At least my 2013 MacBook Pro would get 10 hours of battery life with the screen at medium brightness, WiFi on, and using Safari and Word (which is not a particularly light workload given how heavy the web is these days). Working in Emacs/SBCL would result in even longer battery life. Unless you’re rebuilding Chrome from source every few minutes, the compile-edit cycle is mostly typing into your editor with short burs…

> which is not a particularly light workload given how heavy the web is these days

I think a lot of this might be attributable to just how well power-optimised safari is. I could get 10 hours using safari when my macbook was new, but only 6 using chrome or firefox! Given that safari is speed-competitive with these browsers, it's very impressive.

Re: Thinkpad X210

#400

Post by newnewpdro »

systemBuilder wrote: post #342
tbrock wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would be awesome for the retro thinkpad scene if someone started making new batteries for the old stuff.

You can just crack open a ThinkPad battery and put in New 18650 cells!

oh? I've tried this before, the battery charge/fuel gauge circuit entered a permanent fault state and none of the tricks I found online worked. It was an x61 battery.
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