IBM ThinkPad i1200 Series
The ThinkPad i1200 Series were lower-end consumer multimedia laptops that were released in 2000. They were manufactured for IBM by Acer.
Specifications
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | CPU Type: Soldered BGA - Intel Mobile Pentium III "Coppermine" @700MHz - Intel Mobile Celeron "Coppermine" @500, 550, 600, or 700MHz |
| Chipset | Intel 440MX or ALi M1632M/M1535+ |
| RAM | Type: PC100 SDRAM, 1 slot Standard: 32 or 64MB Soldered Maximum: 160 or 192MB |
| Storage | 2.5" IDE Requires Adapter: Yes Standard: 5, 6, 10, or 20GB |
| Display Options | - 12.1" HPA/Passive Matrix LCD @800x600 - 12.1" Active Matrix LCD @800x600 - 13.0" HPA/Passive Matrix LCD @800x600 - 13.3" Active Matrix LCD @1024x768 |
| Graphics Chipset | One of the following: - Silicon Motion LynxEM+ (SM712) - Silicon Motion LynxEM4+ (SM712) - Trident CyberBlade i1 VRAM: 2MB (LynxEM+), 4MB (LynxEM4+), or 8MB shared/SMA (Trident) |
| Audio | Crystal CS4299 AC97 - Stereo Speakers - No Internal Microphone |
| Main Battery | NiMH or Lithium Ion |
| CMOS Battery | Proprietary Lithium |
| Power Supply | Barrel Jack |
| Media Drives | One of the following optical drives: - 24X CD-ROM Drive - 8X DVD-ROM Drive |
| PC Cards | 1x PCMCIA/CardBus Slot (Type III) - ZoomVideo Support - O2Micro 6812 Controller |
| Networking | 56k Modem |
| Other I/O | - 1x Parallel - 1x VGA Out - 1x PS/2 - 2x USB 1.1 - 1x Mic In - 1x Line Out |
| BIOS | IBM (Acer-based) |
| Pointing Device | TrackPoint |
Model-Specific
| Model | Release Date | CPU | RAM | HDD | LCD | GPU | Battery | Optical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i Series 1210 | June 2000 | Celeron 500 | 32MB | 6GB | 12.1" HPA | LynxEM+ | NiMH | 24X CD-ROM |
| i Series 1230 | June 2000 | Celeron 500 | 64MB | 6GB | 13.0" HPA | LynxEM4+ | NiMH | 24X CD-ROM |
| i Series 1250 | June 2000 | Celeron 500 | 64MB | 6GB | 12.1" TFT | LynxEM4+ | NiMH | 24X CD-ROM |
| i Series 1260 | June 2000 | Celeron 550 | 64MB | 6GB | 13.3" TFT | LynxEM4+ | NiMH | 24X CD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-11U | Sep. 2000 | Celeron 550 | 32MB | 5GB | 12.1" HPA | LynxEM+ | NiMH | 24X CD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-41U | Sep. 2000 | Celeron 550 | 64MB | 5GB | 12.1" TFT | LynxEM4+ | NiMH | 24X CD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-51U | Sep. 2000 | Celeron 600 | 64MB | 10GB | 12.1" TFT | LynxEM4+ | NiMH | 8X DVD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-71U | Sep. 2000 | Celeron 600 | 64MB | 10GB | 13.3" TFT | LynxEM4+ | NiMH | 8X DVD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-42U | Feb. 2001 | Celeron 600 | 64MB | 10GB | 12.1" TFT | LynxEM+ | NiMH | 24X CD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-62U | Feb. 2001 | Pentium III 700 | 64MB | 10GB | 12.1" TFT | LynxEM4+ | Lithium Ion | 8X DVD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-92U | Feb. 2001 | Pentium III 700 | 64MB | 20GB | 13.3" TFT | LynxEM4+ | Lithium Ion | 8X DVD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-43U | May 2001 | Celeron 700 | 64MB | 10GB | 13.3" TFT | Trident | NiMH or Lithium Ion | 24X CD-ROM |
| i Series 1200-53U | Aug. 2001 | Celeron 700 | 64MB | 10GB | 13.3" TFT | Trident | NiMH or Lithium Ion | 24X CD-ROM |
Resources
| Link | Details |
|---|---|
 |
IBM ThinkPad i Series 1200/1300 Hardware Maintenance Manual |
 |
IBM ThinkPad i Series Product Brochure (Japanese) |
 |
IBM ThinkPad i Series Personal Systems Reference (PSREF) |
Common Faults & Maintenance
Brittle Plastic & Hinge Failure
The most common fault with these laptops is problems with the display hinges. There are at least three different problems with the hinges on these laptops:
- Plastic around the hinges on both the display and base is prone to stress cracking, eventually causing hinge failure.
- The hinge covers are held on with very weak clips and are extremely prone to breaking off and then going missing.
- The metal hinge itself on the left side is prone to snapping due to poor design.
In addition to hinge problems, these do not have a reputation for reliability. I hear complaints about display and motherboard failures all the time.
Gallery
IBM ThinkPad i Series 1260
This my own machine. It's a rare example of one of these that hasn't lost its hinge covers (although the left one is held on with tape now), and the hinges are intact.
Click on an image to view the full-size version.
IBM ThinkPad 130
This was a Japan-exclusive model that was essentially the same as the i1200/i1300, just with a different name slapped on it. These images come from solidpro - thank you! This one's also a rare case that's not missing those hinges covers.
Gray Japanese i1200 & Passive Matrix Model
Here's two more from solidpro. One is an i1200 Series in a gray case. These gray models were exclusive to Japan and apparantly are even more brittle than the black ones are. The other laptop here is a standard one, not sure the exact model. This one has the incredibly common passive matrix display in it.
Click on an image below (except the first one) to view the full-size version of it.
