Question 1

how does this connects to the laptop?

Accepted Answer

There is a USB 3.0 cable included (it's shown in the photo). The standard end goes into the laptop and the special end goes into the back of the Port Replicator (which has its own power supply.)
My wife has a setup  and at work.  Her monitors, keyboard, and mouse stay attached to the port replicator.  She just takes the laptop between home and work and plus in the USB cable.  
The power light on the port replicator can be hard to see.  When I get called to "fix" the system that's the first thing I check.  It has always been because the power got turned off. Never any other problems.

Question 2

Can you use two VGA adaptors with this unit?

Accepted Answer

The unit comes w/2 DVI ports.  In theory, you can use up to 4 monitors if your laptop has a DVI/HDMI/VGA port.  To answer your question, I would say, w/DVI to VGA converters, easily.

I use the HDMI port on my laptop as my primary and HDMI connection for my secondary monitor.  The reason I use the HDMI connection on my laptop is because when DVI is going through USB, it seemed to screw w/the resolution when I play a game.  It should support 1920x1080, but it was acting funky and this was my quickest/easiest solution.

Sometimes (once in a blue moon) I will lose ethernet connectivity.  I have to simply turn-on/turn-off the unit.

Overall, for convenience of not plugging-in 100 things and a few flaws, it is great, but for the price, it should be virtually flawless.

Question 3

My lenovo wont support my 30" Dell 2560x1600 resolution monitor at full resolution. Will this dock allow me use my monitor at 2560x1600?

Accepted Answer

Perhaps but I cannot verify.  Using my ThinkPad 0A33970 the max resolution I can get on my 24" Asus monitor is 1920x1200.  You may get better info by googling for  ThinkPad 0A33970 max resolution.  I saw at least one post that said you needed to use the DisplayPort to get that res.  Search and see what you can find.

Question 4

Is the product only compatible with Lenovo devices?

Accepted Answer

The ThinkPad Port Replicator is self powered and is connected to your laptop via a USB cord.  There is no reason that I can see that it wouldn't work with other devices.  Mine is connected to a Lenovo Z580 and has been running 2 DVI monitors with sound flawlessly for over a year off the USB 3.0 port.  I would recommend that you run it off USB 3.0 in order to drive proper video performance. The LAN interface connects at gigabit speeds which is faster than the LAN port on the Z580 would indicate.

I would buy another one in an instant...........

Question 5

This is the accessory I need for my new X1 Carbon Thinkpad laptop.  Can you tell me what Fru # 03x6059 is?

Accepted Answer

FRU - stands for Field Replaceable Unit.

Here is what Lenovo site says about it:
What is a service part FRU?
A service part Field Replacement Unit (FRU) is used to replace a defective part installed or attached to your computer. Service part FRUs are identified by a 7-digit number on the part itself (for example, FRU P/N 11x1111).

When you place an order using a service part FRU number, the package will come with the replacement part only. Other materials, such as a software CD, cables, or a User's Guide will not come with the package.

Question 6

what are the dimensions for docking stations?

Accepted Answer

It is actually pretty small, standing about 6 inches high, 4 inches deep, and about 2 inches wide. USB ports in front and more USB video ports in back. Powerswitch on top. I have two 24 inch screens, MFP printer (USB port) and external HDD attached to it. With USB 3 port in front i plug it into my Yoga laptop and I have a three screen Windows 8.1 desktop. Never had a problem with it.

Question 7

Can I use multiple monitors at the same time with this product? IE; laptop closed use two 23" monitors...

Accepted Answer

Chris is right.  The OA33970 does not support dual DVI output, in fact it ONLY supports a single HDMI out.
BUT, and this is a big but,  the one Newegg is selling is the FRU 03x6059 which is actually the ThinkPad OA34193 and does support dual DVI out.  Newegg has the first number wrong.  I am working on this unit, that I purchased on Newegg, with 3 screens now.  The laptop screen and 2 - 24" monitors.

Question 8

Can I use this device to easily switch monitors, mouse, keyboard from a desktop to a laptop?

Accepted Answer

No, if that is what you are looking to do you need a KVM switch. All this does is gives you more options for additional monitors and USB ports. This is like a uriniversal laptop dock.

Question 9

Is this compatible with the W530 ?  Is the AC adapter 170W ?

Accepted Answer

You can drive your monitors from this unit via the USB 3.0 connection, but it does not provide power to your notebook. You MUST power your notebook from a separate power supply. If I remember correctly, this only comes with a 45W power supply.

Question 10

Will this work with any ThinkPad?  I have an E450 and I want to use this one because of the two DVI ports, but when i search for the replicator specifically for the E450 it looks like it has a connection to the PC other than USB.

Accepted Answer

can't speak to that model specifically, but it connects via USB3 to the computer. Have to install various drivers for the port replication and displaylink.

Questions & Answers