ThinkPad Advanced Dock

ThinkPad Advanced Dock, Type 2503 (250310U) This is a proprietary docking station for models with a CS05 standard docking port. Features Pass-through 1x PS/2 (Mini-DIN 6, keyboard+mouse) port 5x USB 2.0 (Type-A) port 1x Modem (RJ-11) port 1x Ethernet (RJ-45) port 1x DVI-D (dual-link) out port2 3 1x VGA-out (DE-15) port 1x Parallel (DB-25, ECP/EPP/SPP) port4 1x Serial (DE-9, RS-232) port4 1x S/PDIF (RCA) port 1x Headphone port (3.5mm, TRS) 1x Microphone port (3.5mm, TS) 1x Ultrabay Enhanced slot5 1x PCI-Express x16 slot6 Non-pass-through 1x USB-based 6-in-1 card reader slot (xD-Picture, SD, CompactFlash, MultiMediaCard, 3.3 V SmartMedia, non-Magic Gate MemoryStick Duo/Pro) 1x Proprietary key lock (secures the laptop to the dock) 1x Kensington security lock slot 1x Integrated power supply with 1 cooling fan (2-pin or 3-pin power socket) Resources User's guide (June 2005) (5.01 MB) FOOTNOTES [Δ] Any model that is powered-on and attached to this docking station will shut down immediately, due to a stray electrostatic discharge that is caused by insufficient insulation. The solution to this problem, is to either turn off the laptop and dock it, or attach two rubber caps (FRU: 42W3219/42W3220) on two of the furthest 'EMI fingers' located on the docking station. More information regarding this problem can be found here. This port will not work on models with a GMA 900, as it does not support any form of DVI output. This port will be inactive on models equipped with the Switchable Graphics feature, unless the Radeon HD 3470/3650 is enabled and is in use. This is due to the DVI connection being wired to only accept output from the dedicated GPU. If the docking station loses AC power (from the AC adapter), these ports will cause the attached laptop to soft-lock. You can prevent this from occurring by disabling the serial and parallel port in the BIOS (Config > Docking Station > Legacy Devices on Mini-Dock > Disabled). There is no official fix, even Lenovo themselves state that this is the only way. This Ultrabay slot does not support the use of an Ultrabay battery. It is recommended to not draw more than 50 watts from this PCIe slot, as the integrated power supply cannot supply more than 50 watts of power to this slot.

Part numbers

with the conductive rubber caps

• 42W4628 (42W4629)

without the conductive rubber caps

• 26R9061 (26R9060)

Overview

This docking station is capable of accepting an 'extender' (FRU: 42W3365/42X4884) that seems to be meant for supported 14.1-inch widescreen models. The purpose of this extender is to function as a wrist-rest/palm-rest, as the 14.1-inch widescreen models do not have sufficient coverage to act as a wrist-rest/palm-rest.

PCI-Express Express slot

While the Advanced Dock MT 2503 physically has a PCIe x16 slot, it is not capable of x16 operation. This is due to a bandwidth limitation on the ThinkPad's docking port, as it does not provide the full 16 lanes needed for x16 speeds. Due to this limitation, the PCIe x16 slot provides only 1 lane (x1 speed) to the attached PCIe card.

Please note that the PCIe x16 slot does not accept dual or triple-slot full-length PCIe cards, as it does not have the space required to house them. Because of this, only single-slot half-length cards will work. For example, a GeForce GT 1030 with a single-slot height heatsink will fit. Other cards, such as this particular GeForce GTX 1650 will not fit. If such a card is needed to be used in this dock, you must use a PCIe riser or an extension cable.

Models supporting this accessory

• W500
• T60, T60p, T61, T61p, T400, T500
• R60, R60i, R61, R61i, R400, R500
• Z60t, Z61t, Z60m, Z61m, Z61p