The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Side ports on Dell Docking Station?

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by mZimm, Jan 26, 2008.

  1. mZimm

    mZimm Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    144
    Messages:
    575
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I have owned a Dell D/Port Advanced Port Replicator, but am still wondering what the second port on the side of it is for. I couldn't find it anywhere in the documentation, and I searched for an answer but couldn't find what I was looking for. On the left side of the D/Port and also the D/Dock I believe there is one USB port, and one other port, as seen here. Can anybody tell me what the second one is?
     
  2. swarmer

    swarmer beep beep

    Reputations:
    2,071
    Messages:
    5,234
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    That's 2 USB ports and a headphone jack. You can connect external speakers to the headphone jack.
     
  3. FusiveResonance

    FusiveResonance Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    143
    Messages:
    421
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    he is correct. thread closed :)
     
  4. Kdawgca

    Kdawgca rotaredoM repudrepuS RBN

    Reputations:
    5,855
    Messages:
    8,609
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    206
    Close enough. :)

    Its a D/bay connector (which has 1 USB at the bottom and proprietary connector at the top-it wont fit a USB plug) and a headphone jack.

    Here is a bigger pic of the the D/Bay connector as well as the Pin Assignments:
    http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd400/smen/pinouts.htm
     
  5. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    2,557
    Messages:
    6,682
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    205
    The top port of that is used purely for power. The you can get external optical drives for those laptops (had one on my x300) and it cant get enough power from one usb port.

    (This is the same reason why the apple air's optical drive can't work on any other computer but the air, because the laptop has a special usb port that gives more power than other laptops will from one plug.)
     
  6. mZimm

    mZimm Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    144
    Messages:
    575
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Ok, thanks for clearing that up. I knew that it wasn't possible to connect two USB devices to these two ports, but didn't know what it was actually used for.
     
  7. swarmer

    swarmer beep beep

    Reputations:
    2,071
    Messages:
    5,234
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Woops... sorry about that... thanks for clearing that up for me Kdawg.
     
  8. FusiveResonance

    FusiveResonance Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    143
    Messages:
    421
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    now i feel like an idiot
     
  9. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    2,557
    Messages:
    6,682
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    205
    I guess thats why they don't give you the power to close threads ;)
     
  10. bartlanz

    bartlanz Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    37
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I have been wondering this for a long time, and finaly found the answer. THANK YOU!!!