Dell XPS 13 9350 and TB16 dock problem

In order to update your Thunderbolt firmware you first need to be on the latest system BIOS and the latest Thunderbolt Windows software. If you've already done that, I still doubt the charging issue is related since even with a Thunderbolt dock, the power is negotiated via USB Power Delivery, which exists as part of the regular USB-C spec, but that could still indicate a problem with the system that might warrant a replacement motherboard.

Sorry, I don't know how I read XPS 15 when I now see it says XPS 13.  In that case your TB16 can be powered by either the 180W or 240W and it should be fine, and either one would provide the same amount of wattage as the "real" AC adapter included with the system, which means the battery should be charging regardless of load on the system.  One place you can check would be the BIOS setup > Battery Information page to confirm whether it's charging, maintaining, or discharging while connected to the dock.

This is definitely NOT a software issue, however, since power works independently of Thunderbolt traffic, nor should Thunderbolt firmware come into play.  However, make sure your system BIOS is current, since that actually does control the USB-C controller and some recently released BIOS updates for certain systems fixed an issue with USB devices attached via the TB16 intermittently disconnecting and reconnecting.

If you still can't charge your system properly, then it would be a problem either with the dock (including possibly its AC adapter) or the USB-C port on your motherboard.

(EDIT: The information below pertains to the XPS 15, not the XPS 13 like the OP is using. Apologies for the confusion.)

The TB16 is sold with two different wattage AC adapters: 180W and 240W.  The XPS 15 requires that the TB16 be powered by the 240W adapter in order to charge the system. Check the wattage on the AC adapter you're using with the TB16.

Hi,

I have a XPS 13 9350 which only requires a 180w. I have the 240w version TB16 so it should work.

Hi stefan416,

Thanks for posting.

Here is some information that may be helpful:

http://dell.to/2xDIMxg

Hi,

Ive gone through that page you provided before but nothing seems to apply. I have installed all the necessary drivers and firmware other than the Thunderbolt 3 NVM firmware which continues to fail installation. Im guessing thats the problem.

Thunderbolt software says I'm on NVM 8

Bios is 1.5.1 and the Thunderbolt controller driver is the latest 16.3.61.275. the Thunderbolt Just doesn't seem to want to install at all and continues to fail. What are my next steps?

It looks like the version on the downloads page in the chipset section is 16.  Has it been a while since you downloaded and installed any firmware?

Wow, I didn't even know any XPS 13 9350s shipped with firmware that early.  As Saltgrass says, the current level is 16 (which is itself not all that current, especially since 18 is required for certain third-party peripherals), but looking at support.dell.com, I don't see any older versions that you can try updating to incrementally.  At this point in your position of having a Thunderbolt controller whose firmware you can't update and a system not charging as it should be (did you ever check what the BIOS Battery Information page said about battery charge status and AC adapter wattage?), I'd probably be calling Dell for a motherboard replacement.

I was surprised its such an early version. Ive confirmed the dock isnt the problem as my brother has an XPS 15 that works and charges correctly. Ill have to check the Battery in the BIOS when Im home. I located an NVM15 update but it gives me a different "Unknown Error" Message instead of install failure. My device is also out of warranty as of Feb 2017.

As I understand it, Thunderbolt updates are initially developed by Intel and then pushed out to OEMs for customization based on specific systems, so an NVM update intended for another system model is unlikely to work on yours.  Sorry to hear your warranty is up if this turns out to be a hardware problem! :(

So my other thread has been locked. Im still trying to get my laptop to charge via the Thunderbolt connection with TB16. Dell support took me through a hardware diagnostic and everything checked out. Has no one else had this problem? Everything connects properly and it shows as plugged in and charging but it doesnt actually charge!!!!!!

Since I don't have a 9350, can you tell me where it says the system will charge using a USB C connection?

My XPS 9365 charges using the Thunderbolt port but the external power supply is set up to use that USB C port for charging.

So my other thread has been locked. Im still trying to get my laptop to charge via the Thunderbolt connection with TB16. Dell support took me through a hardware diagnostic and everything checked out. Has no one else had this problem? Everything connects properly and it shows as plugged in and charging but it doesnt actually charge!!!!!!