2530p and 2400/2500 Docking Station - Airflow and S-Video

I recently noticed that my 2530p (great laptop btw) runs about 10 degrees hotter (53-55C versus 40-45 C just idling) when it's in the dock as opposed to when it's just on my desk. Normally this isn't really a problem but when doing anything remotely taxing on the processor the CPU temp shoots up to 60-70C when it's in the dock.

So I searched around and there seems to be no mention of this anywhere on the Internet. I figured it might be an airflow issue. So, pulling the base off the dock it appears that the supposed vent through the right side of the dock (where most of the airflow is supposed to run) is blocked almost entirely by the sliding latch mechanism.

Is this just terrible design or is something broken? I considered drilling holes through the latching but it looks like there's flat cables running all over it.

Does anyone else have a 2530p with the 2400/2500 dock, and if so, do you have heatflow problems? Have you found anyway to fix them? I tried raising the dock up off my desk but that doesn't seem to help too much.

Bonus question: The S-video port on my dock doesn't work at all. Is this because the 2530p doesn't output s-video, or is my dock just broken?

 

It looks like the vent on the right side of the dock runs under the latch. I can feel airflow through the vent when the fan kicks on although I haven't check my temps. Perhaps all of the docks aren't the same? I can take pictures of mine if need be.

I can't get my S-Video to work either, which is odd since s-video works with this dock using my 2510p.

 

I have a feeling that none of the Elitebook xx30 series notebooks support S-Video. I say this because HP re-designed the docking stations for the larger notebooks (6930p, 8530p/w, 8730w) when they released the Elitebooks, and the only thing they changed (aside from the cosmetics) was the removal of the S-Video and Composite Video outputs (which may signify that the newer Elitebooks no longer support these outputs)

Otherwise, they are identical to the older docks and are still compatible with the older Compaq notebooks (My old HP Compaq nw8440 works fine on the latest dock, even though HP doesn't list it as being compatible).

 

That would make sense, although it is slightly annoying since I did use my s-video some.

 

I believe I can confirm the lack of S-Video output on my EliteBook 8530w -- xrandr in Linux gives only the following outputs:

Code:

LCD connected 1920x1200+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
331mm x 207mm
   1920x1200      60.0*+                                                           
   1920x1080      60.0
   1600x1200      60.0
   1680x1050      60.0
   1400x1050      60.0
   1280x1024      60.0
   1440x900       60.0
   1280x960       60.0
   1152x864       60.0
   1280x768       60.0
   1280x720       60.0
   1024x768       60.0
   1024x600       60.0
   1024x480       60.0
   800x600        60.0
   800x480        60.0
   720x480        60.0
   640x480        60.0
   640x400        60.0
   512x384        60.0
   400x300        60.0
   320x240        60.0
   320x200        60.0
DFP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DFP_EXTTMDS disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
CRT1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

 

Thanks for checking those things you guys.

Pocket_geek, the airflow is very definitely blocked through that vent on the right. They might be slightly different models. Mine is p/n EQ773AA#ABG but looking around on the internet it appears that the letters after the # vary, perhaps they are minor hardware revisions? If you are certain the airflow is unimpeded on your dock and your model number is different, it might end up being worth my while to find a new one. Thanks in advance if you do.

Looking at various service manuals as well it looks like the nc2400's main air out-take was on the left, so maybe HP revised the design with newer model?

The lack of s-video makes sense though. Thanks for at least confirming that it definitely doesn't work, DanaGoyette and Teraforce.

 

I have the EQ773AA#ABA As far as I can tell the letters after the # designate what part of the planet it was sold in.

I shined a flashlight through the vent on mine, the latch mechanism is in the way but doesn't completely block the vent...it probably doesn't provide the best airflow. I've never had any heat related issues with it though.

 

Thanks for checking that.

Clarifying the heat issue, it's only really noticeable under heavy sustained load (50%+ for 30mins or so).

I got the dock second hand and quite cheaply, so I might look in to modifying it before I junk the idea of a dock completely, it's just too damn useful.

 

I'm pretty sure they say this because with the 2008 advanced dock (with SATA upgrade bay) the older series laptops don't even detect that bay, even as USB!, This also applies to the the next gen laptops 8510/8710 as well.

Also note that if you are using an external monitor via the dock, your GPU won't downclock like it does when undocked. So the GPU will be keeping the temps significantly higher, at least that is what I have found with an 8530w and 2008 dock.

And finally, the extra HP travel battery that clips on the bottom of most business models also blocks the main fan vent on all of the different size laptops it fits! Therefore using this also leads to increased temps.

 

it could also be that the power profiles are set to go to high-performance when docked.