Caldigit TS3 4k Issue

[Trey M]

Hi all,

I received my CalDigit TS3 yesterday. Everything was great at first but one issue has come up. I've found the monitor displays as expected, 4K @ 60Hz, whenever I plug the CalDigit into my MBP (via a DisplayPort > DisplayPort connection to my monitor). The issue comes into play when waking my device from sleep. For reference, I have an LG 4K 27UD69P monitor.

When waking my device from sleep when everything remains plugged into the CalDigit, one of two things happens:

- The device fails to successfully wake the display whatsoever, freezing my MacBook for a short amount of time and the monitor will continue to fluctuate between a black screen and Power Saving mode

- The device successfully wakes my monitor, however the resolution is way off (1920x1080 @ 30Hz), with no option to change it back via the Display menu to the correct resolution. The only way to get it to display correctly again is to unplug/plug the TB3 cord back in.


Has anyone had similar issues using their CalDigit unit (or another TB3 dock, for that matter)? After some research I definitely feel the issue is in regards to using DisplayPort 1.2, as this issue disappears when I connect my monitor via the Thunderbolt 3 port on the Caldigit unit (USB-C to DisplayPort cable). This is not an option for me however as I have other plans for that TB3 port on the CalDigit. I'm also wondering what success I will have using a DisplayPort > HDMI adapter, and then running an HDMI >HDMI cable to my monitor. However, even if that works I feel disappointed as the whole purpose of this device is to get away from using dongles altogether.

I'm also thinking I will try a different DisplayPort cable, but I don't expect positive results since this is the cable included with my monitor and I know it supports DisplayPort 1.2. I'm considering just ordering the Elgato unit as well to see if it exhibits the same behavior.

 

[Trey M]

Update on this in case anyone else experiences the same or a similar issue:

I got a new DisplayPort cable which has been vetted for this device and tested it with the CalDigit, with no success. So I decided to order the Elgato unit and try that out.

The Elgato unit worked first try, I'm able to wake/sleep the monitor with no issues. I decided to return the CalDigit and keep the Elgato, since they are basically the same product. The CalDigit does have dual eSATA which is nice but I personally don't have any eSATA equipment so it's not much of a loss for me.

So, recommending the Elgato for anyone who's planning to run a 4k monitor via DisplayPort. I can't imagine this issue would be specific to my LG monitor, though not sure how widespread of an issue it is.

Elgato also just seems to be a larger more reputable brand, so there's that which matters for things like post purchase support. I emailed CalDigit support with all the specifics and they told me they tested it on their LG 5k monitor and it didn't have issues so they didn't know what to tell me. You can only connect a 5k monitor thru TB3 so clearly their "test" was not a useful one.

 

[Mobster1983]

Interesting to hear. I purchased the same monitor last week (it’s great) and just bought the TS3 as well. Will have to see if I have the same issue. Haven’t seen anything about it. Surprised Caldigit did not work with you to resolve the issue.

 

[Cougarcat]

My 4K is fine, though I’m using the Thunderbolt port with it (USB C to DisplayPort cable.)

The only issue is that with PowerNap I’ll get notifications on the screen, then the monitor will go back to sleep. It’s strange, but it’s almost a feature. The entire screen doesn’t come on, just the notification.

 

[Trey M]

My 4K is fine, though I’m using the Thunderbolt port with it (USB C to DisplayPort cable.)

The only issue is that with PowerNap I’ll get notifications on the screen, then the monitor will go back to sleep. It’s strange, but it’s almost a feature. The entire screen doesn’t come on, just the notification.

Yeah, I could get the 4K display to work with no issues with the USB-C to DisplayPort cable, however the Caldigit device is (supposedly) spec'd to handle a 4K display via the DisplayPort port on the Caldigit device. I could not get this to work after trying many cables that should have remedied the issue.

I'd imagine this Caldigit issue would affect some monitors and not others. However, I've ended up using my new Elgato device with 2 external monitors; 1 4K and the other is a standard 24" widescreen configured vertically. I liked the idea of having the 4K hooked up via DisplayPort to DisplayPort with no adapters or special cables required. This allows me to use the Thunderbolt 3 port whenever I need to plug a USB-C drive or similar into the device (without losing my main, 4K monitor in the process). The setup is awesome and I haven't had ANY issues whatsoever. Even when using VM's.

Maybe the only complaint is that Mac OS doesn't handle wake-from-sleep very elegantly when connected to a Thunderbolt 3 dock. The process is a bit delayed. However, it's a nitpick as everything still functions once it finally wakes and not something that takes away from the awesomeness of plugging in 1 cable to power your entire setup.

 

[Mobster1983]

Wow. Just wow. So I have been using an HDMI with my new monitor and it was decent. My Caldigit dock came in today and what a difference! Plugged in the displayport cable directly into the dock, and the dock to my 15" MBP and the display is so much better now. Don't know why, since HDMI should be the same. The mouse is much smoother as well for some reason.

Woke my MBP from sleep and did not have the issue you described. Took just a couple seconds, vs almost instant without the dock, but no big deal. You probably need to contact Caldigit for a replacement dock.

 

[Cougarcat]

Wow. Just wow. So I have been using an HDMI with my new monitor and it was decent. My Caldigit dock came in today and what a difference! Plugged in the displayport cable directly into the dock, and the dock to my 15" MBP and the display is so much better now. Don't know why, since HDMI should be the same. The mouse is much smoother as well for some reason.

Woke my MBP from sleep and did not have the issue you described. Took just a couple seconds, vs almost instant without the dock, but no big deal. You probably need to contact Caldigit for a replacement dock.

Sounds like the HDMI was limiting it to 30hz.

 

[tebruno99]

I have the same issue with the LG 27ud58-b. Though its not just Caldigit TS3. I have to power cycle the monitor to get it to ever come on with the Caldigit (Power ON or Sleep Wake doesn't matter). It is hit and miss without the Caldigit.

I've been able to get reliable monitor on, display activated, and wake from sleep by using usb-c to display port cable ONLY on the LEFT side of the 2017 Mac Book Pro 15"

 

[carestudio]

I have the same issue with the LG 27ud58-b. Though its not just Caldigit TS3. I have to power cycle the monitor to get it to ever come on with the Caldigit (Power ON or Sleep Wake doesn't matter). It is hit and miss without the Caldigit.

I've been able to get reliable monitor on, display activated, and wake from sleep by using usb-c to display port cable ONLY on the LEFT side of the 2017 Mac Book Pro 15"

Have you contacted caldigit support? mine works perfectly with both Dell and LG 4K60 monitors, no issues found when waking up from sleep or power cycling. Much better than the TB3 docks sold by other brands.

 

[weasel79]

I have the same exact issue with my TS3 and a LG 32ud99. late 2016 MBP, connecting via DP. Using caldigit & LD cables. I do get a LG popup sometimes about using the right certified cables.

Gonna try re-connecting on the MBP left side usb-c ports from now on see if that helps, cause right now i basically have to power cycle the monitor every time i wanna wake/connect it...

 

[chrfr]

Kind of a necro thread revival, but I just got an LG 24UD58-B and it's connected to my 13" 2018 MacBook Pro running 10.14.5 through a Caldigit TS3+ via DisplayPort. If the display goes to sleep, I too am having the display drop down to 30Hz. I have to turn the display off and back on to get the proper resolution options. I'll have to test with a USB-C to 4k/60Hz HDMI adapter tomorrow.
The display has an April 2019 manufacture date.

 

[Deadlid]

Sorry to necro this thread again!

I'm having fun and games with this dock (ts3 plus) and dual 4k (2x LG 27uk850) displays on a 16" macbook pro. One monitor is connected via displayport, the other by usb-c. The displayport monitor runs at 4k60, but the usb-c monitor stubbornly sticks to 4k30. If I remove the displayport and only run the usb-c monitor, it will run it a 4k60.

Weirdly it only happens when running in clam shell mode (lid closed). If I open the lid, so both monitors and the built in display is active, they all run at 60hz.

Weird. Wonder why closing the lid screws it up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Deadlid]

I got it working in the end using this guide https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251141301?answerId=252182866022#252182866022

You can manually force the display settings in the terminal, by using a small utility program called displayplacer from brew:

brew tap jakehilborn/jakehilborn && brew install displayplacer
displayplacer list

export $MONITOR_ID=<insert-monitor-id from output of previous command>
displayplacer "id:$MONITOR_ID res:2560x1440 hz:60 color_depth:8 scaling:on"

 

[Ubuntu]

I had a similar issue where my LG 4K monitor was no longer going beyond 1080p on both my work and personal MacBooks. I tried the tool above to no avail. What did work for me was to plug in the same HDMI cable & monitor into a different HDMI adapter, change the resolution and then plug it back into the TB3 dock again and it now works perfectly (I can still configure the resolution as I like).

This is super odd but maybe it'll help someone.