Thinkpads Forum

I just received my Advanced mini docking station that is supposedly the correct one for my R500. The dock power unit says it is 90W/20V, but the power unit that came with my laptop is 65W/20V. Did I misunderstand and order the wrong dock or is this difference in wattage acceptable? Where can I find thorough information on what accessories are compatible with this laptop? Vista operating system. Thanks!

I am sorry but I apparently wasn't clear. Please read the original paragraph closely, I added a few corrections to explain better, but I will also reiterate:
The power unit that came with the dock IS 90W, but the one that came with the laptop is 65W. I am afraid to plug it into the dock, which is the higher wattage than the laptop power unit. I need 3 answers:
1. Is this the correct dock for the R500 laptop?
2. If so, why is the dock power unit 90W instead of 65W that came with the laptop and is it safe to use this higher wattage power unit?
3. Where can I find thorough information on what accessories are compatible with my R500 laptop?

I believe the Advanced Mini Dock is supposed to have the 90w power supply. Mine does and according to the specs here it does. It supposed to have the better power supply to power the peripherals. Maybe it got switched out somewhere along the way.

Please see my edited submission. Your answer was not what I needed. Thanks

There was some good stuff in there.

The Advanced Mini Dock can be used with the R500 as the estential port
As I stated already it has a beefier power supply to power the peripherals like usb devices.
You can plug your machine type in here to see what's compatible with your machine.

Think desktop power supplies.

It is always OK to use higher wattage than what is needed (provided of course that the voltage is the same).

It is sometimes not OK to user lower wattage than what is suggested, because you may pull more than the PSU can handle and that's when the problems begin.

Therefore, it is OK to use either the 65W or the 90W adapters with your R500, but when using it in the dock, one should use only the 90W adapter, because that is what is recommended for the dock.

This is exactly what I needed to know. Your answer was thorough. Thanks so much!