Modding - dv6t/dv7t Quad Edition (2011)

Sorry man, I don't have the laptop, and in every case the connector place is covered by the EMI shield under the keyboard, so in every case you can't reach it using a multimeter probe.

And, with the multimeter you won't know anything more, ie. the voltage for backlit keyboard is per standard +5V, and with the resistance mode between the +V_KEYBOARD and +V_USB you'll find infinite resistance, because when it's powered off the driving transistors or mosfet are disengaged.

 

You are absolutely right sir, i should have thought to look there!

Void4ever

 

What's going on with the keyboard modding process. Has anyone bought the keyboard or a ZIF to solder?

 

Uggg...sounds like a no go on the back-lit keyboard.

Well...it looks like the Envy 17 (non-3D) quick ship (using a 10% EPP discount) is the best way to go at this point. $1350 + tax...and it ships in a day.

 

any updates on upgrading the screen? seems like the Envy14 is gonna be a bust, so i want to look at any last options before giving in to the darkside, and buying a MBP.

 

Why is this a no go? Did anyone try it?

 

Does anyone know if cosmetic modifications would void the warranty? I'm thinking of laser engraving the lid of my dv7tqe, and figured I'd see if you guys had any insights. Thanks!

 

I would assume it does void the warranty, but the only way to know is to ask them. As a side note is engraving worth it? It would kill the resale value.

 

I don't ever resell my computers; I tend to just use them for around 4 years at a time. And it's also a theft deterrent.

 

Nah...
It just sounds like any possible mods to replace the keyboard will end up voiding the warrenty. I was hoping for a simple "plug and play"...but when tape and solder get involved...Im out.

As an update...
I've spend a lot of time pricing Envy's...and as noted earlier...the non 3D Envy can be had for pretty cheap if it is done via quick ship (and using an EPP discount).

But on top of that...if priced correctly, the 3 year Carepack with Home Tech Service and Accidental Drop Protection can be had for another $153.00 (with EPP and Dealigg30 coupon code). So $1503 plus tax (and quick ship means it goes out in 24 hours).

That non 3D Envy 17 is basically everything one could want in a DV7 Quad.

For the few items you lose (1 USB 3.0 port, fingerprint reader, uses last gen track pad), you gain a 1920x1080 screen, a back-lit keyboard, a better GPU, a dual band wi-fi card, dual 500GB 7200 rpm HDD's, and of course the 3 year home care.

I didn't really want to spend that much...but the back-lit keyboard is basically a show stopper for me.

 

So as of now the wireless card upgrades do not work? And no one has a hacked bios??

Also anyone find a better fingerprint management software yet? HP SimplePass 2011 still sucks...

 

Question for those who have opened their DV7

Is there a way to easily unplug/disable the HP logo on the lid? I'm going to be living in military barracks for a while and I'd like to have as little light showing as possibly while others are sleeping. Also, would it be even slightly noticeable in battery life? (my main concern is light emission)

 

get some black tape and cut in in the shape of HP and stick it on, lol

i agree, its annoying when i sleep as well.

 

Only this:

 

I wouldn't waste my time with that DB. At the very least he will tell you this bios can't be hacked.

 

Yes, regarding installing a 6300 wlan card, I'm sorry to say that was the answer. Any other suggestions?

 

There is a new bios release listed here http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-dv6-3xxx-dv7-4xxx-envy-17-1xxx-intel-27.html I dont know if it is for your machine or not but it is for mine dv7 4295 march 2011 I think this has been modded already to remove white list I am checking on this. My current bios is F.0A

 

I tried to install this bios update and it gave me an error 'this bios update is not for your notebook'

I have the dv7-4294nr which isnt far off from your own machine I think.

 

I found this on page 1 of the thread. I should have read the whole thread

before posting a link. I think it kinda weird I cannot find drivers and such for

these models.

"
Compatible notebook products ("X" denotes a wild-card number):

HP Pavilion Entertainment Notebooks
dv6-3XXX series (dv6t and dv6t Select Edition, Intel Core i3/i5/i7 mobile processor)
dv7-4XXX series (dv7t and dv7t Select Edition, Intel Core i3/i5/i7 mobile processor), EXCEPT THE dv7-429X MODELS"

 

Seriously ... man. I didn't do a system restore because I did not want to sit there while 8 discs burned because I should be able to find drivers.
I can't handle not doing a clean install.

I did find drivers on hp's site but I'm still having some minor issues with the wireless driver (intermittent connection issues, lag playing games) and who knows what to do about a blue tooth utility.

You would think that quick ship models would actually have better driver resources because the manufacturer is completely aware of the hardware included.
ing annoying...
It really makes me wonder about the quick ship models hp produces. I found out that my chipset was not affected by checking the serial based on hp's info.
But i'm just curious about the manufacturer date though.

 

wpeng5040, did you receive your machine yet and have you had a chance to look at it?

I'm still quite interested in doing this mod.

 

Given the Date I received mine and the date of the bios.March 15 2011

and February 24th 2011 respectively and my past experience with HP, The

only way to really know if it has the affected SB chip is to do a tear down to

the chip and match serial numbers.

Look here and try to match up your hardware with the drivers shown , I hope this helps ya.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-hp-dv6-3xxx-dv7-4xxx-envy-17-1xxx-intel.html

 

Straight from the horse's mouth:

Link at HP telling you how to determine if your laptop is effected, along with multiple ways to determine:
Intel® Chipset Design Issue May Affect Certain HP Desktop and Notebook PCs - HP Customer Care (United States - English)


According to both HP and Intel, the age of the BIOS and age of the tool you use may affect whether tools like CPU-Z and some others show an incorrect stepping revision.

 

I have an old DV9000, do you think that I can use the hard-drive the caddy used in that one in my new DV7tqe 6000 without having to buy any new parts from HP?

Spoiler

 

Anyone have an idea for a compatible screen upgrade? That seems to be the biggest limiting factor of this machine. Does anyone have exact dimensions for the panel? It would be nice if the 1080p panel from the Dell XPS 15, or something similar would fit. What are the requirements for a screen to fit, other than physical dimensions? Are the screws holding the screen in the case standard, or does each manufacturer have a different screw spacing?(not the screws holding the case together, the ones that actually attach to the panel itself)

 

Since there are no info in first post i'll ask, i'm planning to buy

HP Pavilion dv6-6077er LM602EA
With I7 2630QM and Amd6770.

Any chance to change weird 1366x768 lcd to something more suitable?

 

Has anyone made a request for a hacked BIOS to him yet?

Also, as of now, as this thread been able to produce or come up with any real mods? or are we still in the idea stages?
Just wondering, because I can't keep up with this thread all the time

EDIT: those ppl said the bios CANNOT be hacked. Guess that kills all hopes of any internal wireless cards =(

 

Check this out
Intel® Chipset Design Issue May Affect Certain HP Desktop and Notebook PCs HP Pavilion dv6t-6000 CTO Select Edition Entertainment Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

according to hp you can check using your serial number
(I'm sure hp keeps logs of the chip-set serial during production period)

 

dv6t-6000CTO was not even announced before 3/12 - none of them should be affected.

 

I sold my sealed DV7 on eBay already. My BRAND NEW Envy 17 Backlit Keyboard is now on sale, anyone want to buy it? PM me with your offer. I will post this on eBay this weekend.

 

I'll trade you my DV6

 

Does anyone know if the LCD cable that connects the screen to the motherboard is dual channel LVDS or single channel? If it's dual channel we'll be able to replace the low resolution screen with a 1080p screen with no problem (as long as it's the same dimensions and backlight etc). If it's single channel, we'll either need to find a dual channel cable that's compatible with the motherboard (maybe one from the Envy series?) or go through the risky(?) procedure of modding the LCD cable that came with the laptop...

In any case it is certainly possible to upgrade the screen to 1080p, it's just that if the LCD cable that came with our laptops is already compatible with higher resolution screens (dual channel), it'll make our lives a whole lot easier...

It seems you can upgrade from 720p to 900p on the DV6 without having to worry about the LCD cable though, if you prefer that over 1080p. I assume this because the DV7 already comes with 900p and I doubt they're using a different LCD cable in both laptops, but maybe they are...also I'm not even sure if 1600x900 screens require dual channel cables, hopefully someone who has experience with laptop screens can clarify...

idk, here's a quote from another thread from last year with some useful links:

 

With my luck HP just now releases a version with a 2GB 6770M and a 1080P Screen and I just got my shipping notification =p

I'd reorder but appearently they're not accepting coupons on this version and it has no rebates so its stock. 1080P Display is a $150 upgrade and the 2GB card is an extra $50 over the 1GB (so a total of $75 upgrade.)

Since it currently has no coupons or rebates it's $1865.80 for my configuration but with the 2GB card and 1080P Screen... Cannot afford that.. Plus I think thats way to much.

All I know is i'm going to be looking for that 1080P Part number very soon.

 

Dv6tqe also has 1080p option . Unfortunately even with coupon its out of my range.

 

The screen part # here.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/7505841-post4764.html

 

Hi, this is my first post on these forums, but I've been reading through all the current-gen dv6/dv7 forums.

I've tried the screen part # for the dv6 (654110-001), but it doesn't work. I tried searching for the dv6-6000 in the Parts store, and that doesn't return anything either. Anyone else have these problems?

 

I'll be looking forward to hearing about the swap between the old dv6 screen (1366x768) and the new one HP just released for it (1900x600) iirc

 

That doesn't mean that they didn't have a stock built up already

 

I believe that the listed part numbers are internal reference numbers. Also, if this is a new upgrade you wont find them in parts stores for a while.

 

Talked with HP Part store rep, but there is no matched part# for 1080p screen.

He gave a link but I guess new 1080p ones have different product number.

Anyone got 1080P/2G 6770 laptop let us know your product# so we can find parts for that one.

HP PartSurfer

 

Does anyone know where I could find a pin out for the touchscreen connection on the previous generation DV6? It is a 10 pin connection with a total of 7 wires connected to it (4 wires, then 3 empty and then 3 wires)

The touchscreen connection (CN4) is on the motherboard next to the LCD connection. Voltage is present on three of the seven wires, ranging from 3VDC to 5VDC. I would like to know whether this connection is simply a USB interface connection with an additional three wires to power the touchscreen controller board or whether this connection is providing some type of controller function outside of the USB realm?

Thanks for any help on this!

 

I'm not an innovator, but am certainly handy....would love to see some folks here figure out how to get the 1080p touch screen onto the dv6tse...its the only thing missing on mine that I bought last fall...I've got the i7Q840 and Radeon HD 5650...ready for the screen....bring it baby....

 

Does anyone know if the keyboard from another might have a chance of fitting in this one?

Say maybe an Asus G73 backlit keyboard (or some other brand)? I'm asking simply because the ENVY 17 backlit keyboard is expensive from HP and hard to find elsewhere.

I'm willing to put the ZIF socket on the board if I can get a keyboard I know will work without paying too much.

I know we havent really confirmed whether or not the ENVY one will, but if the size of the keyboard/spacing of the tabs is better on another brand, it might be a thought, since I believe we determined that the tab spacing on the ENVY keyboard is incorrect.

 

Any possibility to swap dvd with ssd?)

 

I found this on a UK board it shows how to power a lighted keyboard using the touchpad power supply
it is for a dv64xx model but should be easy enough to adapt
http://www.spinecleava.com/subsites/jdpanchal/HP%20DV6439nr%20Laptop%20Backlight%20Keyboard%20Modification_JDP.pdf

 

Does any one have a contact within HP that might answer my previous post question? I am simply looking for a pin-out (diagram) relating to the touchscreen connection on the DV6T motherboard. If any one is familiar with touchscreen connections on other motherboards, I would be interested in hearing from you even if the info does not correlate with the DV6T precisely.

Thanks!

 

I appreciate that, definitely interesting, although since our boards have a header for the LED keyboard I'm still more interested in trying to stick an ENVY 17 keyboard in it. I found a place to get the ZIF for the 4 pin LED connector, now I just need to see if the ENVY keyboard will fit. (and where to buy one that wont cost me an obscene amount)

 

Does the Envy 17 keyboard have a stiffer frame or something? I think there is a little bit too much flex in the dv6 keyboard, and I would like to replace it. I'm also interested in a matte 1080p display, but I understand that getting a replacement that is compatible can be tricky.

 

Dunno, that's not why people want to try to fit the envy keyboard in the machine, we're wanting to because the envy keyboard has a backlight.

Just ordered myself an ENVY 17 keyboard for $38 + 12 shipping... Once it and my new laptop gets here I shall go exploring

 

The best/cheapest way would be to add some double sided tape to the bottom of the keyboard. I have taken it apart and I think there is enough room to add some near the center.

That's very good to hear. I though we were stagnating on the backlit keyboard project. What is your ETA on getting the laptop.