https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/ says power delivery through USB C and DC-IN jack. Does that mean it won’t be possible to just plug in a USB C display and charge on that while using it as a display?
Not an official answer, but the way I understand PD, that is exactly what it means. You can use an external monitor via USB C AND charge your Librem.
Right, and there are numerous type-C hubs out there which offer a type-C PD input and screen (e.g. HDMI) output, connecting to the laptop with a small type-C cable.
We kept the DC-in barrel connector to have an alternative power source in case you prefer to use just a tyoe-C to adapter that does not offer PD input or want to connect to a monitor which does not offer (enough) PD to supply the laptop.
Cheers
nicole
and as maybe an obscure sub-case of that … I have a rechargeable monitor … so it wants to draw the power in the other direction!
Everyone is different in what they are doing so having choices is good!
Ha! That’s an interesting device then
And it would take the charging current from the same type-C that drives the video? I ask because I have seen similar screens that then provide two type-C ports, one for signal and one for power supply.
That being said, I am not sure how good a PD source the Librem 14 will, it is mainly designed as a PD sink - and of course to drive small things like a type-C hub, so the output current may not be sufficient to power and charge the display.
Cheers
nicole
I believe so. When I have the possibility of testing that, I will let you know. Right now it is taking video via HDMI (has HDMI input in addition to the DisplayPort altmode over USB-C) and it is taking power via USB-C and it is sending back touch events via USB-C. Those are the only two ports on the monitor i.e. only one USB port.
I think so (in my case).
It is currently being charged by a lowly Raspberry Pi (and we all know what a juggle it is not to overdraw power in a Pi).
I suspect it is insufficient i.e. power consumption exceeds charging power and so the battery slowly drains. The charging simply forestalls the moment that the display goes flat i.e. lengthens the amount of time that the combination can be used for - which is many hours. (When the Pi is shut down, I leave the Pi powered on and then the battery will charge back up to 100%, ready for next time.)
I originally bought the monitor as a flexible device for testing video-out on my future Librem 5, and for some other ideas, but in the meantime Mrs kieran has grabbed it for her purposes.
I doubt that the monitor would fare any better with a Librem 5 than with a Pi, so it perhaps needs a powered USB-C hub of some sort in order to work non-stop - but that remains to be tested.
Correction: Before the Pi is shut down, I leave the Pi powered on but switch off the monitor and then the monitor’s battery will charge back up to 100%, ready for next time.
I can confirm that with a powered hub, the monitor’s battery can charge (very slowly) even when the monitor is on all the time (i.e. screensaver disabled). This is a USB 3.0 hub with normal (type A) connectors though, not type C. That is adequate for now because I am not using DisplayPort altmode, which as far as I know is not possible with a Pi.