ThinkPad Tablet 2 Dock

[Softshell]

I've recently purchased Model 0B47109 Dock for my ThinkPad 2.  The only documentation that was packaged with it was the Set-up Poster, or as it's titled "Important Information about the ThinkPad 2 Dock"  This poster is not a product user guide.  I'd really like to find a User Manual for this Dock.  After no success finding one in the Guides and Manuals section of Support, I began an online chat with a customer service rep to help me locate a User Guide.  He couldn't find one either for the Dock I had purchased.  There must be one listed somewhere for downloading, but where?  Any help from the Community will be greatly appreciated. 

[jonnybecker]

There isn't one. But some tips:

1. The dock will not work at all when it's not plugged in.

2. The dock will charge your tablet even if you haven't depleted the battery.

3. The dock disables the USB 2.0 port on the tablet, so when you're docked, you can only use the USB ports on the dock.

4. The Ethernet Port is actually a USB to Ethernet Adapter integrated into the dock. In case you're wondering when you look at your device manager. You can set your wifi to disable when docked and connected by Ethernet.

5. You can both mirror and extend your display using the HDMI port.

6. Though the manual says the dock charges the tablet 'faster', it's not that much faster that'd you notice. It does not charge the tablet in 2 hours like other Thinkpads. (this may be a characteristic of lithim-polymer batteries)

7. All three USB ports are USB 2.0.

8. Devices that may not work through the Tablet's USB port will work with the dock. I have an external Blu-ray burner that stubbornly would not work with the tablet, but works fine with the dock.

9. The tablet "locks" into the dock, and the connection is tight enough that if you simply lift the tablet up, you'll be lifting the dock too. Undocking takes two hands.

That's all I can come up with right now.

[Softshell]

Thanks for the information.  Your tips address problems I know I would have encountered had you not sent them.  It's a mystery to me why Lenovo wouldn't have a link somewhere on their site for an actual User Guide to this dock as well as the Set-up poster that is available for download.

Thanks again for the tips.

[PeterMoreton]

One more thing about the dock - the Ethernet adaptor does not support PXE - so you have to use the Lenovo USB 2 Ethernet adaptor instead for PXE deployments of the OS

[Softshell]

Thanks.  I'll add this PXE information to your tips.

[Balzac_555]

Hi jonnybecker,
Do you have the no wake up issue after prolonged sleep when you connect an external monitor to the dock hdmi port? I don't have a dock myself, but when I connect my tpt2 directly via a hdmi cable to a monitor, my tablet won't wake up when it goes to sleep. Thank you.

[jonnybecker]

to date, i have not had the issue in either circumstance. right no, depending on the charge of my tablet, i either connect to the tv through a direct hdmi connection or through the dock. I moved to a logitech wireless keyboard because of all the frustrations with the bluetooth keyboard. if i turn on the tv, and i'm connected directly through hdmi, i wake the machine by tapping the keyboard.

you may want to try a non-bluetooth keyboard to wake machine. i'm not saying the poer button wont work. i just dont kno because its outside my usage pattern.

[Balzac_555]

Thanks jonnybecker,

Using a wired keyboard/mouse did not work for me.  Made no difference whether I am on WiFi or CAT5 wired, Airplane mode ON or OFF.  Again this lack of waking up issue only happens when my TPT2 is HDMI tethered.  I was thinking about ordering a dock to see what happens, perhaps the HDMI circuitry in the dock is slightly different compared to a standalone HDMI cable. 

I appreciate the help however.

Best