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New Surface Dock on the block
Overview
I was intrigued by a new Amazon listing for a 3rd-party Surface Dock model 65001 that uses the proprietary Microsoft Surface Connect (aka Surflink) connector. Its sold by Gray Rabbit that also sells under the brand Onten and is manufactured by Fangweida (Thanks Kira for the tip!) Aside from an array of generic HDMI and USB adapters, Gray Rabbit/Onten also has different model of this Surface Dock that plugs in with a USB + miniDP connectors and works with Surface Pro4-Pro6.
I bought the SurfaceConnect version. Functionality is similar to the official Microsoft Dock 1. It comes with a 90W power supply where 30W is reserved for the dock/USB ports and up to 60W can be passed along to the Surface for charging. (Surface Book w/NVIDIA GPU owners should look elsewhere since you’ll get battery drain just like the MS Dock 1.)
Additional features compared to the Microsoft Dock 1:
USB-C port that can charge with PD at 10W (5V @ 2A) and run at USB 3.x 5Gb/s for data
SD card reader (UHS-1)
Quick charge 3.0 USB port
2x USB 2.0 ports
Missing features compared to the Microsoft Dock 1:
Only 2 full size USB 3.x ports (MS Dock has 4)
Surface Connector is not reversible. It will charge both ways, but USB and miniDP ports will only function when plugged in one way.
No documentation of FCC certification
Fit and finish of the Dock is good. The ports are aligned perfectly with the openings on the front and rear of the plastic chassis. The styling matches with the Surface lineup quite well especially the air vents that are the same shape and size as the Surface Pro air vents. While considerably smaller and lighter than the Microsoft Dock, it requires the bulky AC adapter to function so you probably won’t be transporting it. Speaking of the AC adapter, it is massive and comes with a detachable AC power cable and an integrated DC power cable terminating in a standard barrel jack.
To be clear, it is still a ways off from the quality feel of the Microsoft dock. But given the additional features and reduced price point of ~$110-120 compared to the MS Dock 1, it might be worth a shot. At this price point, USB-C docks with similar functionality are available so folks with newer Surface devices should consider those as well.
Unboxing and Physical Characteristics
My unit shipped in a plain box with just a barcode on the outside – no label indicating what it was.
Teardown
PCB Analysis
The PCB is stenciled with “OT-65001-V1.1 2020 05 13”. OT probably stands for the Onten brand. It appears to be 4-layer and densely populated. The SurfaceConnect cable terminates in bare wires which appear to be hand-soldered with plastic guides separating the solder pads. It looks like this could easily be swapped out for a nanopitch connector like the MS Dock 1 so hand soldering may be a cost savings choice.
The key components are:
Megachips STDP4320 DisplayPort 1.2a splitter
BoyaMicro BY25D40ASTIG FlashRAM
Realtek RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet
HQST H82409S Ethernet transformer array
A QFN-20 IC labelled AWRBUP likely a power management IC for the QC 3.0 charging port
The rear of the PCB shows that the miniDP, Ethernet, USB-C, and power connectors are through-hole mounted while everything else is surface mounted. The main +15V power rail from the DC jack all the way to the larger red wire on the cable is visible.
Component Topology
MS Surface Connect
Megachips STDP4320 DisplayPort 1.2a splitter
BoyaMicro BY25D40ASTIG FlashRAM
SG Micro SGM3002 programmable switch
mDP 1.2a port
SG Micro SGM3002 programmable switch
mDP 1.2a port
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