The problem: I am completely unable to connect my Huion Kamvas Pro 16 tablet to my Framework 13. By all means, it should be compatible, but it simply will not work. It is unable to detect the tablet as a display. I am using the correct expansion card slot for the HDMI and USB-A cables as indicated in the compatibility diagram in the knowledgebase. I can confirm that the cables and tablet are not the problem as they work with other devices. The Framework is the only one having any trouble. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? I have been tearing through Reddit and the Framework forums for hours at this point with no luck whatsoever. I’m at a loss.
Things I have already tried:
Restarting multiple times
Unplugging and re-plugging all cables multiple times
Updating all drivers
Updating Windows
Updating BIOS
Uninstalling and reinstalling all drivers, Framework driver kit included
Using different port configurations
Manually detecting the display in Windows settings
Disabling and re-enabling graphics driver
No results. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Your issue may have to do with how the tablet is seen as a display device from the Framework hardware. The 3-way cable setup they show on their website is curious as it shows 12V 1A power, USBA and HDMI all going to a single USBC connection on the tablet. If the power is not isolated from the 12V adapter to the display only then this could cause issues with the USBA connection.
Though you describe the display is not showing up on the Framework laptop which says the HDMI is not getting a clear signal as to what video should be displayed on the HDMI output from the Framework. It is a 1080p native display, though it could be asking for timings that are non-typical.
My inclination is that the issue exists with the chipset and communication on the AMD mainboards from Framework. This likely could be solved with a firmware update; however the root cause would need to be found out and external tablets are probably low on the priority list for bug reports. If it works on other computers then it is something to do with the configuration and communication of the ports on the Framework Laptop. Curiously enough, most of these issues are always on AMD boards and not the Intel ones.
On the Huion website it states it is compatible with Ubuntu; so I wonder if it would come up using a LIVE USB of Ubuntu then it would tell you whether it is an operating system (Windows) issue. Without being able to debug the information being passed when the device is plugged in, this would be hard to narrow down what the cause(s) are preventing it from working.
As a side test, you might verify that your HDMI expansion card is working with another monitor or TV to rule that out. Someone recently had an issue with their expansion card (though this is pretty uncommon).
The best suggestion would be to contact support though it will be challenging as this is not just an external display and may not be from a company many have heard of (maybe it is more common in the art world).
If you have a known USBC hub that fully works with your Framework; you could try plugging the tablet through that and maybe the isolation from being directly connected will allow it to “talk” correctly between the two devices.
This is an excellent suggestion. What this would show is that it is a driver problem and not a firmware (BIOS) problem. If it works on Ubuntu that is what it means.
Which that information you could approach Huion and ask them if they have an updated driver that better supports your AMD chipset.