How To Guide: USB 2.0 for Thinkpad 380D

[guardian]

Enjoyed a nice outcome today with my Thinkpad 380D. Thought I would lay down a record here on chance anyone else has one of these very nice, but older, laptops.

I wanted to be able to use USB 2.0 thumb drives with my laptop. Bottom line it is possible to do this with very little difficulty. Cookbook recipe follows:

*Increase 380D RAM to max (circa 80M) and install Windows 2000 SP4.

*If you don't already have one, buy an IBM docking station for your 380D. This is FRU 11J9000. I paid about twenty bucks for mine. The 11J9000 provides a USB port which does NOT work with the 380D (it is known not to work and IBM mentions this in their documentation). However, the 11J9000 also includes a single PCMCIA Cardbus slot which works just fine.

*Insert a routine PCMCIA/USB 2.0 adapter into the Cardbus slot. Such adapters are available everywhere (eBay) for small money.

*Provide an independent source of 5VDC to the adapter. I bought a little plug-in wall wart from the thrift store for a buck. It works just fine.

Plug your various thumb drives into the USB adapter and you will be pleased with the outcome. Windows 2000 SP4 is powerful enough to support the thumb drives quickly, readily, and well. Everything is at USB 2.0 speeds. Really, it all works great.

I like my 380D which has accumulated quite a bit of patina over the years. Candidly, I think it might be something of a collector's item. However, the laptop continues to perform splendidly, and with the addition of USB 2.0 its utility is enhanced.

I also run a PCMCIA Wi-Fi card in that same Cardbus slot, BTW, when using the 380D on the net. Browse with Firefox. Protect with ZoneAlarm.

EDIT

I want to add this brief note because it is possible some 380D owners might be unaware:

The IBM 380D laptop, absent the IBM docking station mentioned earlier, does not incorporate any Cardbus (32 bit) PCMCIA slots. The two slots built into the body of the laptop are 16 bit only. This is a somewhat severe impediment to upgrading your laptop. I like my docking station, which is very well designed and easy to use. However, I bought it solely because it makes available the laptop's 32 bit, 33mHz, PCI bus. That bus access is the stepping off point for increased 380D utility enhancement.

[ieee488]

Those PCMCIA slots are great!

If you don't have access to Windows 2000 SP4, Puppy Linux 4.3.1 with the older kernel should work as well. I have it running on my Thinkpad 600E.

[ThinkDan]

The IBM 380D laptop, absent the IBM docking station mentioned earlier, does not incorporate any Cardbus (32 bit) PCMCIA slots. The two slots built into the body of the laptop are 16 bit only. This is a somewhat severe impediment to upgrading your laptop. I like my docking station, which is very well designed and easy to use. However, I bought it solely because it makes available the laptop's 32 bit, 33mHz, PCI bus. That bus access is the stepping off point for increased 380D utility enhancement.

Very good observation and work-around for hardware limitations.

[guardian]

While I referred to the FRU 11J9000 in the OP as a "docking station", please be aware this is incorrect terminology.

IBM calls the FRU 11J9000 a "port replicator". And that's the terminology I should have used. Hope nobody was confused.

[oxygen14]

Is the unusable USB port of the 11J9000 still powered to provide +5V to the Cardbus/USB2.0 adapter ? Or needs a hack to bypass power control and connect to +5V line through a fuse ? I have such a card that was used in my (now dead) T22, and came with an USB cable to draw power from any USB port because the PCMCIA bus cannot provide 500mA.

[guardian]

Is the unusable USB port of the 11J9000 still powered to provide +5V to the Cardbus/USB2.0 adapter ? Or needs a hack to bypass power control and connect to +5V line through a fuse ? I have such a card that was used in my (now dead) T22, and came with an USB cable to draw power from any USB port because the PCMCIA bus cannot provide 500mA.

It's a very good and interesting question. I had not thought of this, though I do have the needed cable to interface USB (power) to 5vdc plug. I'll have to try it.

As I wrote above, I use a small, independent, 5vdc supply. This has worked for me in the sense I never have run short current. But certainly it would be more convenient to use the 11J9000's own 5vdc capability provided sufficient current can be obtained.