This is the machine that started this whole obsession for me, and is the name sake for the overarching project. It was one of the easier restorations when it came to hardware, but was still a good learning experience.
| Manufacturer | IBM |
| Model | ThinkPad 380Z |
| Manufactured | October 1998 |
| Processor | Intel Pentium II @ 300MHz |
| RAM | 160 MB |
| Storage | 32 GB SSD
3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Drive 24x CD-ROM |
| Display | 13.3" TFT LCD 1024x768 |
| Ports & Expansion | 9-Pin Serial
25-Pin Parallel PS/2 Mouse 15-Pin VGA USB 1.1 2x Type II CardBus PCMCIA |
| OS | Windows 98 SE |
Ivy was one of the easier projects I've taken on. When I got this machine it really had only two hardware issues: dead batteries and a non-functional CD-ROM.
Replacing the CMOS battery was very easy. That battery is located in the RAM access panel on the underside of the machine. A new CR2032 works great for this.
The main battery is a 6 Cell Li-Ion and could no longer hold a charge. Replacements are nearly impossible to find.
Fortunately this battery was not too dificult to open. It uses very common 18650 cells that can be sourced from just about anywhere.
The only gotcha is that off brands often list unrealistic capacities. Something around 3000-3500 mAh per cell is usually realistic.
The old cells were tack welded in place. I was able to cut the welds away with side cutters. The new cells are friction fitted.
After a couple charge cycles the new cells have settled in at a respectable 4-4.5 hours of run time, right where the original was rated.
The CD-ROM ended up being a simple fix. A ribbon cable inside the drive had become disconnected from a ZIF connector.
It has been working perfectly ever since I reconnected the cable.
The original 4 GB hard drive died about a week after I aquired this laptop. Fortunately I had already started working on a Solid State upgrade.
I tried a few different SD and CF card replacements before settling on an inexpensive 32 GB mSATA SSD in a mSATA to 2.5" PATA IDE enclosure.
This drive has held up very well and become my go to for newer machines, albeit usually with a larger capacity drive.