Issues with monitor detection on Dell WD15 Dock - Display specs correctly reported but no video signal

[jackswood2324]

Having issues with monitor outputs from Dell WD15 USB C Docking station (Also known as K17A). I am Running a HP Envy X360 late 2019 (Ryzen 5 3rd Gen) with Displayport Over USB C.  1 in 20 tries one monitor is fully functional, however if dock disconnected and re-connected then the connection does not resume. The monitors (Acer KG271 and HP EliteDisplay E242) both display a "No Signal" Warning when the dock is connected and correct source selected. In most cases, my laptop completely freezes when i plug in the dock for around 2 mins, then resumes. Any key presses like start that are pressed while the laptop is frozen will be executed as soon as the laptop unfreezes. The monitors are frequently detected by both Windows 10 Pro for workstations and AMD Drivers, including reporting correct resolutions and refresh rates and windows behaves like they are there and displaying information but both displays continue to display "No signal error". Built in laptop display continues to work as normal. I have checked that running both displays does not exceed the bandwidth of the connection, and according th the WD15's spec sheet, both monitors running concurrently should not exceed the specified limits. The Laptop charges as normal on the dock. I am hoping to use the dock to complete work from home as my two external monitors are much more comfortable to use than the small 13 inch monitor built into the laptop. 

[Kisai]

1 minute ago, jackswood2324 said:

Having issues with monitor outputs from Dell WD15 USB C Docking station (Also known as K17A). I am Running a HP Envy X360 late 2019 (Ryzen 5 3rd Gen) with Displayport Over USB C.  1 in 20 tries one monitor is fully functional, however if dock disconnected and re-connected then the connection does not resume. 

 

I have a lot of experience with these docks.

1. The USB-C cord on these docks are a bit flakey. If it behaves differently when coiled/uncoiled, then the dock's cable might be slightly damaged.

2. You need the August 2019 Realtek Ethernet and Audio drivers installed to ensure that it doesn't randomly stop working. To ensure all ports work, also make sure "asmedia extensible host controller" type drivers are installed. You need both Realtek drivers installed to solve hotplugging issues.

3. The dock can be "rebooted" by unplugging the USB-C and the power brick from the dock, and this usually resolves problems.

4. Make sure the WD15 dock has the latest firmware, as this fixes some minor issues.

 

The maximum capability of the WD15 is 2x1080p or 2x1200p, the Acer KG271 is 1080p, HP EliteDisplay E242 is 1920x1200. 

 

If you're seeing only one screen, make sure that both screens are turned on. The laptop should be capable of having both screens turned on while the laptop screen is on, maximum. If the monitors and the usb ports are not working simultanously, you will need to reboot the dock, then the laptop.

 

[jackswood2324]

I have now got all of the USB ports and Gigabit ethernet ports to detect correctly and have been able to copy files from a USB drive. The Display issue still persists after new Realtek driver installs. Would it be useful to boot into a clean windows 10 environment and see if the issue persists?

[AJMB]

I had the same problem. Turns out it's the cheap DisplayPort cable which has 20 pins instead of 19. A VESA compliant cable costs three times the price, so tried to pry the connector apart, this didn't work, so finally stuck 1mm of black electrician tape across the 20th pin, and voila! All works perfectly. See info here https://www.cablechick.com.au/blog/the-displayport-pin-20-issue-explained/