ThinkPad Port Replicator II

IBM ThinkPad Port Replicator II The Port Replicator II (Model # 74P6733) is the cheapest dock IBM sells. It contains basic pass-through connections for notebook ports, including power pass-through. It comes without integrated power supply but provides the same power jack as found in a ThinkPad, so you need to use either your Thinkpad AC adapter or another IBM AC adapter. Besides all the pass-through ports the Port Replicator II comes with an On/Off switch and a slot for a cable lock which secures the device and prevents the Thinkpad from being removed. Features Passthrough ports: Ethernet (RJ45) Modem (RJ11) USB (1-port) DVI VGA Serial (DB9-M) Parallel (DB25-F) PS/2 Keyboard PS/2 Mouse External Diskette drive Audio line-in and line-out Kensington Lock connector Power button Properties Price: Inexpensive ($149 Retail, under $30 on eBay) Uses the same type of AC adapter as the laptop itself. AC adapter required only for charging (since the connectors are simple pass-through) Only one USB port The line-out output is just that. Unlike the ThinkPad's built-in stereo output, it does not have sufficient power to directly drive headphones, and will clip and distort horribly if you try doing so. Compatibility: X20/30, T20/30/40, R30/40/50, and A20/30 series (Does not support X40/41, R40e/50e/51e, or G40/41) Warranty: One Year IBM Website for Port Replicator II ThinkPad Docking Solutions HMM (February 2003) (248,638 Bytes) User's guide for the ThinkPad Port Replicator II and ThinkPad Mini-Dock (196,180 Bytes)

DVI pass-through

LCD monitors are getting larger and higher-resolution. Currently, DVI based on 165MHz TDMS transmitters can only (officially) support 1600x1200x32 at 60Hz, which is the resolution of your average 20" non-widescreen LCD. IBM's driver support for this resolution through DVI ports on docks has been inconsistent. Also in Linux you might experience problems even with this resolution and IBM officially states that the pass-through DVI port only supports resolutions up to 1280x1024. Read our page of information on how to solve these troubles.

Please be aware that not all Thinkpad models will support DVI output with a Port Replicator. This is stated as "If your ThinkPad computer does not support DVI, you cannot use this connector." in User's guide. Apparently, X and T2* models do not. ThinkPad R52 and ThinkPad T43 models with Intel Graphics Media Accelerator do not. Please add other models if you know about them to not support DVI.

Supported ThinkPads

• ThinkPad A20m, A20p, A21m, A21p, A22e, A22m, A22p
• ThinkPad A30, A30p, A31, A31p
• ThinkPad R30, R31, R32
• ThinkPad R40
• ThinkPad R50, R50p, R51, R52
• ThinkPad T20, T21, T22, T23
• ThinkPad T30
• ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p, T43, T43p
• ThinkPad X20, X21, X22, X23, X24
• ThinkPad X30, X31, X32