Dell ADVANCED PORT REPLICATOR User Manual

Dell™ Inspiron™

ADVANCED PORT REPLICATOR USER’S GUIDE

BE DIRECT

www.dell.com

™ ™

Notes, Notices, and Cautions

Throughout this guide, blocks of text may be accompanied by an icon and printed in bold type or in italic type. These blocks are notes, notices, and cautions, and they are used as follows:

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer system.

NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or mode ra te injury.

____________________

Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden.

Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, BE DIRECT, Inspiron, and DellWare are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; 3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation.

Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.

February 2000 P/N 8498T Rev. A02

APR I/O Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

APR Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Connecting External Devices to the APR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Connecting the Computer to the APR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Docking the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Undocking the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Monitor Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Safety Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Regulatory Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

FCC Notices (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Class A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Class B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13

IC Notice (Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13

CE Notice (European Union). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

EN 55022 Compliance (Czech Republic Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

VCCI Notice (Japan Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

Class A ITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Class B ITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

MOC Notice (South Korea Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Class A Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Class B Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17

Polish Center for Testing and Certification Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17

!"#$%$&'$()*+,-'.%*(/.&012#(3$4$5('(/.10"6'-$78' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17

)*9*,0$:.('&,012-78.(;.9<'.79.5,0=$. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18

NOM Information (Mexico Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18

Información para NOM (únicamente para México) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19

Warranty and Return Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Three-Year Limited Warranty (U.S. Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Coverage During Year One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Coverage During Years Two and Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21

General Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21

Three-Year Limited Warranty (Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22

Coverage During Year One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22

Coverage During Years Two and Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23

General Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23

“Total Satisfaction” Return Policy (U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24

Figures Figure 1-1. I/O Connectors on the Back of the APR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Figure 1-2. Audio Line-Out Connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Figure 1-3. Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Figure 1-4. Docking the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Figure 1-5. Undocking the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Figure 1-6. APR With the Monitor Stand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Figure 1-7. VCCI Class A ITE Regulatory Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Figure 1-8. VCCI Class B ITE Regulatory Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Figure 1-9. MOC Class A Regulatory Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Figure 1-10. MOC Class B Regulatory Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17

Tables Table 1-1. External I/O Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Table 1-2. Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Dell™ Inspiron™Advanced Port Replicator User’s Guide

The advanced port replicator (APR) integrates your computer quickly and easily into a desktop environment. Use the instructions in this document to attach external devices to the APR and to connect your computer to the APR.

NOTE: If you received a basic input/output system (BIOS) upgrade diskette with your APR, use the diskette to upgrade the BIOS on your computer before attaching it to the APR. For instructions, see the documentation that came with the BIOS upgrade diskette.

NOTICE: Do not attempt to lift the computer while it is docked in the APR. Doing so will damage the docking connector. For instructions, refer to “Undockin g th e Computer,” found later in this guide.

APR I/O Connectors

The input/output (I/O) connectors on the back and side of the APR (see Figures 1-1 and 1-2) duplicate the primary connectors on the back and side of your computer.

Dell Inspiron Advanced Port Replicator User’s Guide 1-1

USB connectors (2)

mouse connector

parallel port connector

video connector

keyboard connector

serial port connector

NIC connector

AC adapter connector

Figure 1-1. I/O Connectors on the Back of the APR

Table 1-1 shows the icons for each of the connectors on the back of the APR and indicates the type of external device(s) that you can attach to each connector.

Table 1-1. External I/O Connectors

Connector Icon Connector Description

One or two USB devices, such as a USB mouse, can be connected to the dual USB connectors.

An external PS/2-style keyboard or external numeric keypad can be connected to the keyboard connector.

An external PS/2-compatible mouse can be connected to the PS/2 mouse connector.

A serial device, such as a serial mouse or external modem, can be connected to the serial port connector.

A network interface cable can be connected to the NIC connector.

A parallel device, such as a printer, can be connected to the parallel port connector.

An external monitor can connected to the video connector.

The AC adapter that came with the APR can be connected to the AC adapter connector.

NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary in the system Help.

1-2 Dell Inspiron Advanced Port Replicator User’s Guide

The audio line-out connector is on the side of the APR (see Figure 1-2).

audio line-out connector

Figure 1-2. Audio Line-Out Connector

APR Controls and Indicators

The controls and indicators on the APR are shown in Figure 1-3.

locked

unlocked position

eject position

drive access indicator

power indicator

power button

undock request button

eject/locking lever

position

Figure 1-3. Controls and Indicators

padlock slot

security lock slot

docking indicator

Dell Inspiron Advanced Port Replicator User’s Guide 1-3

Connecting External Devices to the APR

To attach external devices to the APR, perform the following steps:

1. Refer to Figure 1-1 to attach external devices to the appropriate connectors on the back of the APR.

NOTE: If the cable connector from the external device has thumbscrews, be sure to tighten them to ensure a proper connection.

For detailed information on using external devices with your computer, see “Connecting External Devices” in the system Help.

2. Connect the external devices to an electrical outlet, if applicable.

Connecting the Computer to the APR

You must attach an AC adapter to the APR before you dock and turn on the computer. The AC adapter powers the APR and the computer at the same time. Any battery installed in the computer charges while you use the APR.

NOTICE: Always use the Dell AC adapter that came with the APR. (Look for model number PA-6 on the bottom of the AC adapter.) If you use any other commercially available AC adapter—or the AC adapter from earlier models of Dell computers—you may damage the APR or the computer.

Before you initially connect your computer to the APR, the operating system must complete its setup process. To verify that the operating system has completed the setup process, perform the following steps:

1. Be sure that the computer is not docked in the APR.

2. Turn on the computer.

3. Verify that your computer’s operating system completes the setup process. For instructions, refer to the Setup Guide that accompanied your computer.

4. Turn off the computer.

You can now connect your computer to the APR as described in the following subsection, “Docking the Computer.”

1-4 Dell Inspiron Advanced Port Replicator User’s Guide

Docking the Computer

To connect (or dock) your computer to the APR, perform the following steps:

1. Verify that the operating system has completed the setup process. For instructions, refer to the Setup Guide that accompanied your computer.

2. Save and close all open files, exit all open application programs, and shut down the computer.

3. If you have not already done so, connect the AC adapter to the connector on the APR (see Figure 1-1), and plug the AC power cable into an electrical outlet.

4. Horizontally center the computer on the APR platform, with the back of the computer facing the APR’s docking connector, as shown in Figure 1-4.

5. Slide the computer toward the connector until you feel the grooves on the bottom of the computer engage with the alignment rails.

NOTICE: If you attempt to push the computer all the way into the APR without engaging the alignment rails, you may irreparably damage the docking conne ctor on the computer.

NOTE: If you have a monitor stand installed, you will not be able to see the alignment rails or the docking connector.

6. Gently push the computer forward until the docking connector is fully engaged.

docking connector

Figure 1-4. Docking the Computer

Dell Inspiron Advanced Port Replicator User’s Guide 1-5

alignment rails (2)

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