M/m plug and jack tips for APC Universal Notebook Battery work with R61 ThinkPad

I bought an APC Universal Notebook Battery (65Wh) for my last laptop, whereupon (for other reasons having nothing to do with the APC battery) that laptop promptly self-destructed. Well, it was a refurbished model, a very nice machine, but I guess one had to expect a limited lifespan. The failure of that laptop while I was on a trip was rather traumatic, as you might suppose, so somehow I ended up turning to the most reliable thing I could think of for a replacement -- a ThinkPad.

The APC compatibilty guide states that the battery works with "IBM" ThinkPads of various types, and that the IBM R series takes B/b tips to connect it with the APC battery. Ahem, the ThinkPad isn't made by IBM any more. And the B/b tips wouldn't fit my R61.

I emailed APC, and they replied astonishing fast. I emailed very late one night, and had an answer waiting on my email the next morning. Their representative Rebecca said that they couldn't guarantee that it would work, but would I like to try the new M/m tips? I said yes. They fedex-ed them out promptly. I received them today, and they work.

So good new! M/m tips work with the R61 ThinkPad, and APC and its representative were very helpful.

Just remember that you also have to set the correct voltage on the APC battery, and the voltage for the R series ThinkPad has also changed. The APC compatibility guide said that the IBM R series ThinkPads were 16 volt machines, but the Lenovo R61 is now 20 volts. I don't know what would happen if one set the wrong voltage, and I have no intention of experimenting <g>.