Having trouble with a TBT3-UDV connected to an Alienware 13 Inch R3 thunderbolt port, I’m using a Samsung display via DP. The display keeps loosing the signal for some seconds randomly every couple minutes, usb audio also affected from time to time.
Try using the active DP to HDMI adapter instead but only made it worse.
Any suggestions?
Hi David,
Thank you for posting, and I would be happy to help with your docking station!
Based on your description of the behavior, can you confirm that you are using only the Thunderbolt 3 cable we included in the box with the dock to connect it to your system? I ask because other cables can potentially cause similar problems.
Can you also let me know the specific model number of the Samsung display you are using? I would like to lookup its specifications online.
Thank you,
Bob
Plugable Technologies
www.plugable.com/support
Hi Bob
Thanks for the fast response, I am indeed using the cable provided with the product.
The display model number is LC32HG70QQNXZA.
I have determined that my problem with usb audio are the two lower usb ports on the back of the dock. This ports seem to disconnect randomly and I have to restart my computer in order to be recognized again.
Hi David,
Thank you for getting back with the confirmation and additional information about the monitor in use (a Samsung 32" CHG70 Gaming Monitor -> https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/…)
A quick note up front, the highest refresh rate officially supported by Intel over a Thunderbolt 3 connection (and as a result by our dock) is 60Hz. Looking at the monitor’s specifications it appears that it supports higher refresh rates such as 100/120/144Hz. We have had customer reports that higher refresh rates can sometimes work, but we cannot guarantee results when they are in use.
As a first step in regard to the video behavior, I would ask that you manually change the DisplayPort settings for the monitor to ‘DP 1.1’ to see if that changes the behavior. If you are unsure how to do this, Samsung calls this out specifically on page 40 in the monitor manual -> http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/con… I would also recommend manually setting the monitor’s refresh rate within Windows to 60Hz. If you are unsure how to do this, Samsung calls this out on page 46 of the manual.
In regard to the USB audio issue, please try connecting the USB audio device to the top-most USB 3.0 ports on the back of the dock to see if the behavior changes. This can sometimes help as there are two different USB 3.0 host controllers in the dock, the lower ports powered by an Asmedia controller and the upper two (and the one front port) are powered by a Fresco controller.
Thank you!
Bob
Hi,
I manually changed the settings of my display as you recommended, but the issue persist. The display is still blinking, it is less frequent though.
I also tried a different DP cable but no luck.
Thank you.
Hi David,
Thanks for getting back with the update. That the behavior changed (although was not resolved) as the result of changing the DP version setting and refresh rate is telling, as it may indicate a specific incompatibility with this particular model display.
I know you mentioned having tried connecting the Samsung display via an HDMI cable using the included DP to HDMI adapter and the behavior was worse. By any chance would you happen to have a different HDMI display available to test with, such a HDMI TV? I know that is a ‘big ask’, but testing in that manner will help us isolate the behavior further.
If another HDMI display is not available, looking on Samsung’s support site for your model (https://www.samsung.com/us/support/ow… ) I can see that Samsung has released updated firmware for your display. If you update the firmware, does that help with the behavior while connected via the DisplayPort connection?
Thank you,
Bob
Hi,
I am having what sounds like a very similar issue with my TBT3-UDV dock. I have it hooked up to a Dell XPS 13” 9350 laptop. I have two HP 24ES monitors. One connected using the included DisplayPort to HDMI adapter and the other using USB-C to HDMI (plugable brand) adapter which plugs into the doc.
I will be in the middle of using the system and all of a sudden both screens go black and you can hear the common windows sound when you disconnect a USB device. Then after a few seconds it comes back and USB devices are recognized again and the screens come on. However sometimes the screen will return and shake back and forth or be screwed off the screen.
The only way to fix it is to unplug the thunderbolt cable from the laptop and reconnect it again or reboot but this only lasts for a few minutes. It is essentially unusable . I have also tried running with a single monitor and have the same issue.
My laptop has the latest Bios for Pc and thunderbolt conteoller and the latest thunderbold drivers and I am using the cable that was supplied (which is pretty short I might add).
I have had the dock since March 28, 2018 and can return it until April 28, 2018. Hoping you can resolve this issue or else o will be returning it and going with the Dell dock… according to your site this laptop should be compatible.
On another note I connect my HP Elitebook x360 G2 and it only sees the monitor that is plugged into the DisplayPort. Not sure if it is a limitation of the HP thunderbolt but in my office I have a dual screen setup working with the HP USB-c dock with no issue.
Please help.
Hi Jason,
Thanks for adding to the conversation. Based on your description it sounds like you may be running into a different issue than David is reporting, so our next step is to get some additional information.
If you would, please keep the dock connected to your system with both monitors attached and send the output of our diagnostic utility PlugDebug –> http://plugable.com/support/plugdebug to support@plugable.com as this will allow us to examine some log files from your system to help determine the next steps. Please also include the link to this forum post so we can match the information together.
Please also include a screen shot (http://www.take-a-screenshot.org/) of the Thunderbolt 3 ‘Details’ information from your system by following the steps under the “How do I check which version of Thunderbolt 3 software and NVM firmware I am running in Windows?” from this link -> http://plugable.com/thunderbolt-3/sup…
Thank you!
Bob
P.S. Forgot to mention, in regard to the behavior of the dock with the HP system…given the identical setup works with two displays with the Dell XPS, that would indicate that the HP Elitebook is limited to one total display via a single Thunderbolt 3 connection (not all Thunderbolt 3 ports support two displays). The HP USB-C dock you mention has what is known as a DisplayPort MST hub inside that circumvents this limitation.
Hi Bob,
Sorry for the delay, I tried connecting the dock (TB3-UDV) to a BenQ GW2270H 21.5" Monitor. It didn’t show the same blinking black back and forward behavior as my Samsung display although I had some screen tearing like behavior after a few minutes every time.
As I was mentioning earlier the dock also kind of reboots from time to time, disconnecting everything and connecting it back except for the two lower USB ports in the back that use the Asmedia controller, for those ports to work again I have to reboot or disconnect the thunderbolt cable and connect it back again. !](https://d2r1vs3d9006ap.cloudfront.net/s3_images/1726547/IMG_0155_inline.JPG?1524555687)](https://d2r1vs3d9006ap.cloudfront.net/s3_images/1726547/IMG_0155.JPG?1524555687) !](https://d2r1vs3d9006ap.cloudfront.net/s3_images/1726548/IMG_0157_inline.JPG?1524555762)](https://d2r1vs3d9006ap.cloudfront.net/s3_images/1726548/IMG_0157.JPG?1524555762)
Hi David,
Thanks for getting back with the update, I appreciate you taking the time to test with another display. That the behavior changed (and the other unusual behavior you mention is present) but was not resolved may indicate a specific incompatibility with the Alienware model system you are using, however I cannot be sure. As a result, our next step is to get some additional information from your system.
If you would, please keep the dock connected to your system (it is okay to disconnect the monitor if the visual problems remain or are distracting) and send the output of our diagnostic utility PlugDebug –> http://plugable.com/support/plugdebug to support@plugable.com with “For Ticket 221667” in the subject line. This will allow us to match everything up and examine some log files from your system to help determine the next steps.
Please also include a screen shot (http://www.take-a-screenshot.org/) of the Thunderbolt 3 ‘Details’ information from your system by following the steps under the “How do I check which version of Thunderbolt 3 software and NVM firmware I am running in Windows?” from this link -> http://plugable.com/thunderbolt-3/sup…
Thank you!
Bob
P.S. For the benefit of anyone else following this thread, the issue that “Jason” encountered earlier was the result of the Dell XPS system’s internal Wi-Fi adapter causing interference. When Wi-Fi was disabled or the transmit power of the Wi-FI adapter lowered, the problem went away. I have written about this in detail for those who are curious here -> https://plugable.com/2016/06/30/inves…
Already sent, appreciate the attention.
Have a nice day.
