Thinkpads Forum

Much to my delight, my new company provided me with a new T60 and a mini port replicator. (I've owned my own T42 and mini dock for a couple of years for work use and loved them). Since I work from home & travel, the port replicator is a great convenience for plugging into my printer and external monitor, etc.

My quandry is this: When I've run my T60 on battery, then attached it to the 2505 port replicator, I discovered that the battery does not get charged back up. It charges fine if I plug the ac pack directly into the T60. (I am using the T60 ac pack to power the port.) I looked on the IBM/Lenovo site, but cannot find clarification about this. It would seem pretty dumb for this to be the case - not charging a battery while plugged into the replicator. Does anyone know if this is in fact the case, and if it is, is there a workaround? (Short of trying to talk my company into swapping the replicator for a dock that does do this?)

Thanks,
-Doug

FWIW (since nobody seemed to know) - I called the famed Atlanta-based IBM tech support. The support person agreed that the replicator should charge the battery while the T60 is docked with the ac pack plugged in, and he put me on hold to confer with an engineer-type person. I failed to note in my previous message that if I plug the ac power pack directly into the T60 it charges properly, and also runs on the battery fine.

Since the battery seems to charge and discharge properly when the laptop is not docked, then suspicion is naturally on the port replicator. Tech support wants to first try using a more powerful ac pack and they are sending me the 90 watt version (I have a 65 watt). I'm a little curious as to why they think that will work (and if so, why the replicator and/or T60 info doesn't specify need for the larger ac power). I should receive the more powerful ac pack in a day or two and will be curious to see if that does the trick.