Last updated: 17 December 2020
Introduction
The T480 line of laptop can be modded to fit the T25 keyboard. A full documentation and breakdown of the process is available here as well as here. Please refer to these 2 pages to have a clearer understanding of the parts and prices listed here. Please email/DM if you want to place an order for the kit.
Payment information
All prices quoted here are in USD and is the price for PayPal payments which includes the 4.45% PayPal tax. All payments via PayPal must be sent in the SGD equivalent. Other forms of payments are accepted here:
| PayPal | All prices in this page are for PayPal payments in USD Sent in SGD equivalent due to this |
| Transferwise | A 4.45% discount will be applied as PayPal takes a percentage of the proceeds |
| Cryptocurrency | Only USDT is accepted. A 4.45% discount will be applied to all prices quoted here. |
Base Kit
The base kit contains the following parts as detailed in the information page. This base kit is everything needed for a full T480>T25 transformation.
All the parts listed are brand new from Lenovo.
| Part | Information/FRU |
|---|---|
| Palmrest with 3D parts preinstalled and cut | 01HX686 The palmrest (keyboard deck) will be precut and epoxied with the 3D printed parts It will be tested to fit before shipping |
| Keyboard | 01HW487 ANSI keyboard only |
| Keyboard power button (includes plastic button) | 01HX689 or 01AV233 Plastic button is cut from an X220 keyboard Exactly the same size and dimension as the original |
| Touchpad | Touchpad from X1C5/X1C6 Full glass instead of original T480 plastic trackpad |
| Hinges | 01AX952 or 01AX953 Both new hinges will be sent Only the left hinge is modified |
| IO bracket | 01YR515 Precut to fit the palmrest |
| Fingerprint reader + bracket + FFC cable | 01AX699 Consists of 3 parts Bracket is from the T470 |
The kit will be priced at $400 inclusive of shipping.
The SSD bracket is not included and will require you to cut and fit the SSD cage manually.
Full builds
The following is a list of pricings for a bottom half without the top half. Add the top half (display assembly), bottom half, battery, SSD and RAM listed below for the price for a full build.
| Part | Price |
|---|---|
| i5-8250u iGPU Bottom half with base mod AX200 Does not come with battery, SSD, RAM Includes international air tracked shipping | $900 |
| i5-8250u dGPU (MX150) Bottom half with base mod AX200 Does not come with battery, SSD, RAM Includes international air tracked shipping | $1000 |
| i7-8550u/i7-8650u iGPU only Bottom half with base mod AX200 Does not come with battery, SSD, RAM Includes international air tracked shipping | $1000 |
Additional Parts/Mods
This mods in this section are not necessary for the complete conversion of a T480 and are considered peripherals. It enhances the T25 frankenpad experience that much more. All of the price quoted excludes shipping.
Display
| Item | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|
| FHD low-power panel | N140HCG-GQ2 T490 low power FHD panel Does not come with display cable Comes with 14″ display mount Review here | $70 |
| 2K matte panel | LP140QH2-SPB1 T480 stock matte WQHD panel Does not come with display cable Comes with 14″ display mount Review here Email/DM to enquire about other 2K matte panels | $90 |
| 2K HDR glossy panel | B140QAN02.0 2K HDR panel of the X1C6 Does not come with display cable Comes with 14″ display mount Review here | $90 |
| 4K HDR glossy panel | BOE NV140QUM-N53 4K HDR panel of the X1C7 Does not come with display cable Comes with 14″ display mount Review here | $90 |
| FHD 120hz panel | M140NVF7 R0 HP 840 G5 privacy filter panel Does not come with display cable Comes with 14″ display mount Review here | $90 |
| 30pin FHD eDP display cable | 01YR501 Supports FHD non-touch and lower resolutions | $15 |
| 40pin 2K/4K/120Hz eDP display cable | 01YR503 Supports 2K or higher resolution | $15 |
| Top half with IR sensor | Your choice of display preassembled in a top half Your choice of panel Hinge is precut Normal plastic chassis All cables are installed properly (eDP, camera, WWAN/WiFi antennas) Comes with IR camera with no privacy shutter | $100 + price of panel |
| Top half with privacy shutter | Your choice of display preassembled in a top half Your choice of panel Hinge is precut Normal plastic chassis All cables are installed properly (eDP, camera, WWAN/WiFi antennas) Comes with privacy shutter with no IR camera | $90 + price of panel |
| Magnesium top half with IR sensor | Your choice of display preassembled in a top half Your choice of panel Hinge is precut Magnesium top lid All cables are installed properly (eDP, camera, WWAN/WiFi antennas) Comes with IR camera with no privacy shutter | $120 + price of panel |
| Magnesium top half with privacy shutter | Your choice of display preassembled in a top half Your choice of panel Hinge is precut Magnesium top lid All cables are installed properly (eDP, camera, WWAN/WiFi antennas) Comes with privacy shutter with no IR camera | $120 + price of panel |
| Parts not listed from above | DM/email for quote |
Fan, WiFi & SSD
The iGPU T480 comes with a single heatpipe variant of the fan while the dGPU variant comes with 2 heatpipes. The fan can be replaced for a better performance on iGPU models.
The stock WiFi is an AC wireless card. An Intel AX200 can be added in for a WiFi 6 experience.
NVMe M.2 2242 B+M SSDs can be added for a dual drive configuration. The recommended SSD is the Samsung PM971 or Western Digital SN520 OEM M.2 2242 B+M NVMe SSD.
| Part | Price |
|---|---|
| T480 dGPU dual heatpipe fan | $25 |
| AX200 | $15 |
| M.2 2242 NVMe Samsung PM971/SN520 128GB | $40 |
| M.2 2242 NVMe Samsung PM971/SN520 256GB | $60 |
| M.2 2242 NVMe Samsung PM971/SN520 512GB | $100 |
Extra parts
The T480 bottom case has clips that are fairly easy to break. Consider getting an extra bottom case in case the original breaks. The 3D printed parts used in my design are also included here. DM/email for quotes for other parts.
| Part | Price |
|---|---|
| T480 new bottom case | $20 |
| 3D printed parts | $25 |
| 3-cell internal battery | $40 |
| 3-cell external battery | $40 |
| 6-cell external battery | $50 |
| Extra cost for battery shipping | $40 |
BIOS Modding
A CH341a can be used to mod the stock BIOS of the T480. This is fully detailed here. This removes the WWAN USB whitelist enabling any add-on card to be installed, including this internal USB dock. A small wireless mouse receiver etc can then be installed in this slot, opening up a world of possibilities for expandability.
| Part | Price |
|---|---|
| CH341a 3.3v USB EEPROM | $7 |
| M.2 2242 to 4 port USB hub | $10 |
M.2 2280 SSD/RAM
| SSD/RAM | Price |
|---|---|
| 128GB (PM981a) | $25 |
| 256GB (PM981a) | $40 |
| 512GB (PM981a) | $75 |
| 1TB (PM981a) | $160 |
| 2TB (PM981a) | $300 |
| 8GB DDR4 2666MHz | $40 |
| 16GB DDR4 2666MHz | $70 |
| 32GB DDR4 2666MHz | $135 |
USB-C Chargers
As chargers are extremely important to electronics, all the chargers recommended here have been reviewed AND torn down for a thorough examination of the components. After-market, cheap Chinese/unbranded chargers are not recommended. Different plug types are listed here.
| Plug type | Item | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | Lenovo ThinkPlus Lipstick charger USB-C 65W US Plug | This charger is one of the smallest 65W USB-C chargers. Teardown | $30 |
| EU | Baseus EU 65W charger | A EU plug alternative to the ThinkPlus charger. Teardown | $30 |
| EU/US/UK | Sharge 90W charger | Smallest 90W charger. Chinese made but fully reviewed. Recommended for larger laptops. | $50 |
Support
Check out support for the machine here.