Out of 5 nonworking CF-72s came one I can use...

Yesterday I came home from my friendly local recycler hub with 5 CF-72s: 4x CF-72V3JUZQM and 1x CF-72XCJWZKM. Yes, that one has a touch screen...no, it does not work. The issues with them included missing HDD, screwed up hinges, missing plastic doors, cracked chassis from being tossed off the roof, missing MP drive (only have one among all of them, a floppy drive), missing battery (only have one among them, and fortunately it is good for an hour of use), broken charger jack, horribly destroyed finish on the casings, covered in filth and stickers...

After:

• Hours of disassembly/reassembly
• Hours of cross-testing parts
• Quarter of a bottle of Goo Gone
• Stripping the head of my tiny Philips bit
• Much frustration

...I was able to construct one working one, with the 1.6GHz-intended motherboard with Rage graphics using the 1.8GHz processor (P4M), and borrowing a 256MB stick of DDR 333 from my web server, and bypassing the pre-existing XP install's password (30GB hard drive from one of the other units).


Edit: hmm..that won't embed...there always has been something screwy about how attachments work on this specific forum though, perhaps a setting somewhere...

This, all because the Intel graphics chip (not really a discrete chip, but you get the idea) is acting up in my main laptop, and I need something to get me through the last few weeks of school.

So...I'm not really impressed by the 'ruggedness' of this model. My Dell is almost as tough...please tell me the 72 is some kind of exception to the way Panasonic makes their 'books?

Also, my Panasonic-brand charger is really noisy, as is the general area of the motherboard that the charger plugs into. Is this normal?

 

I believe the CF72 series is Business rugged, not semi rugged or fully rugged. The fully rugged models will impress you. Business rugged is the least rugged of the bunch.
Make sure the power supply is 15.6 volts. Some of the newer ones are 19 or 20 volts.

 

Ah, that'd do it. Yeah, it's tough for a business grade laptop, and one did ALMOST survive a 20ft drop, but not really worthy of the Toughbook name IMHO.

Power brick is...15.1V, 2.6A. Laptop says 15.6V on it. With most laptops you can be off by as much as 5V and still have success, but I wonder...perhaps this isn't the right power adapter. "CF-AA1526 M5"

 

People around here have had good luck with IBM 16v adapters on the newer Toughbooks. The older ones a Sony 16v works. It depends on the end of the adapter. I think the 72 will use the Sony adapter. Someone else can chime in with more info.

A CF 1639A is the proper adapter. 15.6v and 3.85 amp. Being low on volts and amps may be causing your problem.


panasonic cf72

 

Pretty sure the P3 models use the 15.6V 3.85A PSU whilst the P4 models use a 15.6V 5A one. I use the CF-AA1653 on my MK5's.
The rating is on the Panasonic sticker on the MB tray assuming you havent swopped out the MB!

 

15.6V 5A...oooooh boy...I'm lucky that thing hasn't burst into flames yet, lol. Certainly explains noises and extreme heat. Oh well...only needs to last a couple weeks...got them for next to nothing, and this one will only be running or charging when I'm with it, so should be fine.

(I've kept the motherboards together with the panel they mount in; makes for very easy modular swaps. accordingly the mobo remains with its appropriate sticker)