You can use a multimeter to confirm that VCC is 3.3V, it should only be the logic signals that are 5V. As long as VCC is 3.3V it’s safe to use.
I have flashed firmware on 7 difference ThinkPads with the black CH341A, never had any issues with it. The basic package with the programmer, test clip, and ZIF socket adapter is all you need.
@sven write-up is good.
Here is another one from tlaurion. Explains how to start from scratch to build heads. (Need to replace board with t430, not x230 as in write up but otherwise same).
I used this Tigard flasher, with a Pomonda soic clip. It works well out of the box and doesn’t require any modifications. The Pomona soic clips are more expensive but better quality than the cheap ones you get from China. I have used both.
There are two chips u49 and u99 that need flashing. The write up on skulls isn’t too bad for this part of the process. If you follow the skulls writeup and use a raspberry pi make sure you check your pinout, don’t just use the one they have. Pinouts change between raspberry pi versions. Also double check the flashrom pinout as per manufactures datasheet once you have identified which ones you have.
Unfortunately with the T430 you need to pull the whole system apart to get access to them. unlike the x230 they are easier to access. There is a good service manual that guides you through each step. My suggestion is to take photos along the way and to have a good method to sort and remember which screws went where.
@Sven I’ve read that you have two T430 each with the i7-3840qm.
In 1vyrain there’s the option to limit the TDP of the T430. Have you, or anyone else, tried something similar in Heads (like underclocking) to reduce the heat that’s coming from the CPU?
Definitely looking forward to your post!
Thinking about upgrading my T430 (fhd upgrade + i7 = ~$300), but I came to the conclusion that maybe a Lenovo P50 would be a better investment in terms of CPU and especially memory…Not to forget the incredibly fast NVMe drive slots! Most importantly it seems to work well with Qubes too.
But I’ll never give up my T430
Self-flashed t430 with heads-hotp-maximized. The Nitrokey USB dongle works great with this machine. Using edited thinkfan profile so the fans reach full-tilt when temps reach 70 degrees.
Is there any protection against specter/meltdown in T430 processors? Xen/Coreboot probably can’t mitigate these vulnerabilities, do I understand correctly?
Thank you all so much for all the information provided in this thread.
I am at the moment in the process of building and costumizing my own Thinkpad T430.
In this context I have a non-Qubes-specific question I cant find information on and wondered if someone here might be able to help.
At the moment I have flashed Skulls via 1vyrain and am not finding information whether this also removes the Wlan-Whitelist.
Has someone flashed their Thinkpad via 1vyrain with Skulls and replaced the Wlan-Card with something better like the AX200HMW and can report whether or not the card works?
At the moment I have flashed Skulls via 1vyrain and am not finding
information whether this also removes the Wlan-Whitelist.
I believe it should, but have no real experience with 1vyrain or Skulls.
“* Whitelist removal to use any WLAN/WWAN adapter”
Has someone flashed their Thinkpad via 1vyrain with Skulls and replaced
the Wlan-Card with something better like the AX200HMW and can report
whether or not the card works?
Sorry can’t help here, I’ve used neither 1vyrain with Skulls or
experimented with an AX200HMW. Maybe @Sven will have better tips.
I heard that 5(,5)V is only a problem if you always hardware flash every update, not for one time flashing,as from then one software flashing is possible