Thunderbolt 4 dock / adapter to USB-C Display passthrough 3.2 Gen 2 + Power Delivery (12V+)

Idea Station
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I am struggling to find an active bidirectional dock or adapter that can convert Thunderbolt 4 connection into a USB-C Display pass though port that includes power delivery 5V/9V/12V/15V/20V modes.

It is to support a PSVR2 which is a display that is entirely powered by a single cable.

I bought a Dell Thunderbolt 4 dock. It has a USB-C Display Port but it does NOT include 12V Power Delivery mode so does not power on.

I am looking for a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port that supports the following features…

  • Display Port output (alternative mode 1.4) over USB Type-C
  • Power Delivery 3.0 minimum 12V 15-36 watt output (each USB-C port)
  • 10GB bidirectional data (USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds)
  • High Bit Rate 3
  • High Definition Content Protection 2.2
  • Display Stream Compression 1.1
  • 10 Bit Depth High Dynamic Range (4K) 60/90/120Hz
  • 2 x Video/Audio lanes
  • 2 x Data lanes (minimum USB 3.2 Gen 2)

Most docks have a Display Port, Mini-Display Port or USB-C Display Output (in most cases “without” power delivery).

This kind of dock would also support any type of Secondary Display Device that combines all requirements (data, display [audio, video], power) in a single cable.

Use Cases

  • Tablets with Bidirectional Inputs (e.g. Wacom Cintiq Pro 16)
  • USB-C Mobile Monitor with Touch Screen (e.g. Lenovo ThinkVision series)
  • Augmented Reality / Spatial Glasses (e.g. Xreal Air/Huawei Glasses)
  • VR (e.g. PSVR2)

I am not looking for a fancy dock that can charge a Laptop and so many connectors. It just needs to have USB-C ports at the front with at least one USB-C Display Port that supports power delivery modes.

Alternatives
A simpler version than a dock would be an active adapter that simply adds the additional power delivery the device needs.

I can imagine two possible simpler versions of the dock as an active adapter…

  • Thunderbolt 4 active adapter to USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 Display Passthrough with minimum 12V power delivery by external adapter (DC IN).

  • USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 Display Passthrough active adapter with minimum 12V power delivery by external adapter (DC IN).

This would essentially be similar to the capabilities of the Virtual Link standard but instead would be using existing standards that continue to be supported and developed today.

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Hello @qbits,

Thank you for posting on the Startech.com community!

Unfortunately we do not have any Thunderbolt 4 docks that have a USB-C output that supports the features you are looking for. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you for providing the great details of the type of dock you are looking for and will pass this idea along to our teams!

Lukas T

1 Like
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Thank you, I have updated my idea to include additional use cases for spatial wearables and USB-C mobile monitors with touch screen inputs.

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This is another concept I’ve suggested for a Thunderbolt to USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 Display passthrough adapter including bidirectional data and power delivery. It would have a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port.

This would resolve the issue where the device is not Thunderbolt capable but relies on 10 gbps data, display passthrough (1.4 alternative mode) and power requirements through a single cable.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/1cf67jv/idea_for_thunderbolt_to_usbc_32_gen_2_active/

This adapter would be used for single cable devices that require all the following…

  • display (audio + video)
  • data (bidirectional inputs)
  • power delivery (5V/9V/12V/15V/20V) - 27 Watt or more