M2 MacBook Pro Frequent Kernel Panics Connected to OWC TB Dock

[Makisupa Policeman]

Specs:
14” MBP M2 Pro 10CPU 16GPU 16GB Ram 1TB SSD
Running Ventura 13.6.3
Connected to a OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock via TB4

I’m getting kernel panics when connected to the dock, especially it seems if more than a couple peripherals are attached at once. I can maybe post logs if that’s helpful.

Just wondering if anyone else out there has experienced these kinds of issues? This only seems to be happening when I’m connected to it so I’m pretty certain there’s an issue with the connectivity somewhere (not sure if it’s the hardware on the dock or software/hardware on the Mac). This also never seems to happen with the other computer in the house (M1 MBA).

 

[lcubed]

what hardware is connected to the dock?

 

[MRxROBOT]

Specs:
14” MBP M2 Pro 10CPU 16GPU 16GB Ram 1TB SSD
Running Ventura 13.6.3
Connected to a OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock via TB4

I’m getting kernel panics when connected to the dock, especially it seems if more than a couple peripherals are attached at once. I can maybe post logs if that’s helpful.

Just wondering if anyone else out there has experienced these kinds of issues? This only seems to be happening when I’m connected to it so I’m pretty certain there’s an issue with the connectivity somewhere (not sure if it’s the hardware on the dock or software/hardware on the Mac). This also never seems to happen with the other computer in the house (M1 MBA).

I've had the same issues with an Anker TB3 dock, it did not happen when I swapped it with a Belkin TB3 dock. No issues with an Anker, Caldigit, or Kensington TB4 Hubs. I don't have a solution other than I stopped using that dock and havn't had an issue since. Hopefully somebody has a fix for you, as I wasn't able to find one.

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

what hardware is connected to the dock?

4 SSDs, various storage capacity for storage and backups. Crucial and Oyen Digital brands. Also I recently attempted to connect a 5th HDD bc it hadn’t spun up in a while and that’s when the last panic happened. Could it be a case of just too many devices connected?

 

[MRxROBOT]

4 SSDs, various storage capacity for storage and backups. Crucial and Oyen Digital brands. Also I recently attempted to connect a 5th HDD bc it hadn’t spun up in a while and that’s when the last panic happened. Could it be a case of just too many devices connected?

Too many devices shouldn't be an issue. You should be able to use every port without it going haywire. My Kensington SD5700T has never missed a beat and I have a device connected to each of the 11 ports. The USB A ports deliver 7.5w, which is more than enough for SSDs, and the USB C / TB4 ports delivers twice that. However, external HDDs usually need their own power supply. What model HDD are you connecting?

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

Too many devices shouldn't be an issue. You should be able to use every port without it going haywire. My Kensington SD5700T has never missed a beat and I have a device connected to each of the 11 ports. The USB A ports deliver 7.5w, which is more than enough for SSDs, and the USB C / TB4 ports delivers twice that. However, external HDDs usually need their own power supply. What model HDD are you connecting?

It’s a Seagate BarraCuda with its own docking station so it has a separate power supply.

 

[MRxROBOT]

It’s a Seagate BarraCuda with its own docking station so it has a separate power supply.

Is it only happening when you plug the HDD in or does it happen even when the HDD is not plugged in?

 

[ctone]

Yes, me too. I have a MacBook Pro M1 Pro 32GB RAM. I had near constant kernel panics / unexpected restarts when using the OWC Thunderbolt dock. Now using a Belkin TB dock and still get kernel panics fairly consistently when in clamshell mode and switching the connected monitor to a different input or possibly when it goes to sleep. I've taken to just leaving the laptop's lid open which seems to prevent the kernel panics 100%. I also have an M1 Max 16" MacBook Pro 64GB RAM that was having similar issues, and I had to test a bunch of different combinations of the two TB docks and various external monitor connections until I got them both fairly stable. I have completely erased both computers, reinstalled firmware and OS, etc. which did not help these issues. I do have a lot of peripherals connected, all ports are being used on both the computer and dock, and several different items daisy chained via Thunderbolt.

Using the OWC TB dock with a M1 Ultra Mac Studio, I never had kernel panics on that computer, so it seems to be related to a laptop using external monitor and possibly clamshell mode.

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

Is it only happening when you plug the HDD in or does it happen even when the HDD is not plugged in?

It happened without it also

 

[MRxROBOT]

It happened without it also

Seems similar to the issue I was having with my Anker TB3 dock. Never did get to the bottom of it. Cut my losses and moved on. Hopefully somebody has more insight then me.