That’s why I asked - because the supplied charger provides nowhere near enough power for that dock if all of the peripherals are drawing the maximum. (I would say that that dock is designed for a laptop.) And you would need to be using the charger’s USB-C output.
Of course your actual power draw in the configuration shown (mouse, keyboard, HDMI, ethernet, Librem 5) will be well below the maximum for that dock.
The L5 was charging, albeit slowly. I suppose the upper 45W USB-C port would be preferable for this application (something else to try, but I need to find a long USB-C cable now…)
I have just bought the Digitus 7-port Docking Station and tried it with my NexDock 360. Charging works through the USB-C port, but not the DisplayPort. Specs says I need DisplayPort Alternate Mode and USB Power Delivery to use the full features of this docking station.
The L5 supports DP-Alt Mode according to the wiki, so what could be the problem here?
In my experience the NexDock 360 is very picky about the signal. I couldn’t get it to show a picture with e.g. my Pinephone which works using a dock perfectly. For my L5 (connected through a Baseus usb-c) I exchanged the common (cheap) hdmi cable running from the dock to the N360s HDMI micro by a Lindey cable to get it working reliably. This problem also didn’t show when connected to an external display.
Did you try a different display than the N360s?
I tried today a ThinkPad docking station for notebooks with Librem 5.
The keyboard, the mouse and the charging work.
But I don’t get any signal to the monitor.
I have connected the monitor to the docking station via HDMI. Any ideas on what could I try? Or do you think that it would simply not work.
I do not know for sure but suppose it might be the truth, even with the any other Linux distribution. Especially if output there, from lsusb, confirming: ID 17ef:1010 Lenovo Lenovo ThinkPad Dock, good and clever solution for your Librem 5 might easily be to just give up on using 17ef:1010 device for the intended purpose:
“and complies with USB-C™ 3.1 (Gen 1) specifications.” Therefore you and @janvlug should, please, follow kind advice from @ChriChri (use HDMI cable and HDMI ports on your N360/DA-70882 combo):
As pictured: https://forums.puri.sm/uploads/default/original/2X/0/007cd4e58c4aebf312c9e1293734a71efd46053f.jpeg
P.S. In addition, recommended power supply would hit 100% if used one from this category: https://www.shop-fsp.de/FSP065-A1BR3-with-connector-type-USB-C-5/9/15/20-VDC-65-W, but original Librem 5 power supply should negotiate PD toward DA-70882 docking station that I’m not familiar with, yet my advice is intended to be in general anyway, direction on how to connect things/achieve …, and in respect toward above useful, kindly shared solution.
This is exactly what I am using, an HDMI cable. I also tried (for answering here) a cable that I have with at one end and HMDI, and at the other end a Display Port connector. Using this cable with the Digitus DA-70882 did not make the display work.
I use the DA-70882 both with the original L5 USB cable and charger and a USB (I guess power only) thin cable with a USB power outlet integrated in a power extension cord. With both setups the L5 charges. Note however, if the L5 is very empty (like that it shut down because of lack of power), it cannot be charged any more via the DA-70882 docking station. It has to be connected directly to the USB cable until it has some charge (I do not exactly how much, but the L5 should stay awake when disconnected from the USB cable). After that I can continue charging on the DA-70882.
Although this post is more than a year old i just wanted to add my experience with the same HP G5 Dock. I tested it with my Librem 5 like a year ago and like in your case it is not working. I opend the shell on the Librem 5 and had a look at the output of dmesg and it said something like the dock is providing too much power.
USB-C female to USB-C male FPC, with E-Marker-IC (T2 one), might change power/data/video negotiation there (when connected to Librem 5 and not to pass-through charge HP laptop, as made for)? Just one of my current thoughts, no compatibility guarantee (from my side) that this will work with the 5TW10AA dock (related to its HDMI2.0/USB3.0 ports).
Second option to be tried there is using original Librem 5 USB-C male to USB-C male cable with PD adapter with quite same specifications like this USB3.2 Gen2 one (couldn’t find at this moment USB4.0 one, but you might decide to search for such adapter with built-in E-marker chip).
To conclude and based on above idea/approach, suggesting to actually find and test there CAC-1528 adapter set (as third option, hopefully safe, flat one is probably the main one).
P.S. All above based on the fact that HP USB-C Dock G5 working with 19.5V DC (4.5×3.0mm) input only.
Thanks for feedback. I have tried connecting the Librem 5 instead of the HP Notebook to the HP G5 Dock with a USB C Cable which is solded to the HP G5 PCB, no way to use another cable. The HP G5 Dock is power with the HP Power Supply.
I have then tried the Baseus Dock shown by @Kyle_Rankin (https://puri.sm/posts/my-first-week-of-librem-5-convergence/) but the Librem 5 does not fit in the dock, it is too thick. Don’t know how @Kyle_Rankin managed to do so, neither do i understand why it is listed as a compatible accessory (https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Tested%20Accessories).
I do need something that works out of the box. The HP G5 does not work and I will sell my Baseus Dock and have a look at the compatibility list of already tested docks.
I have the Digitus variant of this dock. The Librem 5 does “fit” when applying some force. This is very against how I like to handle connectors of devices, but I use this dock every day (to charge mainly).
See for more info the “update 2” part of this blog.
As linked (and explained):
Besaus GN16A? Or just be the first one to test (read: contribute) another hub from Besaus.
Thanks for feedback but don’t want to apply force. Have done once, was really hard to do and I hardly could get it connected in a stable way. Will see if there are other docks out there.
@ThatsIt, you might rather just slightly wait and once available buy Club 3D CSV-1599: https://www.club-3d.com/en/quick-view/2614/. Big compatibility advantage would be that this hub with HDMI supports USB4™ specification, therefore I do hope and expect it will work out-of-the-box with Librem 5.
Thanks for the information, will bookmark it. I don’t mind waiting, the Club 3D is really interesting but I would like to have a Stand like the Baseus. Or maybe i have to built my own stand using a hub and a USB C Cable.
Yes, DIY. Just as short idea of mine; even when Librem 5 charging and not to interrupt this or some other process/connection, I would like to be able to pickup my phone (when blue LED light blinking, for example) from any phone stand with one hand, quickly. Therefore and just as my current thought, this folding phone stand looks as practical one in both standard and low position. Might buy (as not aluminum forging expert) this or another robust, quite smaller, phone stand with similar approach soon.
just found a 50 cm USB-C extension that worked PROPER in any respect: Video, Charging, key and mouse, ethernet and so on:
0.50m Equip USB Kabel 3.2 C → C Verl. St/St 0.50m 5A sw
as displayed by a vendor here:
https://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/0-50m-Equip-USB-Kabel-3-2-C-gt--C-Verl--St-St-0-50m-5A-sw_1504386.html
I did not find limitations posed by using this extension. That does not mean there aren’t any.
And tremendously cheap! Good things still happen.
deleted by request.
