T60 Scrolling noise from Ethernet Card (pics and sound)

Well I was bored so I decided to open up my T60 and document that annoying noise that some people have reported when using the touchpad or trackpad to scroll in large documents (among other things). Interestingly enough the noise for either of these is slightly different, with the touchpad being the most annoying. The trackpoint noise was too faint for my crappy mic to pick up so the attached sound file only shows the trackpad noise. The volume on the file is very low and will not be heard with the built in thinkpad speakers so use external speakers or headphones.

I used the mic to do my best at determining exactly where the noise was coming from and I have documented that with pictures as well. The first picture is a view of the general area for those not familiar with the T60 insides and then a detail view showing exactly where the noise was loudest to my mic.

I hope someone more familiar with electronics can figure out how to get rid of this noise. I have really taken a liking to the trackpoint though so at least I do not have to deal with the touchpad sound too much.

 

My guess would be the crystal that is the bigger object on the left hand side in the area you circled. I am guessing a nice blob of epoxy over that entire area would help a lot, but that would void your warranty in no time.