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8533 Power
Battery Pack 7.2V, 1700mAH(Ni-Cd)/cell, 6 cell/pack >I usually do not charge the batteries with the notebook but with a better external charger, so I think replacing the batteries with NiMH 1200 or 1700 mAh-types is possible (for around 1 Euro per cell = 6 Euro). Peter replies: With using NiMh and inappropriate charging curve you
may run into quite a bit of real trouble .... Peter said: I have fixed several of these machines already ... the last one reached me in a package ... :-) The repair itself is not *that* difficult (about level 3 - on a scale from 0 [dead easy] to 6 [almost impossible]) - but the disassembly of the machine and finding the darned thing might take some time. Try running it from the mains with the battery out - I have seen several N33/N51s that appear dead until the battery is taken out. It may indeed be the fuse problem, as Peter describes. The N33 portable has some problems with the internal
DC/DC converter. To remove and replace these fuses the system needs to
be fully disassembled and the fuse(s) unsoldered. This
is fairly tricky if you do it the first time. I did it
maybe several dozen times back then. The N33 had been
part of a portable solution for insurance sales people
over here in Germany (along with a portable printer
installed in a suitcase) and the machines returned to
our repair center like boomerangs ... :-) Instructions on replacing the
fuse of an IBM N33SX notebook (8533-G15).
Please note that this should only be done if you feel
confident in Prerequisites: Note: According to the German
"N33SX" Wiki page: LittleFuse 303 Series - Micro/TR3 Fuses
(online) (local copy) But we have "The fuse that lets the notebook run on
batteries only, but not AC is the one closest to the
housing of the notebook, rated 125V, 3,15A." b) You have taken care against static electricity, a
grounded wristband would be best. c) You have managed to open the housing of the notebook
- I leave that one to you. (If you can't take it apart
don't read any further, you might hurt yourself... ;-) d) You have paper and pencil ready. You need to take notes of what connectors you opened and where the screws and parts came from. Label every screw that you take out - there's a big variety of them and if you don't mark them it's going to be hard to put them back to where they came from... Also, take note in what order the screw fixes the parts of the notebook - sometimes the screw will hold a spring, a washer, a metal shield, a metal carried and the PCB at the same time... (You might not do recommendation d) if you are an experienced notebook technician but I prefer to ;-) Today's ASCII art - this is the notebook seen upside
down with the cover open. It is not an exact scale...
+-------+--------------------+----------------------------------+ | 4X| RAM BANK | | | +----+--------------------+ | | |BIOS| X3 | BATTERY OO | | +----+ +-----------+O| | | | |O| | | O | |O| | | | |O+----------------------------------+ | O | | X5 X6 | | O | | | | O | HDD | +-------+ | O | | | | | O O| | | | | OO O| | | FLOPPY| | FUSES OO O| | | CONN | | OOOO2X+-----------+X1 | PCB | +-!---------------------+----+ | | | | X12| | | |X11 |MDM O | | | MODEM |CONNO | | X10 X9 | X13| | OO 7X| +-----------------------+----+--X8----------------------+-------+ How to do it: Screws 1,2,3 hold the HDD. Unplug the HDD cables too
(be careful) and take out the HDD - nice opportunity to
upgrade it, too... ;-) Screws 4,5,6,12 hold the system board, 5,6 hold the
metal lining of the battery compartment Screw 7 hold the floppy disc connector PCB Screw 8 screws the serial connector assembly to the
housing - it's between the PS/2-Conn and the BUS-Conn Screws 9,11 hold the modem lining Screw 10 holds the cover that is in front of the modem
space Screws 12,13 hold the modem connector PCB Assembly is reverse of Disassembly. There is a "!" in the above drawing. Take care when reassembling here: At the outer end of this metal there are two metal noses that hold the system board in place - the board goes in between the two noses - if you mis-assemble here, it might damage your system board. That should do the trick. Please note that I do not take any responsibility for bad repair attempts. I do not guarantee that the above information is correct. Have fun repairing your notebook, Norman PS: If anyone has the possibly and is interested in putting these information on a website, I'd photos too... ;-) PPS: All in all I wish IBM would build an up to date notebook exactly like the N33SX - small, lightweight and powerful, nice keyboard, nice finish - the Thinkpads et al. are good, but... -- Norman Weiss |
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