USB devices resetting randomly

Thunderbolt TBT4-UDZ
1

I am using the TBT4-UDZ with a 16" MacBook Pro M1, 16 GB RAM, running Ventura 13.1. Periodically when using the device, everything connected via USB will reset - external DAC, mouse, keyboard - everything turns off for a few seconds, then turns back on. I have tried connecting only a minimal set of devices and have tried rebooting, using different ports, and powering the dock on/off. None of that seems to help. Sometimes the reset happens after 10 minutes, sometimes it’s OK for up to an hour. Any ideas would be appreciated - I love the dock when it’s working!!

2

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Plugable support! I’d be more than happy to assist you with this frustrating USB issue.

To get started I have just a few questions:

  1. Can you confirm you’re still connecting the dock using our provided Thunderbolt 4 cable?

  2. When this issue happens does the attached display also lose connectivity? (or perhaps you’re not using an external display(s) at this time?)

  3. Do you notice when this happens if the system is under a heavy workload, or does that not seem to matter? Or, are there any apps which may seem like they cause this to occur more?

  4. Finally, do you notice if the system continues charging from the dock when this happens? Or does the charging also momentarily stop?

Next, I would suggest we get some diagnostic info from the system if possible so that I can look for anything that may stand out from a software perspective.

If able, please plug the dock with your various devices attached to it into your computer, then:

  1. Navigate to the Apple Menu › About This Mac
  2. From the window that appears, click on the ‘More Info…’ button
  3. The ‘System Settings’ application will open. On the left-hand side of the application, the ‘General’ option will appear selected by default. The ‘About’ information section will appear on the right-hand side of the application
  4. Scroll down within the ‘About’ section until you reach the bottom
  5. Click on the ‘System Report…’ button. The ‘System Information’ application will open
  6. From within the ‘System Information’ application’s menu bar, click on File › Save… to save the information to a file
  7. Email the saved file back to us as an attachment to support@plugable.com and please mention ticket 399247 in the subject line (do not post the file here!)

I can then reach back out with any suggestions.

Thanks again for contacting Plugable support and best wishes!

Joshua Henry
Senior Engineer | Product Owner
Plugable Technologies

3

Joshua,

Thanks for the quick reply! To answer your questions:

  1. Yes, I am using the Thunderbolt 4 cable that came with the dock.
  2. No, the display and network appear to stay connected, and it seems as though the laptop continues to charge. USB seems to be the only thing affected.
  3. Doesn’t seem to matter. During my testing yesterday, I had only the DAC, keyboard, and mouse hooked directly to the dock, and it happened when I was doing nothing more than playing a YouTube video in Edge.
  4. Yes, it does seem to continue charging as far as I can tell. The blips are fairly brief, but I think the Mac will put itself to sleep when the lid is closed if AC power is interrupted, and the machine doesn’t seem to try to sleep when the USB devices do their thing.

I will generate a System Report for you this evening and send it per the instructions provided. Thanks again!

1 Like
4

I sent the System Report last night. A couple of other data points:

  • The TBT4-UDZ does not exhibit the same USB issues when I use my work-issued Intel-based MacBook Pro with it. I do have issues with the Intel laptop locking up and rebooting 30-40% of the time when I plug in the dock for the first time. At other times, the machine doesn’t lock up, but the display doesn’t work until I unplug the power on the dock and plug it back in. The lockups and display issues don’t happen on my M1, only the weird USB behavior.
  • I swapped out the TBT4-UDZ with a Plugable TBT3-UDZ and so far have had no problems with either machine. The Intel Mac doesn’t lock up, the display works the first time every time. My personal M1 Mac does not have the USB issues with this dock - everything seems to be working without any issue. If we can’t find a solution for the Thunderbolt 4 dock, I’ll just keep this one!
5

Thanks for the additional information, the system report, and the news of testing the other system! Very interesting results with the news of the TBT3-UDZ working as expected for both.

I’m going over the system report now and will reply again via email with any suggestions how to proceed.

Thank you again!
Josh

6

This topic was automatically closed 20 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.