Earlier, I talked about my travails trying to get my hands on the elusive Surface Pro 4 to Surface Pro 3 docking station spacer. Anyone that has attempted to acquire one knows what an incredible waste of time it has been trying to track them down. Microsoft promised they’d be available for free in physical stores, but almost 2 months after the Surface Pro 4 launch, even sales associates inside the Microsoft stores nationwide have no clue exactly what these add-ons are.
Thanks to community diligence and feedback, we know now that these can be ordered from the Surface Online Service Center (as long as you have your Surface Pro 4 registered there). But, also – again thanks to our active and communicative community – there’s at least one more option. (Thanks to Toddard for the tip!)
You can print your own!
Seriously. Microsoft has supplied the instructions and files to 3D print your own Surface Pro 4 to Surface Pro 3 docking station spacer (or, adapter, as Microsoft references it).
The full description:
With the introduction of the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, a new Surface Dock is now available and the current Surface Pro 3 Docking Station will be discontinued as the new Surface Dock is also compatible with Surface Pro 3. If you decide that you don’t want to purchase the new Surface Dock, but instead use your existing Surface Pro 3 Docking Station with your new Surface Pro 4 (which has changed dimensions), we have made available an adapter that attaches to your Surface Pro 3 Docking Station so your Surface Pro 4 can snugly hold your new Surface Pro 4. You can get this adapter at no charge (plus shipping and handling) through Microsoft’s Customer Support or through your commercial reseller. However, if you don’t want to wait for this to be shipped to you or you want to avoid the shipping and handling, you can print out your own adapter with a 3D printer. See downloads page for instructions and schematics. Please note that the quality of the 3D printing will depend on the printer used to make these and your 3D printer must be able to accommodate a build volume of 10.3mm x 100.8mm x 285.4 mm. The Surface Pro 3 Docking Station Adapter schematics is available in two different file formats, .STP and .STL. Please choose the format best suited for your 3D printer. Please note that these instructions are for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Go here to get it: Instructions to create your own 3D printed Surface Pro 3 Docking Station Adapter
For those that don’t have access to a 3D printer, you have to wonder if someone at a Microsoft store can download this and print it for you. Or, maybe that’s what they’re getting ready to do to finally fill demand.
