MEC1503 from aliexpress

[rumpumpel1]

Hi,

a few weeks ago I saw offers for a MEC1503 on aliexpress. Out of curiosity, I bought one and was a bit surprised when the chip arrived: as you can see in the picture, it was significantly smaller than the original in my ThinkPad. Does this chip really exist in 2 sizes or is it just a fake?

[mon2]

Post the bottom side view of the received chip but yes, there appears to be multiple flavors of this IC.

See the BV of the balls here in this thread:

(post # 19)

Unlock SVP Lenovo Thinkpad T14 Gen2 - Badcaps

[rumpumpel1]

[rumpumpel1]

looks quite different ...

[mon2]

Agreed. Reach out to the vendor and compare the device to others that may be available on Ebay / Aliexpress. To gain confirmation that this device is just another package or is a fake.

What are the details of the logic board / laptop model which requires this component? If we can find a BV of the logic board, you can confirm the BGA pattern.

[rumpumpel1]

There are a few other traders on ebay and aliexpress who offer exactly the same chip. When asking about the size of the chip I didn't get an answer. The chip is used in the board NM-D361 (Thinkpad X13 2. Gen Intel). Boardview and schematics can be found here: https://www.badcaps.net/forum/troubl...atic-boardview

[Soo]

Mec 1503 NM-D352 T14 gen 2
Mec 1503 LLX-1 203015-1 X13 gen 2

[mon2]

Thanks @Soo!! Perform the same style of measurements of your IC onboard your logic board and post them the details here to continue this review and for future readers.

Then share this information with your next supplier of this device on Aliexpress, etc. Open a chat with them and do not purchase anything unless they supply the proper response. Ask them to also share the bottom side view of the pending controller. Your linked credit card should offer protection against fraud. There are number of vendors on Aliexpress showing this part and their bottom view of the IC seems to match the boardview diagram but confirm the size before purchasing.

[Soo]

hello mon2 , it's not just a problem in the dimensions of the chip, even though that smaller mec1503 looks like a thinkengine and not a thinshield to me, the problem is with the firmware that has to be written into the match 1503 itself, it's a big risk to buy new chips because they can come empty or the firmware that is in it is not suitable for the given motherboard. And for now a solution for R/W is unknown for me.....

[rumpumpel1]

well, that was my plan: replacing the original chip with an empty one in the hope, that it becomes flashed during boot and then adding some missing details with the Lenovo hardware maintenance disk. This way getting rid of the password ...

[rumpumpel1]

This chip I bought from ali measures 7x7 mm.