Why would Startech dock DK30CHHPD not work with Dell Vostro 5625 Laptop ?

Docks, Hubs, Display Adapters
1

Hello,

we recently purchased DK30CHHPDEU docks to work with our Dell Vostro 5625 (Win11pro) laptops but we have compatibility issues.

The dock devices (network, screens and charge) keep disappearing / reappearing every few seconds.

We tried 3 different docks on 3 different laptops with the same results.

Our laptops have latest Windows / Dell updates and work fine with other USB-C docks.

We can’t figure out why it does not work. Could someone help us with this ?

Regards.

2

Hello @Mathieu,

Thank you for your post!

Disconnection issues with three different DK30CHHPDEU on three different same-model Dell Vostro laptops sound very strange. I can definitely understand why you would be considering some sort of compatibility issue. Compatibility issues can be frustrating to narrow down but we will do our best to be thorough and try to get to the bottom of this issue.

There do not appear to be any outstanding compatibility issues with the DK30CHHPDEU that show up in my searches.

We can recommend some general troubleshooting steps to help isolate the disconnection issue. Since we do not have a full understanding of the scope of the issue I will go through a few lists of things to check to see if that will help you find a solution. If these do not help I will offer some contact information for you to contact us directly to help get up and running as quickly as possible.

Updates

  1. First, we can try some updates.

    Ensure that the latest drivers for the DK30CHHPDEU are installed from the StarTech.com website

Install for any updates from Windows Update.

  1. (Thank you for confirming this was done!)

Be sure that all updates from Dell support have been applied. BIOS or chipset updates can be helpful when there are instabilities.

  1. (Thank you for completing this too! It might be a good idea to circle back and check your BIOS or chipset versions against the Dell support page too, depending on how the updates were performed)

Connectivity

  1. Once you are confident that everything is up to date we can verify the connectivity.

    Ensure all connections are secure and snug

  2. The originally included power supply (20V 4.5A) will need to be connected to a reliable power source like a wall outlet or surge protector.
  3. The originally included USB-C cable should be connected from the USB-C port on the back of the DK30CHHPDEU beside the power supply to the USB-C port on the left side of the Dell Vostro.
  4. Verify the devices connected to the DK30CHHPDEU. Gather technical information on the devices connected to the dock and verify their connectivity and power requirements.

Troubleshooting

Now we can consider some troubleshooting to help us better understand the issues that are occurring.

Research

  1. We can investigate some more details about the issue.

    Consider the frequency of the issues. Check if there are other devices or software on these systems that are having similar symptoms that could be correlated.

  2. Take note of any errors or warnings that could give clues about the nature of the issue and research the issue for specific troubleshooting options if needed.
  3. If there are multiple devices connected to the DK30CHHPDEU test whether there is any change in behavior if some devices are disconnected.
  4. Check on the device manager to see if there are any errors or warnings. Research any specific errors to help find some specific troubleshooting options.

Isolation tests

  1. Let's try a few things to help us rule out particular variables

    Instead of connecting the DK30CHHPDEU to the USB-C port on the computer, try using a USB-C to USB A cable to connect it to a USB A port on the right or the left of the Dell Vostro.

  2. Try the DK30CHHPDEU on a different make and model of computer and observe the performance there.
  3. Check the make and model of the other USB-C docks. Check if the other docks use different drivers and compare drivers. In some cases, the drivers for USB-based video solutions may not participate well together on the same systems.

Next Steps

Again, compatibility issues are usually rare and can lead to some odd troubleshooting experiences, so if none of these suggestions get you closer to a resolution I would strongly recommend that you contact us directly for assistance on the phone or via live chat. https://www.startech.com/en-us/regional-list

  1. .

    Be ready with as much detail as you can. We normally ask for much more information to have a full understanding of the scope of the issue, for example:

    Total number of products

  2. When the products were purchased, and where
  3. The operating system and version
  4. The make and model of the computer and any other computers tested
  5. The make and model of the other devices connected, like monitors, USB devices, or other peripherals
  6. Details about the setup environment and what testing has already been performed

I hope that these suggestions help, please let us know if they do! Otherwise, my team will be happy to help with our 24-hour weekday support.

Sincerely,

David F

3

Hello @DavidF

  • and thank you for your answer.

    I verified each of the “Updates” and “Connectivity” steps you mentioned.

    We narrowed down the issue : it seems to happen only when the laptop is power delivered by the DK30CHHPDEU.

    If we also plug the 65W AC adapter from the Dell laptop, network and screen look okay and do not disconnect anymore.

    In laptop Bios :

    I have not found any setting related to USB-C power delivery

  • The AC adapter type reported is 65W when DK30CHHPDEU is plugged
  • The Dell Vostro 5625 is said to use USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DP/PowerDelivery)

    Here are the some information about the 65W Dell AC Adapter provided with the laptop :

    Output 19,5V - 3.34A 65W

We would really appreciate if you could help us understand what is wrong in our setup.

Regards.

4

Hello @MathieuO,

Thank you for replying with the results of your additional testing.

This does sound a bit more complex. You may still consider reaching out to our support team directly.

I do have one idea, however. After reviewing the specifications further and looking into the standards like Power Delivery 3.0, and other specifications, there is something that stands out to me. The documentation I reviewed for the Dell Vostro laptop did not list the Power Delivery standard.

Perhaps we can isolate power delivery issues further with a simple test. For this, allow the battery on one of the Dell laptops to drain. Once the power level is significantly lower, test it with the DK30CHHPDEU again to see if the disconnection issues persist. If it performs correctly with a low battery level, do the disconnections begin again when the laptop reaches full charge?

This test might help us isolate if the power delivery functions are not participating correctly between the docking station and the laptop. My team may be able to find out more based on these clues.

I would be interested to see the results of this test.

Thank you,

David F.

5

Thanks @DavidF, looks like you got something there.

I plugged the DK30CHHPDEU at 50% battery and it was working fine : devices available and laptop was charging

When I came back the laptop was at 90% charge and it was disconnecting once again.

Which documentation did you review about this laptop that did not mention the Power Delivery ?

The laptop spec page on Dell website indicates : 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C™ (DP/PowerDelivery)

It is strange that usb-c power is detected and can charge the laptop at low battery if it does not support Power Delivery, isn’t it ?

Thanks again for helping with this, looks like we’re getting close to understanding the issue here.

Regards.

6

Hello @Mathieu@MathieuO,

Thank you for trying out this test!

This is very odd, I cannot recall coming across this kind of power issue with a docking station. At least not recently.

The documentation I was referring to was the system specifications from the Dell support page (USB 3.2 Gen 2 port) and the DK30CHHPDEU technical specifications.

Since the Dell laptops function correctly at a lower charge seems to indicate some trouble with the Power Delivery functions. I suspect that the power delivery connection is resetting when switching charging modes.

We might want to try to narrow down any specifications or settings on the Dell to help us. Power Delivery with USB 3.2 Gen 2 should be Power Delivery 3.0 based on the specifications that I have reviewed, but I could not confirm this based on the documentation from Dell. Power Delivery 3.0 devices should not have this trouble. So it is unclear if this is on the dock, the laptop, a (very rare) compatibility between the two systems, or if something is going on at the operating system level.

To follow on with the operating system level troubleshooting, are these Dell laptops part of a domain or another security environment? Is the operating system on the Dell systems and OEM installation or from a deployed image?

Consider contacting Dell support for information on the power delivery functions for this laptop model.

I will ask my team if they have seen similar behavior with this dock, and I will follow up here. Let me know if you find more information or find different results.

Thank you,

David F

7

Hello @MathieuO,

After discussing this matter with my colleagues, there is one thing that came up that may be worth checking.

Do these systems have the Dell Power Manager installed and running?

If so, is there any change in performance if it is disabled? I reviewed the software very briefly but if this detail is helpful for you I will look into it more to be sure this information is available for our support team in the future.

Thank you,

David F

8

Hello @DavidF ,

I will ask Dell about Power Delivery 3.0 compatibility on the Vostro 5625

The laptops when deployed are members of our AD domain and use Dell built-in Win11pro OS

The laptops don’t have Dell Power Manager installed but i’ll give it a try and will update this thread.

Thank you once again for your insight.

9

Hello,

I tried installing Dell Power Manager on a laptop but it didn’t change anything and did not report any meaningful information.

We also connected this dock DK30CHHPDEU with another Dell Laptop model (which does not have power delivery) and it was stable.

So it definitely seems like some power delivery misunderstanding between the DK30CHHPDEU and the Dell Vostro 5625.

I’m still trying to reach Dell, the tech support I’ve had so far was not able to help, dropping the call as soon as I told that the dock wasn’t from Dell.

Regards.

10

Hello MatheiuO,

Thank you for testing the dock with a different computer and for testing with the Dell Power Manager.

I am sorry about the trouble finding out more about the power delivery capabilities. Based on the standards listed, each device should use Power Delivery 3.0. For now, I think it is safe to assume that the standards are correct.

After a bit more research, there are a couple more things that I think we can look into.

BIOS

  • The service manual from Dell's support materials for this system had some clues in the settings BIOS for this model. It may be worth checking if the following options are present on these Dells:

    System setup options

  • Advance menu
  • Battery Charge Configuration
  • Advanced Battery Charge Configuration

If these options are in the BIOS, I suggest testing with the Battery Charge Configuration set to “Primarily AC Use.” Other settings in the Battery Charge Configuration and Advanced Battery Charge Configuration menus may be worth testing.

Domain and Operating System

  1. Based on your last post, we may consider troubleshooting the domain or operating system. Here are a couple of things to try depending on your scope.

    Since you are running an Active Directory domain that may have security or group policies, consider testing the DK30CHHPDEU on a Dell Vostro 5625 that has never been deployed. This may help isolate any policies that could affect hardware or power.

  2. I would not normally expect issues in this Windows 11 installation since it is the OEM installation provided by Dell. However, it may be worth trying the Windows 11 image from Microsoft. This could help us rule out trouble related to drivers or software.

Next Steps

I recommend contacting us for free live support if the issues persist. I have created a case CAS-06656 for you that references this thread to help my team get up to speed quickly. Just reference that number when calling.

If any of the steps above are helpful, please let us know!

David F.

11

Hello @DavidF

I tried various Battery Charge settings without success. On trick though would be to use “personal settings” and set “stop charge” at 60% or something. It works though it’s only a workaround.

Issue is the same with a brand new unboxed laptop.

Note that I got the message once that the current power source was not enough for normal use when DK30CHHPDEU was powering the laptop. Don’t know wether it’s relevant or not.

Thank you for opening this support case for me. I’ll call support once I’ll get some answers from Dell.

You have been really helpful David, thanks a lot !

12

Hello @MathieuO,

I am glad that I could help so far.

Thank you for trying with the unboxed laptop. This goes a long way to ensure the issue is isolated from any software or operating system changes.

If Dell provides information that helps to resolve this, I would appreciate hearing back from you here too!

David F

13

Hello @MathieuO,

It has been a week since we last corresponded here, and I am curious if you have any updates or if you have been able to reach out to my team.

Thank you,

David F

14

Hello @DavidF ,

I’m afraid I have no update yet since I was waiting for an answer from Dell.

For now users are plugging the AC adapter in addition to the dock to avoid issues.

I will go ahead and open a case with you support team.

Regards