Dell Precision 7530 / TB18DC display issues

The TB18DC is pretty terrible. Mine keeps disconnecting peripherals every 3-4 minutes for no reason.  Definitely keep contacting Dell until they replace it... 

Same here!  My Precision 7530 system is constantly doing the 1 second hiccups; when I'm using a keyboard through the TB18DC dock, it will either drop the text I'm typing or repeat the same character about 30 times, dropping any other characters I typed during the "hiccup".  I had the same problem with a Latitude 5591 and TB16 dock, but that system had to go back because of other issues.  I have an open ticket with Dell.

I experienced "weird behavior" when I jostled the TB3 cable. In reading the TB18DC User Guide (horrors, read a UG?), I found the following...

Symptom - When system or dock is moved the cable LED turns off.
Suggested solutions - Avoid moving the system/dock when the docking cable is connected to the system.

??? Not exactly the scenario being described, but "close enough"?

It's a very unsatisfying response, but it seems the cable/connection is uber-sensitive to motion?

User Guide @ https://cdn.cnetcontent.com/syndication/mediaserverredirect/5d91c87eeb3bc05210d4266ffa4672cf/original.pdf

Hey laddkkal,

Have you had any luck with your ticket regarding the 1 second mouse/keyboard hiccups?

I just setup my TB18DC with Precision 7530 and am experiencing the same thing. VERY annoying!

For those experiencing keyboard/mouse issues with the TB18DC, there is a firmware update that "makes it less bad", but not 100%. The problem is, you won't find it by checking for driver/utility updates for your laptop. A second-tier Dell tech-rep walked me through the process to update the TB18DC's firmware, and I posted the process here...

https://www.dell.com/community/Precision-Mobile-Workstations/TB18DC-Driver-Update-Not-Easy-to-Find-so-here-it-is/m-p/6210686#M884

Dell is "still looking into" the issue, which seems to be how the USB channel is handled, so I'd keep watching for additional updates using the procedures in the link I provided.

Hi fooooooooooooooooooo,

Thanks for following up.

Unfortunately, that firmware update utility is over 2 months old.  It's the first thing I installed when I got the dock.  I still have the 1-second USB mouse/keyboard hiccups.

Also, the MiniDP doesn't work.  The full-size DP and HDMI work fine, but not the MiniDP for some reason.  I have tried multiple monitors and multiple cables, same result.  So that's great.

Regarding the USB mouse/keyboard "hiccups", I found a temporary solution in another thread on superuser.com

Since changing the following two settings in the BIOS, I have no longer had "hiccups".

However, I consider this a temporarily solution because you shouldn't have to lose these features in order for your USB mouse/keyboard to function properly.

In the BIOS:

System Configuration > USB Powershare > Disable USB Powershare

Performance > C-States Control > Disable C-States

https://superuser.com/questions/1368226/tb18dc-connectivity-problems

---

@Podaman wrote:

Regarding the USB mouse/keyboard "hiccups", I found a temporary solution in another thread on superuser.com

Since changing the following two settings in the BIOS, I have no longer had "hiccups".

However, I consider this a temporarily solution because you shouldn't have to lose these features in order for your USB mouse/keyboard to function properly.

In the BIOS:

System Configuration > USB Powershare > Disable USB Powershare

Performance > C-States Control > Disable C-States

https://superuser.com/questions/1368226/tb18dc-connectivity-problems

---

I did the same thing, now it works better. But I still need to often unplug-replug the mouse+keyboard to work again after a resume from sleep. Annoying that the USB Powershare doesn't work anymore.

What do we lose with the C-States disable?

Mine does the same thing. And I'm on my replacement unit. 

I had to return the dock due to these problems.  Hiccups, wild fan speed, etc. 

Think I've traced the problem back to having ANYTHING plugged into the either of the USB-C ports.  I'm currently using a 4-port standard USB hub since the 2 USB ports on the side aren't even close to enough.  Everything works just fine.  However, I tried an Anker USB-C 4-port hub and everything went screwy again.

So it has something to do with the USB-C driver, bios, etc.  I don't understand that stuff but it's really irritating when my brand-new, $3,500 laptop has only two usable accessory ports and I can't use multiple displays. 

Does the Lemon Law apply to computers?  If not for this problem, I'd rate the Precision 7530 a 5 out of 5.

It's not much consolation that so many others are having similar issues to the ones I've been having with my 7730 + TB18DC.  I've had it with the dock!  I've posted about it at https://www.dell.com/community/Precision-Mobile-Workstations/Precision-7530-USB-Issue-TB18DC/td-p/7281728.

Hey Dell, are you listening?  This doesn't sound like a vocal minority of people having issues with the TB18DC.  It sounds like more than that. 

I have a brand new 7730 with TB18DC for several months. Already replaced the docking once because of  unexpected disconnections. The new one started to make the same problems. I noticed that the cable connector next to the docking is suprsingly hot. I guess it's because docking powers the laptop. I was looking for an option to stop charging through the dock, but I did'n find one, so I plugged the laptop power adaptor with the hope to reduce the power consumption through the docking. Unfortunately the docking cable plug next to the box  is still hot and if I accidently touch it, docking disconnects from the laptop. Everything is updated to the latest releases.