I have obtained a Dell TB16 dock for use with my Framework Laptop 16. After some experimentation, it appears to only work on a USB C port expansion installed in the left rear slot. But, I’m getting some strange behaviour. The cable should be reversible, right? But, if I plug it in one way, it connects and my external monitor and keyboard and other devices work as expected – but the laptop doesn’t charge. If I pull it out, rotate the connector 180° and plug it back in, now it charges – but it doesn’t connect as a device. This is problematic. What is the explanation? Is there a way to fix this?
Which Linux distro are you using? Ubuntu
Which release version? 24.04
Which kernel are you using? 6.8.0.51-generic #52-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC
Which BIOS version are you using? 03.03 (03/27/2024)
Which Framework Laptop 16 model are you using? AMD Ryzen™ 7840HS w/ Radeon 780M Graphics
The left rear slot – being USB4 – never worked stable for me, and I learned to use the middle slot. While I’m using a different dock, maybe it works for you as well.
HTH
In my case, it seems to be the only one that does work. I initially tried the middle slot and it wouldn’t recognize the connection for data or for charging. Then I looked at the documentation and saw that only the rear ones support USB 4, and, well, Thunderbolt is USB 4, right?
I have found a not-ideal workaround. The dock has a USB C type port with a lightning bolt icon next to it. The specs say it’s a Thunderbolt 3 port. In any case, if I run a wire from that to another USB C expansion card on my Framework 16, it’ll charge from it. This means I have to connect two wires from the dock, using up two ports on the laptop, and the laptop has to have two USB C expansion cards installed. One of them does devices but doesn’t charge, and the other one charges. But at least it’s functional. Theoretically, doesn’t this mean I’m connecting devices twice at the same time? But, the keyboard I’m using is plugged into the dock and it isn’t having issues, so… shrug?
Probably depends on the Thunderbolt version. According to IntelThunderbolt™ 4 is not the same as USB-C, although [v]arious USB standards, including USB 3.2 and USB4, also use the USB-C connector type, and these cables and ports are cross-compatible with Thunderbolt™ 4 (not saying anything about host or client ports). But to be honest I’m a little lost within all the different versions…
For the records: I’m using the ICY BOX IB-DK2880-C41, USB4.
