Is it possible to turn power delivery on and off from the USB-C Triple Display Docking Station or the new Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station. In other words, when my laptop is “docked” or plugged in through usb-c, can I stop the laptop from receiving power but still use the docking station for my keyboard, monitor, etc? I understand both the USB-C Triple Display Docking Station and the new Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station both have 2 usb-c ports: Do both support laptop charging? If not, could I use the one that doesn’t support charging but still use it for the other devices (keyboard,mouse, monitor, etc.). I’m asking this because I want to maximize my laptop’s battery life and I have read that its ideal to maintain the charge between 40%-80% to do so. Thanks in advance.
Hello Viren,
Thank you for contacting Plugable support! I’d be more than happy to assist you.
No it is not possible to disable charging, though modern laptops and tablets really don’t suffer from their batteries degrading much like they used to several years ago. Most systems now have charge controllers that are intelligent enough to be able to maintain the battery life rather well even if the computer is plugged in 24/7. Though to be safe it wouldn’t hurt to drain the battery down every now and then.
Here is a video that actually demonstrates how laptop charging works with USB-C docks: https://youtu.be/8-ZlLYBjfhA
Please don’t hesitate to let us know of other questions.
Thanks again for contacting Plugable support and best wishes!
Joshua Henry
Plugable Technologies