Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB
The USB Based, ThinkPad Supervisor Password Recovery or Clear, can be used unlimited times on unlimited ThinkPads!

Joe in Australia offers the only Fully Assembled, Programmed and Tested unlimited use ThinkPad Supervisor Password Recovery or Clear and CRC Repair Tools in the world.

KM9USB No longer being sold, replaced by  KM9AUSB

KM9AUSB has identical functionality using a different board.

Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB can also be used to display a Recovered SVP on a second PC or Laptop,

Read more here about using KM9USB with a second PC or Laptop

KM9USB, in "Stand Alone Mode" - will easily Zap/Remove SVP an unlimited number of times, from all the TP Models listed below, that is all models that have either a 24RF08 or LSI EEPROM, at the push of a button even if encrypted TPM/TCPA  is enabled without needing a second PC or Laptop.

ThinkPads that will work with the KM9USB in "Stand Alone Mode" 

24RF08 and LSI EEPROM TP MODELS

240, 240X, 390E, 390X, 570,  600e, 600X, 770Z, A20m, A21e, A21m, A22e, A22m, A30, A30p, A31, A31p, G40, G41, R30, R31, R32,  R40, R400, R50, R500,  R50p, R51, R52, R61, R60, R61i, T20, T21, T22, T23, T30, T40, T40p, T400,  T43, T43p, T500, T41, T41p, T42, T42p, T60, T60p, T61, T61p, TransNote, W500, X20, X200, X21, X22, X23, X24, X30, X200, X300, X301, X31, X40, X41, X41T, X60, X60s, Z60, X61, X61s, X61t,  Z61

That is: EVERY ThinkPad made by IBM that has the 24RF08, LSI, or similar security chip installed. 93C46 based ThinkPad owners (560) will have to read a little more:

KM9USB, when connected to a second PC or Laptop will easily Display SVP from LSI and 24RF08 models listed above if not TPM/TCPA  encrypted, it will also recover and display SVP from 24C01, 24C03, 93C46 EEPROM based models listed below, KM9USB when used with a second PC will also Clear SVP passwords on LSI and 24RF08 models listed above even if encrypted TPM/TCPA  is enabled.

BUT WAIT:

What about Errors like 0188, 0189, CRC1, and CRC2, Reading and saving the entire EEPROM contents to a file on your PC, editing that file and Writing the edited file or the Original back to the EEPROM in the TP.

Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB PRO can deal with all those errors, Read more about Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB PRO here

Full Read/Write/SAVE/Edit access to the contents of the Security Chip and CRC Repair level

Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB PRO is for the professional repair company. it allows full access to the security chip so they can manipulate the data as they deem necessary. With this version, you can really get to the heart of the security chip but you can also really screw things up, so this is really for the service professional who has a deep understanding of the functions of the security chip.

The CRC repair is a basic routine that corrects the CRC error caused by illegal data ending up in the wrong place - improper power off or other hardware caused issues (A2x owners know about this).

Note: You can upgrade your KM9USB to KM9USBPRO at any time by purchasing KM9PROPKO Product key.

Please take careful NOTE - 

3 wires are connected INSIDE the locked TP to its EEPROM and NOT to a USB port. 

Only the KeyMaker 9 USB itself is connected to the USB Port on the locked TP. In this basic form the USB cable is only used to supply power to the KM9USB board.

The USB connection is also used to interact with the firmware (program) inside the ATMega1280 Microcontroller on the KM9USB board and also to display progress and results on your PC or laptop Screen.

This is NOT some new found magical way to unlock a TP without having to connect to an EEPROM inside the locked TP

Physically connecting to the EEPROM inside a locked TP cannot be avoided this is the ONLY way a Password Locked TP can be unlocked.

There is no other way to access the EEPROM inside the locked TP in order to unlock it.

You really want to unlock your TP and use it again?

The example below explains how to use KM9USB to Zap a SVP using KM9USB in Stand Alone mode

To view an example of KM9USB being used with a second PC or Laptop to Recover or Clear a SVP .. Read more here

Well it doesn't get easier than this!

You can easily do it yourself! NO shipping ,NO wondering and NO worrying if you will ever see your TP again. 

NO Electronics crash course to complete, NO endless forums to read, NO guesswork.

Nothing to build and wonder if you got it right.

You don't have to become a Geek to get the job done.

KM9USB arrives fully assembled, tested and ready to use - You know it will work when you switch it on.

You can devote all your effort to the task of actually Zapping/Clearing that pesky Supervisor Password even if encrypted TPM/TCPA  has been enabled.

You have access to detailed illustrated instructions right here including details of how to identify which TP model you have, which EEPROM type is in your model TP and how to gain access to it.

First, you Hook up 3 wires to your Password Protected TP [in some cases you can use clips or sharp probes to make the connections] and Switch your TP ON

For example:

Below are photos of a T60 being unlocked, using Joe's KeyMaker 7. 

KM9USB connects to the locked TP EEPROM the same way

Using two multi meter leads with sharp points hand held [in one hand] for the SDA and SCL connections.

A black clip is being used for the GND connection attached to the CPU heat sink. 

Leaving one hand free to operate the Zap SVP button.

Looks easy - because - it is easy when you have the right tools.

Your TP is asking you to enter the Supervisor Password? 

Well now you have the tools to Clear the Supervisor Password!  

Even if the optional TPM/TCPA  Security (encryption) was enabled, not a problem.

You simply depress the Zap SVP button on your KM9USB 

The green EEPROM activity LED will light up on the board which lets you know that the EEPROM is being accessed, the LED will remain lit for about 15 seconds while the SVP is cleared.

The green LED will briefly turn OFF.

If the operation was successfully completed the LED will turn ON for 1/2 second, OFF for 1/2 second and back ON for 1/2 second, in other words 2 SLOW flashes of the green LED means all is OK. Your pesky SVP is GONE!

If the operation fails you will see a FAST burst of flashes from the green LED signifying the SVP was not cleared which usually means your 3 EEPROM connections are wrong or became disconnected during the operation. You can check the connections and try again. 

Switch OFF your TP, switch it back ON again and it will NOT ask you for a SVP, as if it never existed.

Your TP is now unlocked

Time to congratulate yourself on a job well done.

I would recommend that you set a new Supervisor Password, one you can remember. If you don't set one someone else can and you may have to do this all over again, much easier to set your own password so no one else can set one and frustrate you.

A quick lesson;

When using KM9USB connection leads to the EEPROM inside a TP can be connected whilst the TP is switched OFF or ON, the leads can be left connected while the TP is being switched ON and OFF.

If you are new to TP unlocking you might be thinking - so what! well read on and you will see what a significant difference that can make.

RS-232 based simple interfaces when connected to the EEPROM inside a TP impose a substantial load on the EEPROM's signal lines and if left connected will interfere with the power on and power off functions of the TP. 

Which means that when using an old RS-232 interface the EEPROM leads  must be disconnected while the TP is powering up, connected to perform a function then disconnected again before switching the TP OFF. 

When using an old RS-232 interface the EEPROM leads can ONLY be connected after the TP has been switched ON and has completed its power up functions.

KM9USB

A lot of TP unlock operations require that you Power Cycle the TP, in other words Switch OFF, Switch ON the TP, having to disconnect leads from the EEPROM and  reconnect those EEPROM leads each time the TP is switched ON or OFF becomes tedious and can lead to mistakes.

Another plus for Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB.

Remember All operations can be performed an UNLIMITED number of times on an UNLIMITED number of TPs.

Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB is shipped Fully Assembled, Programmed and Tested ready to use;

KM9USB No longer being sold, replaced by  KM9AUSB

KM9AUSB has identical functionality using a different board.

Included with Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB

1. Seeduino Mega ATmega1280 board fully assembled, tested and programmed with Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB Firmware.

2. 4 way cable with 4 combined sockets at one end and 4 individual sockets at the other end.  
   ONLY 3 pins of this cable are used by most people.

3. Short length of thin diameter enamelled copper wire to be used for connecting to EEPROMs.
   Used IF you prefer to solder connections to the EEPROM.
   Clips [not supplied] can be used if you wish to do no soldering at all to the EEPROM.

4. 6 x female headers, not used for TP unlocking, they can be used to populate the board if you wish to make use of the board's Arduino functionality.

5. Documentation, right here on this web site KM9 User's Guide, which includes detailed illustrated instructions on how to connect it to ALL the applicable TP models.

You will need to source your own Mini USB cable NOT SUPPLIED, you most likely already have a few of those.

Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB with supplied 4 way cable plugged in over the I2c connector, this cable will do 99% of all TP models.

NO MORE excuses for not turning that Password Locked door-stop back into a working TP.

Designed and programmed entirely by Joe in Australia who has been unlocking TP's for the past 8 years and who has 30+ years experience in Microcontroller hardware and software design.

Joe's first innovation in TP unlocking (back in 2002) was to unlock TP's  without having to unsolder the EEPROM. Many have copied that and other innovations from Joe in Australia. Some even like to pretend  they thought of it first.

Just remember:  you ALWAYS see it here first.  Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB with its unique ZAP SVP feature is yet another first.

USB ports are everywhere, antiquated RS-232 ports are almost extinct.

Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB arrives in your hands FULLY assembled, programmed and tested, you KNOW  it is going to work and can concentrate on starting to unlock your TP.

No need to waste time and money sourcing parts that, depending on where you buy them, can easily cost a lot MORE than the assembled and tested Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB. Ready to go - it does not get easier than that.

You can start work immediately on unlocking your TP instead of being forced to do a short Electronics crash-course before you can even start.

You can keep it REALLY SIMPLE and just zap that pesky Supervisor Password by pressing the ZAP SVP button on the board, no charts to consult at all, no guesswork.

It isn't fudged by using bit-banging, it is done properly with a fully compliant i2c hardware interface.

The entire Program runs inside the onboard ATmega1280 Microcontroller. To interact with you, it  only requires that you install the appropriate USB driver for your system and any one of the numerous freely available "Terminal Software programs" on your PC, MAC or Linux System.

Can handle all LSI and 24RF08 EEPROM based TP models.

All operations can be repeated an UNLIMITED NUMBER OF Times, on any number of different TPs.

Can either ZAP Supervisor passwords (SVPs) an unlimited number of times, including clearing LSI encrypted passwords from any number of different TPs.

You will be hard pressed to find anything that even comes close to Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB in one quality state of the art feature rich convenient USB powered TP unlocking tool that does it ALL.

Mini USB cable [not supplied] connects to the Mini USB connector [top left] to your PC, MAC or Linux system and the supplied 4 way cable connects the 4 pin I2C header [bottom right] to the EEPROM in your ThinkPad.

Only 3 connections GND, SCL and SDA are used 99% of the time. 

Those are ALL the required connections.

The reason, is Joe's KeyMaker 9 USB is a powerful state of the art Microcontroller based board with an USB interface, ALL THE WORK is done ON the board by the Microcontroller and my firmware program,  you ONLY need a Personal Computer of some kind to interact with the program running on the board and display the results whilst performing Initial Activation. 

All you need to install on your PC, MAC or Linux Personal Computer is;

1. USB drivers for the FTDI FT232RL USB chip, Detailed installation guides for FTDI USB drivers

2. Any one of the many FREE Terminal Software programs, GOOGLE for "Free Terminal Software".
   I prefer to use Tera Term for Windows, actual software download is here.

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows 7

Windows 7 x64

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 x64

Windows Vista

Windows Vista x64

Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 x64

Windows XP

Windows XP x64

Windows 2000

Windows ME

Windows 98

Linux

Mac OS X

Mac OS 9

Mac OS 8

Windows CE.NET (Version 4.2 and greater)

I make no warranty that any of my information is correct, or safe, or does or does not breach any warranty clause,  or anything else, it is up to you to decide if you will follow all or any of the instructions to recover the Supervisor Password from a TP. It is up to you to decide, I am not responsible for the results or for any consequential or incidental damages whatsoever.