Using Lenovo ThinkBook motherboard to run home server.

[Klevjetack]

I have a Lenovo Thinkbook 14 G4 IAP which recently stopped charging due to the USB-C ports both breaking from wear. The USB-C ports are incredible hard to solder and it would cost a lot of money to attempt the job so I was wanting to repurpose the board for something else. I want to try and use the board to create an OpenBSD server using the board and was wondering what ways I can power the board.

[sam_sam_sam]

What about just removing the USB jack and hard wire it to enclose with a replaceable USB port board or a power jack and power it that way now if it selects current and voltage then this is going to be more difficult to do but there USB power select boards available on line and even on eBay

Can please post some pictures of the section where the USB port is so we can see what you are dealing with

[Klevjetack]

I am new to almost everything hardware so I will look into what you mentioned about hardwiring a new USB port board or power jack. I might still me confused on a couple things and ask a few stupid questions but I will get back to you with those I don't want to waste your time lol.

Thank you for the reply as well I will send photos of the motherboard when I get home from work.

[sam_sam_sam]

I am new to almost everything hardware so I will look into what you mentioned about hardwiring a new USB port board or power jack. I might still me confused on a couple things and ask a few stupid questions but I will get back to you with those I don't want to waste your time lol.

Thank you for the reply as well I will send photos of the motherboard when I get home from work.

Here is one version of the module board that I was referring to

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39488791019...Bk9SR5CPjuPAYw


Or this type


https://www.ebay.com/itm/40447515251...Bk9SR5SPjuPAYw



Here is one more version of this device this one is with a output cable one note about this type is only rated for 1 amp but you might be able to find a module that has more amperage for your computer


https://www.ebay.com/itm/11606259740...3ABFBM7vn65MBj


I hope this helps you decide what way to go forward with this repair

[Klevjetack]

Can please post some pictures of the section where the USB port is so we can see what you are dealing with

This is the pictures of the motherboard I am working with.

for the option of removing the USB port and hardwiring would I hardwire it to the battery or how would I go about hardwiring it?

[Klevjetack]

What about just removing the USB jack and hard wire it to enclose with a replaceable USB port board or a power jack and power it that way now if it selects current and voltage then this is going to be more difficult to do but there USB power select boards available on line and even on eBay

Can please post some pictures of the section where the USB port is so we can see what you are dealing with

When you mentioned hardwiring were you thinking something like this?

https://youtu.be/VPSKQ2PNqXU?si=jDOFRkCQF6bHbudk

This youtube video shows a guy hardwiring his charger to hit charging port. Would it be plausible to use this type of port and solder the positive and negative wires after I take off one of the broken USB ports?

[dmill89]

When you mentioned hardwiring were you thinking something like this?

https://youtu.be/VPSKQ2PNqXU?si=jDOFRkCQF6bHbudk

This youtube video shows a guy hardwiring his charger to hit charging port. Would it be plausible to use this type of port and solder the positive and negative wires after I take off one of the broken USB ports?

The fact that it uses USB-C charging makes things a bit more "complex". With USB-C the device and charger communicate to each other (and USB-C can deliver different voltages depending on what both the device and charger will allow), it isn't just a simple static +/- DC power like a regular "barrel" jack (though some of these have communication now too). You could always hard-wire in a UCB-C cable in place of a broken port, but that likely wouldn't be any easier than just replacing the port (a bunch of tiny wires to solder). Alternatively, you may be able to "hack" directly into the charge circuit and bypass the USB-C controller entirely (though I'm not familiar enough with those boards to tell you how or if it is even possible with that specific board). It would potentially be easier to hard-wire to the battery terminals, though I'm not sure if it will "play nice" just getting power without being able to communicate with the BCM (battery control module) in the battery (especially since many manufactures now require that their devices "authenticate" the battery to prevent 3rd party batteries being used).

[Klevjetack]

The fact that it uses USB-C charging makes things a bit more "complex". With USB-C the device and charger communicate to each other (and USB-C can deliver different voltages depending on what both the device and charger will allow), it isn't just a simple static +/- DC power like a regular "barrel" jack (though some of these have communication now too). You could always hard-wire in a UCB-C cable in place of a broken port, but that likely wouldn't be any easier than just replacing the port (a bunch of tiny wires to solder). Alternatively, you may be able to "hack" directly into the charge circuit and bypass the USB-C controller entirely (though I'm not familiar enough with those boards to tell you how or if it is even possible with that specific board). It would potentially be easier to hard-wire to the battery terminals, though I'm not sure if it will "play nice" just getting power without being able to communicate with the BCM (battery control module) in the battery (especially since many manufactures now require that their devices "authenticate" the battery to prevent 3rd party batteries being used).

Is there a way for me to power the motherboard directly without the use of a battery or the USB C ports. I want to turn the board into a home server and don't really care to get the computer working again but need a way to power the board.

When you mentioned hardwiring the port wouldn't be any easier that just replacing the port. I have heard from many people that the port is incredible hard to replace because of how small the soldered bits are and you would need some special equipment.

How would I go about "hacking" directly into the charge circuit? How do you do something like that and if I am even able too what does the "hacking" do for me? Does it allow me to run the motherboard without drawing power from the battery? How would I go about putting power to the board if both of the USB C ports are broken?

I apologize for all the questions but I really appreciate the answers and responses I have gotten.

[sam_sam_sam]

It might be easy if it has a cable that connects the power port to the motherboard I saw some laptops computers are setup this way you just have to remove the connector from the cable now if the connector is mounted directly on the motherboard this is going to be a more complicated issue to deal with

I am thinking about doing this with an older laptop computer to a much larger battery pack and I have not decided yet which way I want to proceed with either hacking the battery pack or hacking the power cord switching power board so I do not have to deal with the center pin but unfortunately I have projects that have a higher priority at the moment so it might be a few months before I even get started on this project

[dmill89]

It might be easy if it has a cable that connects the power port to the motherboard I saw some laptops computers are setup this way you just have to remove the connector from the cable now if the connector is mounted directly on the motherboard this is going to be a more complicated issue to deal with

I am thinking about doing this with an older laptop computer to a much larger battery pack and I have not decided yet which way I want to proceed with either hacking the battery pack or hacking the power cord switching power board so I do not have to deal with the center pin but unfortunately I have projects that have a higher priority at the moment so it might be a few months before I even get started on this project

That model of laptop doesn't have a direct DC power port. It gets power through the USB-C ports (which goes through the USB-C controller) that are soldered to the motherboard. This is an absolute shit design as the USB-C ports often fail after a couple years of the power adaptor constantly being plugged and unplugged from them and are difficult to replace, but many newer laptops, from many brands use this design (it would be nice if the USB-C ports were on a cheap/easy to replace daughterboard, but most brands don't care as long as most of them last past the warranty).

So to get it power you'd either need to bypass the USB-C port/controller and find a way to get power to the charging circuit directly (as mentioned in my previous post I'm not familiar enough with this laptop/board to give specifics on that), or power it from the battery terminals (though there may be issues here if the device is expecting to communicate to a bcm, some will still accept power from the battery terminals without a bcm signal, some won't).

[Klevjetack]

That model of laptop doesn't have a direct DC power port. It gets power through the USB-C ports (which goes through the USB-C controller) that are soldered to the motherboard. This is an absolute shit design as the USB-C ports often fail after a couple years of the power adaptor constantly being plugged and unplugged from them and are difficult to replace, but many newer laptops, from many brands use this design (it would be nice if the USB-C ports were on a cheap/easy to replace daughterboard, but most brands don't care as long as most of them last past the warranty).

So to get it power you'd either need to bypass the USB-C port/controller and find a way to get power to the charging circuit directly (as mentioned in my previous post I'm not familiar enough with this laptop/board to give specifics on that), or power it from the battery terminals (though there may be issues here if the device is expecting to communicate to a bcm, some will still accept power from the battery terminals without a bcm signal, some won't).

Okay I appreciate the response.

I will look into what I need to do in order to bypass the USB-C controller or power the charging circuit directly.

Again thank you for all the help.

[rogfanther]

It would probably be better to practice on some scrap boards, and then replace that USB-c connector. Soldering to the charging controller, bypassing it and soldering in other places, etc, will take the same amount of care and fine soldering work as to replace the connector.

[Klevjetack]

It would probably be better to practice on some scrap boards, and then replace that USB-c connector. Soldering to the charging controller, bypassing it and soldering in other places, etc, will take the same amount of care and fine soldering work as to replace the connector.

Okay that was probably my last resort to this whole situation but I feel it will still be fun to try and get good at. I have no soldering experience so I am going to have a lot to learn so if you have any tips or videos you recommend anything would be appreciated.

Thank you for the response.