UD-3900 Exceeded Power Supply Limits of the USB Hub

I have the Plugable UD-3900 device. After I upgraded to Windows 10, I haven’t been able to get it to work. I keep receiving an error message stating the UBS device has exceeded the power supply limits of the USB hub. Has anyone experienced this issue?

Hi Brian,

Thanks for posting. I’d be happy to help with your docking station!

I’m assuming based on your description that the dock is in fact connected to a USB hub (please correct me if I am wrong). I’m also going to assume that the dock never worked at all once you upgraded to Windows 10. Assuming I have the details correct, we’ll want to perform a clean install of the latest DIsplayLink driver for the dock for Windows 10 and connect the dock directly to the system (taking the hub out of the equation) to see if the behavior is different. Please follow these steps:

  1. Disconnect the docking station from your system.
  2. Download, extract and run the DisplayLink cleaner software –> http://www.displaylink.com/downloads/… to remove the drivers from the system.
  3. Run Windows Update (Start > Settings > Update & security). Reboot when prompted. Repeat this process until there are no new updates found. If no new Updates are found, please reboot the system regardless.
  4. Install the DisplayLink drivers from this link –> http://www.displaylink.com/downloads/…. Connect your dock directly to the system (no hub) when prompted during the installation.
  5. Reboot after the installation completes, and if all goes well, things should be working as expected once you’re back in Windows.

Hopefully that gets everything working properly. Please let us know the results when you have a moment and we can determine the next steps from there.

Thank you,

Bob
Plugable Technologies
www.plugable.com/support

Thanks for the reply Bob.

Correct, the dock was connected to a USB hub. Also, you are right that it never worked with Windows 10. However, I also tried to connect the dock to my work laptop with WIndows 7, but was also having trouble. So, I’m not confident it is just an issue with Windows 10. (I received a new work laptop a few months ago and hadn’t tried it yet on this one, but it worked fine on my last one.)

I attempted to run the DisplayLink cleaner software, but was unsuccessful. I would get to where the prompt says to press ENTER to get the program to run, but it never would. I manually uninstalled the DisplayLink software via the “Uninstall or Change a Program” tab and rebooted my computer. When I tried installing the drivers in step 4, I would get to where it asks me me to connect the dock for “first connect”, but I would get the same original error message, that the USB Device has exceeded the power limits of the USB hub.

This was the same for both computers. Let me know what else you think I should try or if there’s anything I should do different based on that description of what I tried.

Thanks,
Brian

Hi Brian,

Thanks for getting back with the update. Most unusual the DisplayLink Cleaner wouldn’t complete successfully, I’ve never had an instance where it didn’t work, the one exception being when the utility wasn’t run as a user with administrative permission on the system.

Just to be clear, when you tried connecting the dock again and received the error message you were connected it directly to the system? (having removed the hub from the equation)

If you hadn’t removed the hub, can you try repeating the process without it to see if the behavior is any different?

Thank you,

Bob

I can try again tonight to run the DisplayLink Cleaner… There shouldn’t be an issue with admin right on either laptop, but certainly not on my personal laptop.

The error message refers to the USB ports as “hubs”, but there is no piece of hardware external to the laptop itself, if that is what you mean. Unless it is referring to the dock itself as a hub?

Hi Brian,

If I understood your original reply correctly, the docking station was being connected to a separate USB hub between the system and docking station. Upon re-testing I would recommend removing that variable if possible.

Thank you,

Bob

No, I tried to explain it in my last reply, but the textual context Windows provides for the particular error I am getting says “hub”, but it is referring to the USB port built into the laptop. I have never had the dock plugged into anything but the laptop itself.

That being said, I’m the dummy as I tried to use a longer cord connecting the dock to the computer than the short one that came with it, but it apparently couldn’t handle the data transfer. I swapped cords and it works now. Thanks for talking through it with me.

For bonus points, everything seems to work except for my second monitor. I have the built in laptop display and an hdmi monitor connected to the dock which works. But I have a monitor connected using a DVI plug into the port and a VGA plug into the monitor which I can’t get to work. Before the Windows 10 upgrade this exact configuration worked fine. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks again,
Brian

Hi Brian,

Thanks for getting back with the update. I’m glad swapping the USB cable back with the one included in the box has things progressing.

In regard to the issue with the second monitor, it is exceedingly rare for one output of the dock to fail, so my first suggestion would be to make sure the proper input is selected on the monitor (sorry if you have already checked but just like to make sure) and swap out the VGA cable with another to rule out a potential faulty cable. I know you mentioned it worked before and this would make for quite coincidence but I find it best to try the simple things first.

Thanks,

Bob

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately. I’m still having trouble getting it to work. I’ve tried another cable, but that didn’t seem to fix it. Unless you know of something to try I can just mess with it since that is at least less critical than the other items plugged into the dock.

Hi Brian,

Thanks for getting back. You may have already checked this, but just to make sure have you checked that the proper input is selected on the monitor itself? I’ve seen some instances where the auto-detect doesn’t work properly…

Thank you,

Bob