The IBM ThinkPad 701
An enthusiast’s guide to restoring and preserving an iconic portable.
All Open Source
I’ve made all the walkthroughs, guides, code, PCBs and assets I’ve created available free of charge on GitHub under The Unlicense. They are the results of countless hours of research, experimenting, and learning. I do all of this willingly at my own expense and because I have a passion for creating and preserving.
The Backstory
YouTube creator Laptop Retrospective has created a beautiful, well researched overview of the 701C “Butterfly” laptop that delves into it’s past and explores what made it so special.
The Projects
The New Battery
Batteries are one of those things that degrade over time and can be incredibly destructive - especially in the 701 series. Let’s build a new one from scratch - with a video walkthrough!
Painting & Decals
The 701C, like other ThinkPad lines, suffers from deteriorating rubber paint. This guide will walk you through all the steps and techniques to restore the case and icons to a near-factory condition.