Mix and match parts from two near-identical netbooks?

[Nick Odell]

I have two HP minis: one is a HP2133 and the other is it's near-identical relative the HP2140. They are a bit elderly but both built like tanks with the same aluminium shell and a magnesium chassis and with near-full-size keyboards they are a delight to use.

The 2133 is rather slow and sluggish but has excellent speakers and high-definition screen built into the lid. The 2140 is more sprightly - it will play full-screen video without any jumps or stutters - but the sound is execrable and the screen is decidedly lo-fi.

I'm considering swapping the lids so the good sound and vision go with the better processor etc. The fittings are identical in each: the lid, hinges, microphone and webcam are all in exactly the same places but the screen and the speakers are different. I know that the 2140 graphics card will handle a higher resolution display because it automatically adjusts when plugged into a higher quality external display. I can't see what could possibly go wrong...

...But Sod's Law says there's something I've overlooked.

Before I commit myself to dismantling these machines, does anybody know definitively that all the connectors inside will be the same and that it will be a simple, straightforward swap? What are the gotchas?

Thanks!

Nick

[Andy Burns]

Don't know about HP, but with Dell the same model of laptop, but using a different screen (matte vs glossy, or standard resolution vs highDPI) can have different connectors.

[Nick Odell]

Good point. If nobody here has physically taken these models apart and knows the answer first hand, might there be a repository of HP service sheets somewhere to look it up. All I seem able to find are HP's standard help pages and these items are no longer supported by them anyway.

Thanks,

Nick

[Andy Burns]

If the connector at the screen end is different, but the motherboard end is the same, you could probably swap the looms

[Brian Gaff]

Also sometimes the inverter for the backlights are different in different screens. Sometimes the inverter is actually in the screen itself, but if not then a module on the pcb might need to be swapped. Its been a long time since I saw inside aa laptop. Brian

[Nick Odell]

Another good point I hadn't considered. Might this affect the wiring loom between the lid and the base? I had hoped it might be as simple as unscrewing the hinges, unplugging the connectors and swapping them over.

Of course it may be. But I don't want to commit to dismantling either or both until I am fairly sure of success.

Nick

>

[Tim+]

Another thing worth considering is swapping the HD in the slower machine for a SSD. Depending on what you use it for this might give you the performance gains that you want.

Tim

[Custos Custodum]

You might be able to extract the information you need here:

[Nick Odell]

I actually did that a couple of years ago and thanks to the lower performing CPU and the general architecture it made very little difference. The 2140 only came out a year or so after the 2133 but it is a very much improved version.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Nick

[Nick Odell]

Brilliant! I've downloaded it and I'll have a good read through.

Many thanks!

Nick

[newshound]

If that doesn't help, repost on uk.comp.homebuilt; there are some more very helpful experts over there.