Lenovo ThinkPad Advanced Mini-Dock Port Replicator (250410U)

I've had the mini dock for a couple of weeks, and it does everything I had hoped for. I'm using it with a Thinkpad T500, sharing a keyboard, mouse and 1680 by 1050 LCD monitor with a desktop via an IOgear DVI/USB switch. The mini dock provides a DVI connection to the monitor instead of the dubious DisplayPort connector built in to the T500. Since I only have the 1280 by 800 display on the T500, this makes things much more civilized whenever I'm using the T500 at my desk. Taking the advice of other reviewers I've connected the power brick to a UPS to avoid losing work.It's easy to dock and undock, although I do make a practice of shutting down the T500 first. Since it comes with a power brick, I can leave the one that came with the laptop in my bag ready for when I take it with me.Starting with the T510 and siblings, Lenovo has introduced a completely different docking arrangement that does make me a little jealous (For one thing, it supports ESATA). As a result, this mini dock is an orphan -- so if you want a mini dock for a T400/500 or any of the other supported laptops, it would probably be a good idea to get one soon.I gather that some of the older Thinkpads ran a bit warm in the mini dock, which has no cooling arrangements. The T500 runs quite cool (wonderful compared with my old P4 laptop that it replaced) so it works quite nicely sitting in the mini dock with the lid closed.

I bought one of these for my Lenovo T61 four months ago, mostly to add a "real" serial port, which is still widely used in the embedded development field in which I work (USB-to-serial converters add unacceptable overhead to data transfer rates). The serial port works at full speed with true RS-232 levels--no complaint there. Since then I've also appreciated the four extra USB ports, and the convenience of being able to leave all cables still connected to the Mini-Dock when I take my laptop off-site. I've had no mechanical issues, and I dock/undock on almost a daily basis.However I've had enough OS problems with the undocking process (running WinXP SP3), that I've learned it's less problematic to just Shut Down the T61 before undocking. Also, if you happen to shut off power to the dock while undocking, that will definitely lock up the OS.Except for the serial port and Ethernet jack, I haven't used any of the other ports (legacy parallel, audio out/mic in, DVI, VGA, modem, PS/2) so can't comment on those. The dock comes with a 90W AC adapter.It would be nice if the Mini-Dock also included a stand (like the Lenovo ThinkPad Adjustable Notebook Stand, which I have on order); right now I have it propped up on a homemade stand to get a comfortable angle on the T61's keyboard.Of course the ultimate question is, 'Would I buy it again?'. The answer is yes--I've just ordered another one for home office use.

I purchased a Lenovo ThinkPad T500 laptop brand new one year ago (November 2009). I really like the T500, and recently I needed the mini-dock port replicator that Lenovo made for it. I assumed this would be no problem to purchase direct from Lenovo, since they make a big deal about service, support, and upgrades on their website. Silly me. One year ago I could have purchased it from Lenovo, but no longer. It seems Lenovo has stopped supporting last year's models with periphery hardware and now only offers a mini-dock for their newest line of ThinkPads, such as the T410 & T510, and that mini-dock will not work with the T500 (confirmed by a Lenovo support rep). Now they offer only a USB port expander for the older machines, which isn't what I needed. Thank goodness for Amazon and their third-party retailers, for that is where I found the exact model "Lenovo ThinkPad Advanced Mini-Dock - port replicator (250410U)" that I required (I specifically needed the serial and parallel ports that only the mini-dock will provide).The retailer was offering this as "factory refurbished", and the price was less than half of what the manufacturer had been selling them for just a year ago, and since the purchase was being made through Amazon, I did not hesitate. The retailer, located in Rhode Island, shipped the item quickly (I think I had it within 4 days of placing the order, with "Amazon free super-saver shipping"). It arrived in a sealed Lenovo box, with a "refurbished" sticker on it, but honestly, it looks brand new to me, and functions the same. The mini-dock came with the 90 Watt power supply/battery charger, which was a bonus since most of the other used and so-called "like new" 250410U mini-docks that I found for sale on the internet did not include the power supply (this would not be a deal breaker, though, since you can also just use the 60-Watt power supply that came with the laptop, as long as your power needs don't get out of hand).I am pleased with this purchase, pleased with the retailer who shipped it, pleased with Amazon, and pleased with the operation of the mini-dock. These Lenovo mini-docks have a relatively small footprint (as the name implies)compared with the older-style docking stations, and are very easy to dock and un-dock the laptop. The mini-dock adds the serial port, parallel printer port, 4 additional USB 2.0 ports (there are already three on the laptop), VGA and DVI monitor ports (both can be used at the same time for a dual-monitor hook-up), modem and LAN ports, one PS-2 port for a mouse or keyboard needing that functionality, sound-out and microphone port. All ports and peripherals that are already on the laptop, such as the 3 USB ports, card reader, headphone and mic ports, and optical drive remain functional while the laptop is docked. If you use an external monitor, keyboard and mouse plugged into the mini-dock, you need-not even open the laptop, as there is a "start" button right on the mini-dock to turn-on the laptop, and small colored LED lights to tell you the status of the dock . There is also a key lock on the dock which allows you to lock the laptop to the dock and take the key with you, and of course, the dock has the standard attachment for a cable lock to secure the mini-dock to a desk.If you own a ThinkPad T400 or T500, I can highly recommend this mini-dock if you need the additional functionality, or if you use an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse at your desk.

Funciona muy bien

5 stars