We recently got a new w700 Thinkpad.

Wow, this is one radical notebook.

Some of the more exotic features:

WACOM Digitizer Pad on select models
Huey Pro integrated Color Calibration Sensor in palm rest on select models

Ubuntu works out of the box easy on this system which is awesome – this Notebook was super easy to get going.

We have not figured out how to get the tablet or color sensor going yet but have yet to try – do you know?
Here are a few brief hints:
To adjust the screen brightness:
Try Fn END to dim the screen down a notch.
Meaning the function key and then the End key.
Fn Home for brighter.

They have memory for this notebook on Amazon (which was surprising) and this beast takes up to 8GB:
4GB Memory Upgrade RAM For Lenovo ThinkPad W700 Series

Keyboard light switch (fn +pgup)

Info on the W700:

ThinkWiki: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:W700

Watcom How To: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=6546012&postcount=1

We also bought a new Lenovo d10 Thinkstation and that work out of the box easy also in Ubuntu!

UPDATE on the ThinkStation filter. All this time later the fans have still not kicked up to a higher speed (because of temperature) plus the workstation has very little dust inside.

Here is an image of the out going filter from the main fan in the back.

The outgoing filter from the power supply was quite similar.

Now that the workstation has off gassed I might not need the filter on the outgoing air.

I could dust this off and reuse it though.

Plus, look at all the dust I would trap.

Very exciting that this simple filter worked so incredibly well!

We would have needed to clean the workstation every 2-14 days!
The tiny video fans can not deal with the kind of fuzz and dust we have.

It even builds up on the larger fans but takes longer.

I breathed less heavy metals, dust and flame retardants than I otherwsie would have because of this dust and charcoal filter.

Re-did the charcoal filter on the workstation. Very little dust had gotten in since the filter had been installed. Now, with the new install, the ThinkStation is totally protected with charcoal filters to the extent it can be.  All the air moving in or out passes through a filter.

This modification would be helpful for most anyone that is Multiple Chemical Sensitive (MCS).

Workstations tend to be loaded with heavy metals and flame retardants and who knows what. Plus this keeps the dust out and makes the workstation quieter.

Here is the filter roughed in before using double faced tape where the air comes in.

Here is the filter roughed in before using double faced tape where the air comes out.

How well did this work?

The toxic fumes dropped many fold and made a huge difference. From sore throat level to nearly unnoticeable! We are talking vision blurring fumes here also!

Will this block air flow?

These are air filters, and are unlikely to block much air. Massive amounts of dust on fans and heat sinks definitely block air. This will make the workstation run a little warmer perhaps, but so far the fans have not even sped up any. And yes these fans can speed up, sounds like a jet when the power comes on, then gets really quiet, and even quieter with the filters. There will be some amount of charcoal that gets in but I doubt that will cause a problem.

If you try this yourself do so at your own risk of course.

Side Notes: Also found another used Triplite Isobar surge protector so now the workstation has 12 outlets (total) of surge protection that can hold at bay much higher electrical strikes that the normal cheapo surge protectors. These are really nice protectors. Added another burner and a hot swappable SATA drive.

These workstations are very well made!

UPDATE: Looking up E-waste or electronic waste or the like quite a bit is written.

Motherboards and all those components are made of ALL kinds things including Toxic Metals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-waste

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_metal

The elements in computers span a huge portion of the Periodic chart.

Heating all these components, as you can imagine, can send fumes of dozens of elements into the air.

Fire retardants are used in many components and in electronics and computers.

The US tends to still be in the dark ages of what is toxic and not, plus the US (and China) are the 2 of the worlds leading polluters.

Be aware also that “the powers that be” have to AGREE and ACKNOWLEDGE toxicity and then BUDGET and ACT.
Those are human acts which happen very rarely.
Something that is toxic, is toxic, even if the government does not ACKNOWLEDGE the fact.
Thus there are many many toxic things that are not acted upon.
And the toxic things that are ACKNOWLEDGED are not ACTed upon the most part.
Even, the EPA will not regulate anything that they do not have the mandated BUDGET to regulate – even if they freely ACKNOWLEDGE something is toxic.

And companies are basically self regulated.
If you make the component or item, you have to decide if it is toxic -
And do you think all the companies that make all things do that?
Not likely, that is huge science and effort unto it self.
Even the drug companies for the most part do their own testing.
And those are monitored by medical people where electronics are not.

…Unless a huge clamor is raised.
The loudest of the loud is what most people might hear about – mercury, lead, asbestos etc.

E-waste because of it’s toxicity is a huge global problem. So I decided, why breathe it?

System: Lenovo D10 ThinkStation 6427 CTO.

VitalBodies new Lenovo D10 ThinkStation Workstation is now up and running on an Open Source 64-bit Ubuntu Operating System!

The Inside before changes – Click for larger image…

MODIFICATIONS:

Off Gas And Dust Control: Rather than wearing a gas mask for fumes and having lots of dust accumulate inside this brand new workstation, VitalBodies created a charcoal filter for the intake air and another for the air that comes out the back of the Lenovo D10. Charcoal is known for taking many toxins and many kinds of odors out of air and is used in most leading air filter systems.

Ubuntu 64-bit: Ubuntu works out of the box easy on this workstation! No issues to report. Everything is setup except the Nvidia Quadro Proprietary drivers. That will need to happen for doing 3D work.

Open Source: Currently everything this workstation runs will be open source except Flash and Nvidia drivers once 3D work begins. As soon as Gnash is ready for newer versions of flash VitalBodies hope to shift over that software. VitalBodies will also have to choose between running the Sigma Photo Pro program (for editing Sigma SD14 RAW files) or UFRaw or both.

Video Drivers: Video Drivers are the last detail in being totally Open Source. Currently we are using Open Source drivers but will likely need to shift once start using OpenGL while running Blender.

LightScribe: Installed our own DVD burner but have not attempted to setup LightScribe yet in Ubuntu.

Portable Drive: VitalBodies runs the operating system and all the programs off a portable external 250GB drive. This enables any computer to function as a VitalBodies computer by just plugging in the drive (to 64-bit hardware) and booting to the drive. This is great for travel also when you know there is a computer at your destination. Additionally if you do not have time to update your notebook with countless changes since you used it last like bookmarks, email and such you can use the drive as a storage hard drive.

VitalBodies new Lenovo D10 ThinkStation Workstation has finally and is being setup!

Just unpacked…

FIRST USE:

The quality of the is system is amazing. Very solid, very well made. Great engineering.

System: Lenovo D10 ThinkStation 6427 CTO.

Support: Click Here

Ubuntu: Ubuntu works out of the box easy on this workstation! No issues to report.

Eco: Compared to the Dell Inspiron 530 that ships encased in massive amounts toxic Styrofoam, Lenovo did their homework. Packaging is minimal yet definitely enough to protect an expensive investment like a workstation.  The padding is recyclable and all the boxes (keyboard and workstation) are brown card board.

Well Packed: The workstation is shipped double boxed which is important for insurance claims (if needed) or to avoid them with UPS or FedEX.

Dust: VitalBodies would have liked to see some form of dust protection to keep dust from entering the system. Even as an optional feature this would be wise for anything that uses fans and heat sinks for cooling.

Off Gas: Like most new items of this sort, be prepared to wear a gas mask or air out the room while this off gases…

Heavy Duty: That handle on the front is not just for decoration. This workstation is heavy and you will be glad you have both that upper front handle and the extra finger grip Lenovo provides in the back. In fact, it is hard to imagine not having them.

Notable: This workstation is awesome. With that said there are few things I would have liked to see or thought I would mention. When you buy a new computer case you usually get a small pile of things like screws and connectors and such. There is nothing extra provided so be sure to have all the cables and screws and such your hardware needs. Would have been nice to have an eSATA connector if you use external eSATA drives. Once you remove the large locking side door there is a bracket that helps hold the cards in place that swings out for you to insert the cards. This bracket must swing fully open and out the open door inorder to insert a card. You will need to not have anything in the way of the back lower left corner to do so.

VitalBodies new computer that can handle graphics for creating 3d art has finally arrived!

Click image to see a larger version

FIRST LOOKS:

Eco packaging, solid construction and a real key and lock – Plus wow, this workstation is big!

Need to set it up…

Heres a few links about the D10:

• Video: ThinkStation Tour
• PDF: Spec Sheet
• Web Site: Lenovo ThinkStation

THINKSTATION: This computer can support 2 Xeon 5400 series quad processors for a fast 8-core system. Plus you can add up to 32GB of Fully buffered ram and two graphics cards! You can put 5 hard drives below and there are three 5.25 inch drive bays in the front. Add one 3.5 inch floppy sized bay and you have a fully loaded system. The case is a 7U rack mountable design that can also be used as a tower.

Two 250GB drives as a raid and will run Ubuntu 64-bit Hardy Heron. The data will live on its own front loaded hot swappable removable SATA drive. There will also be a media card reader in the front.

ECO FEATURES: Of course! EnergyStar 4.0 compliant, recycled materials and High efficiency power supply.

QUIET: Another big plus for anyone using this workstation is how silent this computer is.