Today I finally got around to work on something that I’ve wanted to get done for a long time…
Pretty cool, eh? I finally stripped down an old Thinkpad i1400 that had been waiting to become a digital picture frame. Right now it’s without an actual frame, so I’ve got the components zip-tied to a wire panel from one of those dorm-style bookshelf kits.
The Hardware
Its based on a hand-me-down Thinkpad i1400 from my father, minus the DVD, floppy, battery, case, keyboard, etc etc. Basically all thats left is the motherboard and hard drive attached to the LCD without the bezel. Its got a nice big 15″ LCD, so it looks quite good displaying digital photos. An old D-Link 802.11b card allows me to SSH in to add photos and configure it.
The Software
Linux, of course. I use a slimmed-down install of Debian unstable to keep things familiar. On top of that runs Freevo in framebuffer mode. Freevo is a great all-purpose HTPC system written in Python. Usually it’s used as a free-software Tivo alternative, but in this case I’m using it for its photo-album plugin. That also means that I can also take advantage of its great MP3 jukebox, weather, or RSS feed plugins if I want to. Could be really cool to have hanging on the wall in my bedroom so I can check the weather and Engadget when I wake up in the morning.
The Spare Parts
Update: I’ve finally resurrected this project and finished it up using a newer laptop.
Tags: cool-tech, linux, technology
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Chris – Very cool! Bring it home at Thanksgiving, and we’ll get a frame designed. — Dad
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Chrix, very cool. I want to do the same thing. The only thing I’d like to do different is load linux up on a Compact Flash card. Have any suggestions? My intentions is to strip down as much hardware as possible, eliminate the moving parts and reduce heat.
Pedro
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Hello, I am in need of some of the extra parts for the i1400. I am in need of the following items, 1. keyboard (my trackpoint cable snapped) 2. part with 4 red green blue and yellow launch buttons and power button, with the circuit board underneath and the cable that attaches in to the system board 3. the cd player control module 4. battery if it still holds a 1 hr + charge
Thank you!
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Hi Chris. Very cool, indeed! I knew you back when you were just a little toddler and your dad and I would sail together on Cayuga Lake. Please say hi to him and your mom for me; we lost touch looong ago. Ironically, I’m working on the same project with an old Toshiba laptop, though I haven’t yet got up the gumption to do the laptop disassembly and I’m not quite done configging the SW. (First things, first.) One question: I see you are using Freevo (I’m using zgv). Do you have it autostart, unattended? If so, how? For the life of me I can’t get it to fire up except after logging in.
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great….im a school teacher and would love to do something like that..any advice?
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I’m in the process of doing this with a old Toshiba Tecra 730xcdt (only P120… but it’ll be fine for a photo album/mp3 jukebox). I’m interested in some of your parts… I have a old i1400 my grandfather bought for me (brand new) when I graduated high school… and it could use a bit of TLC :)
If anyone is interested in tecra 730xcdt parts I have a few available ;)
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Hi Chris, I know this is an old post, but if you still have the keyboard for your i1400, I’d be interested in purchasing it via paypal or whatever. Seth
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I’m doing a similar project using a Thinkpad 600. I’m unable to boot the system without the keyboard — How did you get around that?
Thanks … Don H
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I started to read a blog only to send it end without finished results That was almost a year ago, and my thought was that he lost his way or couldnt get surplus parts. We have both but are disabled and would like to have a digital frame for ourselves and one for the huricane victems I have two creative ideas to market the Auction item. Do you know anyone that woud help?
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Don H,
Did you ever figure out how to boot your Thinkpad 600 without the keyboard? I’m attempting the same thing now, and have run into the same issue.
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Don H I am also working on a project using the ThinkPad 600. I have solved the issue on booting the PC with out the keyboard. The first thing you have to do is install the IBM bios utilities. Run the config utility and disable the trackpoint. You then have to ether be willing to destroy the keyboard or be talented with a soldering pen. Option 1 (Easy but Destructive) Remove the connector from the keyboard’s ribbon cable, throw the keyboard away and plug the connector back in to the laptop. Option 2 (Hard but the keyboard is still usable. Look at the traces that go to the connector. You will see 4 pins connected by a single trace. I believe there ether pins 17-20 or 37-40. You then have to place a bead of solder across the corresponding pins on the motherboard. You can still use the keyboard if you need to.
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Hey,
I have created a digital picture frame resource site and linked this article on it. It is a helpful site with links to a number of similar digital frame projects. Check it out!
-Andrew
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Do you have a how to on this? I have an i1400 as well. Thanks.
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I came across this website when I was researching my project, I made a frame like the one on Taco’s n Tonic’s website using the same Thinkpad 600 laptop. Here are some pics (would have liked to have taken more but I forgot my camera and only borrowed my Dad’s after the project was half done). Pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/jphphotography/353640130/
Here is a good link for instructions on taking apart IBM laptops http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_ibm.html
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Thats pretty cool I have an old compaq laptop I am about to do this to. I just wanted to get an idea of what kinds of things other people are doing. Thanks.
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I’ve done a similar project on Olivetti Echos : http://cadrephoto.dkomputer.com/
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Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! gurcjvuxuif
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P7KIzg hi jonsf!
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Hi – Just found this page on a project to upgrade the hard drive in an old ibm i1400. Very cool idea for a picture frame. I noticed you did this over 3 years ago. Out of curiosity do you remember how to take out the hard drive? I am having trouble finding any exploded photo’s of the laptop. Thanks.
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i’ve tried a couple of wifi frames and the best one i found was…. the estarling wifi one.. The WiFi photo frame is seriously excellent. I just bought the 8 inch model for my wife’s Xmas present. The picture quality is pin sharp and the range of display delays is fine. The 800 x 600 resolution is better than most photo frames but it also means that you can resample “multi meg” digital photos to 800 x 600 making them much smaller but still ensuring that they display perfectly on this photo frame. I’ve loaded more than 1000 resized photos onto a 1G SD card and there is still 800 Mbytes free i.e. space for 4000 more! This gadget comes into its own though when using the WiFi and the RSS feed option. Free photos from dozens of web sites which are updated daily, remarkable. My daughter can email photos from her University digs in France keeping her Mum up to date with events. Excellent. Take a look
http://www.udiggit.com/acatalog/wiwii.html
Name:
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I have started creating a digital picture frame based on an old thinkpad. All I have left is to finish mounting it in the frame and to write the software for it. I will post the progress soon on my blog: http://homecncfun.blogspot.com/
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Hi, didn’t you have any problems with startup? I’ve got a thinkpad t30 (found on the sidewalk) has no battery, and I can’t make it work without one (critical low-battery error). Is there any way to fool it?
Greetings from sunny Spain.
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