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Super Sticky Thread for USB-C Docks, Cables and Accessories [MERGED]

bartvk

bartvk

macrumors 6502
Dec 29, 2016
386
149
The Netherlands
lord patton said:
It would be with power delivery, meaning the dock takes from the power brick via USB-C, and passes it through to the computer.
Click to expand...
This Anker charger has 3 ports https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Devices-Including-ChromeBook-Aluminum/dp/B00XU6IMWY?tag=usbctoday-20
This dodocool charger has 4 ports https://www.amazon.com/dodocool-Adapter-Charging-MacBook-ChromeBook/dp/B01ALPQXGI

Both support USB-C Power Delivery.

Anker has a reasonable track record for their USB-C stuff. Dodocool has a reasonably tested USB-C phone charger, but I don't know whether that translates to their other products. Both products have a whole bunch of positive reviews related to the 12" MacBook but for USB-C stuff, you can't go by just Amazon reviews.

I'd go with the Anker if you can manage with three ports.
 
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MrX8503

macrumors 68020
Sep 19, 2010
2,293
1,615
Since this data isn't available in the spec sheet, I thought people might be intrested in this to make a more informed purchase.

The belkin F2CU040btBLK has a Realtek chipset. My old USB-A to ethernet Anker adapater has an ASIX chipset. I don't know which one is better and I don't know if the white Belkin ethernet adapter sold by Apple has a different chipset.

The thunderbolt 2 ethernet adapter sold by Apple has a broadcom chipset with Intel thunderbolt controller and ARM Cortex-M0 micro controller. It also has generous amounts of shielding. This is the best ethernet adapter available, it's a shame Apple didn't create a TB3 version.

Thanks to @repoman27
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter-teardown.1428004/
 
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A

anson42

macrumors 65816
Mar 13, 2014
1,068
985
Oakland, CA
Amigaman said:
How about this docking station from StarTech (Model: DKT30CHPD)? It supports USB Power Delivery 2.0.
Click to expand...
According to reviews, since the manufacturer's description is vague on that point, the power delivery to the computer is limited to 60W. If you're ok with that, definitely read the reviews for compatibility with the new MBPs. There certainly seems to be some positive ones. Personally, I'm curious where the USB-C, non-Thunderbolt, 80W+ PD hubs are. I don't mind that such a device will be larger than this StarTech model and be much less expensive (and less capable) than the Thunderbolt counterparts.
 
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carestudio

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2008
671
174
you need Thunderbolt 3 to do 80W+. Take a look at Caldigit or Belkin docks.
caldigit already shipped one of their Thunderbolt 3 docks. It's not 85W version, only 15W.
The 85W docks will be from caldigit as well as belkin. OWC one is 60W only.
 
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carestudio

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2008
671
174
bartvk said:
Maybe with the current crop of docks, yes. However, USB-C Power Delivery goes up to 100W (20V @ 5A).
Click to expand...
right. thunderbolt 3 seems to enable true one cable solution while usb-c will catch up on the power delivery soon.
by the way, bartvk, great site, very useful information on your site.keep up your great work
 
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Mike Boreham

macrumors 68040
Aug 10, 2006
3,904
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UK
Can someone please clarify the difference (if there is one) between "Power delivery or pass-through" and "Powered Hub" for USB-C hubs.

I have tried Hootoo, Anker and Minix USB-C hubs which connect to the wall power and charge my 2016 MacBook while providing USB-A ports. But do they also supply power to the USB-A ports? All three are flaky when used with two bus powered SSD drives attached and trying to transfer data between the two, even when connected to wall power. (They do everything else OK). I have been told in another thread this is because they don't supply enough power to the SSD drives.

OTOH, USB-C hubs like the CalDigit and OWC are much much larger and more expensive and according to this article (9/7 update near the bottom) have no problem with transferring data between two connected drives.

Clearly the tiny portable cheap Hootoo, Anker and Minix (and many others) are a very different animal from the big expensive OWC and Caldigit. Is this because the former are "Power passthrough" and the latter are "Powered Hubs"?

Thanks
 
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svendobbelaere

macrumors regular
Jul 27, 2012
114
55
Belgium
Day 2 of owning a 13" Touch Bar MacBook Pro.

So far, Apple's USB-C to lightning cable and Apple's USB-C to USB-A cable work fine on my 13" Touch Bar MacBook Pro. In All four of the ports.

Next steps are to use a powered USB-A hub with the USB-A cable, and to use the Apple USB-C to Thunderbolt 2 cable with our remaining Thunderbolt Display.

I also have an Anker charger with a single USB-C port and 4 USB-A ports. At the moment, it is powering the 13" MacBook Pro (battery is charged, power source power adapter), and charging 3 iPads (1 x Air, 2 x Air 2), and a Belkin keyboard case without any issues.

I haven't tested my ravpower external USB-C battery pack yet.
 
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BeatCrazy

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2011
5,106
4,461
Mike Boreham said:
Can someone please clarify the difference (if there is one) between "Power delivery or pass-through" and "Powered Hub" for USB-C hubs.

I have tried Hootoo, Anker and Minix USB-C hubs which connect to the wall power and charge my 2016 MacBook while providing USB-A ports. But do they also supply power to the USB-A ports? All three are flaky when used with two bus powered SSD drives attached and trying to transfer data between the two, even when connected to wall power. (They do everything else OK). I have been told in another thread this is because they don't supply enough power to the SSD drives.

OTOH, USB-C hubs like the CalDigit and OWC are much much larger and more expensive and according to this article (9/7 update near the bottom) have no problem with transferring data between two connected drives.

Clearly the tiny portable cheap Hootoo, Anker and Minix (and many others) are a very different animal from the big expensive OWC and Caldigit. Is this because the former are "Power passthrough" and the latter are "Powered Hubs"?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I use the Huawei MateDock USB-C Mulitport adapter. It has HDMI/VGA, Ethernet, dual USB-A (0.5A and 0.9A) and USB-C power pass through.
 
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EpsilonExordium

EpsilonExordium

macrumors member
Nov 28, 2008
80
7
Austin, TX
I have a new 15" Touchbar Macbook Pro and need to be able to connect to two Dell monitors (inputs: hdmi, displayport, vga)

Would this dock work for that purpose? It only has (1) minidisplayport output. Would I be able to connect a usb-c to displayport cable on one of the tb3 ports to connect the other display?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ting_owctb3dk13psg_13_port_thunderbolt_3.html

If this doesn't work - are there any other options? I really want a dock because as of right now I am using (2) Digital AV adapters from apple and my desk is a huge mess of cables.
 
pshifrin

pshifrin

macrumors 6502a
Mar 14, 2010
518
387
The OWC dock has been delayed again, into April and perhaps May.

Thank you again for your OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock pre-order. I appreciate your patience as we work towards shipping. After returning from Intel's latest Thunderbolt meeting in Taiwan, I can confirm we're now expecting mid-April delivery. Full disclosure, there is a slight possibility this date could slip into early May due to the ongoing certification process. I am personally engaged in this process and working hard towards April delivery.

No other Thunderbolt 3 Dock is going to come close in style, performance and flexibility. With a single 40Gb/s Type C cable it enables access to 13 high-performance ports in addition to power delivery to charge your laptop and connected devices. It's also the only Thunderbolt 3 Dock to support FireWire 800.

At OWC, we're used to under promising and over delivering. So not having this fantastic solution ready to deliver is as frustrating for me as it must be for you.

Again, I'm personally sorry for the delay and understand if you need to change or cancel your order at this time. We have been making the best solutions for Mac and more for over 25 years, and we're not a kickstarter type organization that takes your money on speculation. You can always cancel or change your order without restriction, and we never bill you until your order is ready to ship. In a few short weeks, once we begin shipping, you will be notified again, and of course, have the opportunity to make any final decision – prior to bill and ship.

We've got an amazing product in the Thunderbolt 3 Dock, and I can't wait for it to be in your hands.

Thank you

– OWC Larry
 
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tofagerl

tofagerl

macrumors 6502a
May 16, 2006
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428
Are any of the actually useful TB3 docks on time...? None are out yet, right?
 
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dyn

macrumors 68030
Aug 8, 2009
2,708
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.nl
I doubt that falls in the "useful" category since it doesn't charge the notebooks (if you are really really lucky it may trickle charge the 13" MBP). The older Thunderbolt 1 or 2 docks not only have the same kind of input/output but if you buy one plus the TB2-TB3 adapter, it's going to be even cheaper than the TS3 Lite.
 
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BeatCrazy

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2011
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dyn said:
I doubt that falls in the "useful" category since it doesn't charge the notebooks (if you are really really lucky it may trickle charge the 13" MBP). The older Thunderbolt 1 or 2 docks not only have the same kind of input/output but if you buy one plus the TB2-TB3 adapter, it's going to be even cheaper than the TS3 Lite.
Click to expand...

It's pretty useful, assuming you don't mind plugging in your original power cable. Two cord solution vs. one (your ideal).
 
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Cougarcat

macrumors 604
Sep 19, 2003
7,766
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dyn said:
I doubt that falls in the "useful" category since it doesn't charge the notebooks (if you are really really lucky it may trickle charge the 13" MBP). The older Thunderbolt 1 or 2 docks not only have the same kind of input/output but if you buy one plus the TB2-TB3 adapter, it's going to be even cheaper than the TS3 Lite.
Click to expand...

The 9to5Mac review said it trickle charges.

But, full charge or bust for me.
 
bartvk

bartvk

macrumors 6502
Dec 29, 2016
386
149
The Netherlands
Cougarcat said:
The 9to5Mac review said it trickle charges.
Click to expand...

If you hook up an external monitor to the dock, the discrete GPU kicks in and even idle, power usage sits around 25W. So it may trickle charge if you don't do that. But otherwise, separate power is necessary.

But, full charge or bust for me.
Click to expand...

Yeah I somewhat agree. I can make do with 45W during the day. So I wouldn't need the full 89W of the big stock Apple charger, but 60W is a minimum for a dock.
 
D

dyn

macrumors 68030
Aug 8, 2009
2,708
388
.nl
BeatCrazy said:
It's pretty useful, assuming you don't mind plugging in your original power cable. Two cord solution vs. one (your ideal).
Click to expand...
Yup and that's the debatable part. To some it is fine, to others it is annoying. Mind you, these docks have always been for those wanting to quickly connect all their peripherals with their notebooks. That's exactly what you get with the 1 cable solution (which is also even more universal than those old style docks where you have to click the notebook into).

Cougarcat said:
The 9to5Mac review said it trickle charges.
Click to expand...
They or CalDigit themselves included a warning that it can only trickle charge when there aren't devices connected to the dock that require a certain amount of power. You can't trickle charge something if there isn't any power left ;)
 
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BeatCrazy

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2011
5,106
4,461
tofagerl said:
No proper charging...
Click to expand...

Which will add $100+ to the price, when their ThunderBolt Station 3 comes out in a few months. I can certainly see the appeal of a single cord for everything, but some folks appreciate saving the $100 and using the cable/charger they already have. Which qualifies it as "useful", for many ;)
 
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