Dell TB16 Thunderbolt dock with DL-165 adapter

[drgracr]

I have a Dell Lattitude 5580 connected to a TB16 dock. I'm trying to connect an older DVI monitor to the dock with the DL-165 adapter. In the device manager I get the error "This device cannot start. (Code 10)". If I connect the adapter directly to the laptop it will work correctly. I have downloaded the most current driver.

My previous setup was a Lattitude E6540 with the E-port dock, and the DL-165 adapter worked correctly when connected to the dock.

Any suggestions?

[qp6019352]

Originally Posted by drgracr

I'm trying to connect an older DVI monitor to the dock with the DL-165 adapter.

Why would you use a proprietary adapter for this which even requires proprietary software (DisplayLink)?

The TB16 has a HDMI, a DisplayPort and a Mini DisplayPort output. All of these can be connected to a DVI-D monitor with a simple passive adapter or adapter cable, i.e. HDMI/DisplayPort/Mini DisplayPort plug on one side, DVI-D plug on the other side.

See for example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014I8UL8U
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014RWWOAA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJCB83O

Such adapters are very cheap and will give you a native digital connection without having to rely on a DisplayLink adapter.

So, as long as you still have a HDMI/DisplayPort/Mini DisplayPort output free on the TB16, there's no need for DisplayLink.

[AlbanRampon]

The TB16 is using proprietary hardware and software... TB stands for Thunderbolt which requires an Intel Thunderbolt controller in the host. There's not many non-proprietary active graphics adapters in electronics.
He already has the adapter. I don't see why you're suggesting he spends more money without looking into the problem first.

OP,
I would need to see the logs to understand why the driver doesn't start properly.
Maybe you are using Windows 10 Anniversary Update, maybe there's something else.
The last link in my forum signature explains how to gather logs. You can post the zip here as only employees can download them.

Kind regards,
Alban

[qp6019352]

Originally Posted by AlbanRampon

The TB16 is using proprietary hardware and software... TB stands for Thunderbolt which requires an Intel Thunderbolt controller in the host. There's not many non-proprietary active graphics adapters in electronics.

Wrong. Thunderbolt 3 uses DisplayPort Alternate Mode via USB-C, i.e. native DisplayPort.

This does not require any additional software other than the native graphics driver.

Besides, it also works on Linux, which can not necessarily be said about DisplayLink in all cicrumstances.

Also, the adapters being mentioned are simply passive adapters to simply convert the HDMI/DisplayPort/Mini DisplayPort plug on the dock side to a DVI-D plug on the monitor side.

Originally Posted by AlbanRampon

He already has the adapter. I don't see why you're suggesting he spends more money without looking into the problem first.

Because DisplayLink does not offer native graphics performance any only sends a compressed image, whereas native DisplayPort offers the full graphics performance and uncompressed frames, i.e. it's simply better.

[AlbanRampon]

If you don't believe me, maybe you will believe third party reviews
https://www.digitaltrends.com/comput...nds-on-review/
" We also took issue with the TB16’s need for software support. The dock leans heavily on Dell’s drivers and software to handle its myriad outputs, [...] "

Extract from Endadget article from May 2017:
https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/24/...thunderbolt-3/
"Your system needs a separate (read: expensive) chip to handle the ultra-fast connector, and Intel hasn't made the specification available to other companies."

There are many mores available if you do look.

VESA has added compression to DisplayPort. They call it Display Stream Compression (DSC).

But it is still not what the OP asked and Code 10 is not on Linux.

[qp6019352]

Originally Posted by AlbanRampon

" We also took issue with the TB16’s need for software support. The dock leans heavily on Dell’s drivers and software to handle its myriad outputs, [...] "

Sorry, but apart from some MS Windows audio/USB/Ethernet drivers, Dell does not offer any drivers for the TB16, see: http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/...k-tb16/drivers

Originally Posted by AlbanRampon

"Your system needs a separate (read: expensive) chip to handle the ultra-fast connector, and Intel hasn't made the specification available to other companies."

No longer correct, see: https://www.techradar.com/news/intel...o-every-laptop

Originally Posted by AlbanRampon

VESA has added compression to DisplayPort. They call it Display Stream Compression (DSC).

DSC does not introduce framerate issues or mouse cursor lag though. Besides:

Originally Posted by AlbanRampon

VESA has added compression to DisplayPort. They call it Display Stream Compression (DSC).

They have added it to DisplayPort 1.4: https://www.vesa.org/news/vesa-updat...splay-content/

But Thunderbolt 3 uses DisplayPort 1.2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#...specifications

Also, just because DP 1.4 supports DSC, it does not have to mean it's automatically enabled all the time.

Originally Posted by AlbanRampon

There are many mores available if you do look.

It's not necessary to look anywhere to realize that USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode combined with USB Power Delivery (which is what is also being used by Thunderbolt 3) provides a superior docking solution compared to what DisplayLink products offer.

But you could partially change this by fixing:

https://github.com/DisplayLink/evdi/issues/25

Will you?