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CalDigit TS4 + LG Ultrafine 4K locked to 30hz

R

rickeames

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 12, 2008
391
71
I am finding that when I plug my LG 4K Ultrafine into the TS4, and then to the MBP 14, I'm getting no ability to change the refresh rate at all. It defaults to 30, and will not show me the popup for refresh rate, even if I do the option-click trick in the display panel. If I plug the monitor into the Mac itself, I get it, back to TS4, it's gone. I've tried different cables and different ports -- all the same.

TS4:

PastedGraphic-1.png


Directly into the Mac:

PastedGraphic-2.png


Anyone seen this and has anyone fixed it?

Thanks!
 
Which LG UltraFine 4K display do you have? The new one that can use Thunderbolt or the old one which was 4096x2304 and did not use Thunderbolt?

Is the TS4 connecting as Thunderbolt or USB-C? Check the Thunderbolt and USB and PCI tabs of System Information.app.
 
joevt said:
Which LG UltraFine 4K display do you have? The new one that can use Thunderbolt or the old one which was 4096x2304 and did not use Thunderbolt?

Is the TS4 connecting as Thunderbolt or USB-C? Check the Thunderbolt and USB and PCI tabs of System Information.app.
Click to expand...

It's the 22MD4KA-B, which I believe is thunderbolt 3 is apparently USB_C. The weird part is that when plugged into the Mac, I get "No device connected" on the port it's connected to. It doesn't show up at all in USB. But it works plugged into that thunderbolt port, it shows up in Displays and it lets me set the refresh rate. As soon as I plug it into the TS4, that option disappears and it just goes to 30hz.

Why isn't this thing showing up as USB in System Report. It's neither USB nor Thunderbolt. It just "is."
 
Last edited:
Update: the TS4 can't handle the LG 4K Ulltrafine over USB-C. To get it to work, I had to get a DisplayPort to USB-C cable and hook it up that way. Two things then happen:

1. brightness controls disappear for the LG (solved via a utility)
2. LG 4K will NOT wake up from sleep. Both monitors will go to sleep (but not the computer) and when I tap the keyboard to wake them up, the Studio display comes on just fine, but the LG does not. I have to physically unplug it and replug it back in to make it work.

So, I did a lot of searching and this "display won't wake up" problem seems to be an issue with M1 Macs and external displays and doesn't seem to have a solution. I'm going to try plugging the LG direct into the Mac (killing my 1 cable solution) and see if the wake/sleep problem goes away.
 
rickeames said:
Update: the TS4 can't handle the LG 4K Ulltrafine over USB-C. To get it to work, I had to get a DisplayPort to USB-C cable and hook it up that way. Two things then happen:

1. brightness controls disappear for the LG (solved via a utility)
2. LG 4K will NOT wake up from sleep. Both monitors will go to sleep (but not the computer) and when I tap the keyboard to wake them up, the Studio display comes on just fine, but the LG does not. I have to physically unplug it and replug it back in to make it work.

So, I did a lot of searching and this "display won't wake up" problem seems to be an issue with M1 Macs and external displays and doesn't seem to have a solution. I'm going to try plugging the LG direct into the Mac (killing my 1 cable solution) and see if the wake/sleep problem goes away.
Click to expand...
If you haven't already done so, download the LG Screen Manager from the Mac App Store and make sure that there are no firmware updates outstanding for your particular display.
 
rickeames said:
Update: the TS4 can't handle the LG 4K Ulltrafine over USB-C. To get it to work, I had to get a DisplayPort to USB-C cable and hook it up that way. Two things then happen:

1. brightness controls disappear for the LG (solved via a utility)
2. LG 4K will NOT wake up from sleep. Both monitors will go to sleep (but not the computer) and when I tap the keyboard to wake them up, the Studio display comes on just fine, but the LG does not. I have to physically unplug it and replug it back in to make it work.

So, I did a lot of searching and this "display won't wake up" problem seems to be an issue with M1 Macs and external displays and doesn't seem to have a solution. I'm going to try plugging the LG direct into the Mac (killing my 1 cable solution) and see if the wake/sleep problem goes away.
Click to expand...
The LG UltraFine 4K should have its USB devices appear in the USB tab of System Information.app.
The CalDigit TS4 should appear in the Thunderbolt tab of System Information.app and also in the USB tab. It's Ethernet controller should appear in the PCI tab.
Maybe you can provide screenshots of those three tabs or run this command:
Code: 
system_profiler SPUSBDataType SPThunderboltDataType SPPCIDataType

Do you have an Intel Mac that you can connect the TS4 + LG to? Then you can use AllRez or AGDCDiagnose to verify that the cable is connecting with 4 lanes of DisplayPort. 30Hz should only be a limit if the cable is only working with tow lanes of DisplayPort. Did you try a different USB-C cable between the LG and the TS4?

For your DisplayPort cable solution, you could try a Belkin Charge and Sync cable or a Wacom Link Plus to enable the USB functions of the display (including brightness control, audio, camera, USB 2.0 ports...).
 
chrfr said:
If you haven't already done so, download the LG Screen Manager from the Mac App Store and make sure that there are no firmware updates outstanding for your particular display.
Click to expand...
Yeah -- it's up to date according to the app.
 
joevt said:
The LG UltraFine 4K should have its USB devices appear in the USB tab of System Information.app.
The CalDigit TS4 should appear in the Thunderbolt tab of System Information.app and also in the USB tab. It's Ethernet controller should appear in the PCI tab.
Maybe you can provide screenshots of those three tabs or run this command:
Code: 
system_profiler SPUSBDataType SPThunderboltDataType SPPCIDataType

Do you have an Intel Mac that you can connect the TS4 + LG to? Then you can use AllRez or AGDCDiagnose to verify that the cable is connecting with 4 lanes of DisplayPort. 30Hz should only be a limit if the cable is only working with tow lanes of DisplayPort. Did you try a different USB-C cable between the LG and the TS4?

For your DisplayPort cable solution, you could try a Belkin Charge and Sync cable or a Wacom Link Plus to enable the USB functions of the display (including brightness control, audio, camera, USB 2.0 ports...).
Click to expand...

I'll try a different mac and see if i get a different result. I have tried: TB 4 cable, TB 3 cable, USB-C cable ... if connected direct to the Mac, I get refresh rate and the monitor wakes up just fine. Any of those routed through the TS4, I lose refresh rate. If I use DisplayPort cable, I get refresh rate, lose wake up on sleep.

I'll give a try to the intel mac thing.
 
Bringing this thread back up again since Ventura came out and can still confirm that if I run the LG 4k Ultrafine (USB version) through the TS4 to the Mac, I lose the ability to change the refresh rate, so I have to bypass the TS4 and go straight to the mac with two cords. Not ideal, and I still don't understand why.
 
rickeames said:
Bringing this thread back up again since Ventura came out and can still confirm that if I run the LG 4k Ultrafine (USB version) through the TS4 to the Mac, I lose the ability to change the refresh rate, so I have to bypass the TS4 and go straight to the mac with two cords. Not ideal, and I still don't understand why.
Click to expand...
Chiming in to say I have the same behavior on my dell 38" display. It will do 60Hz when plugged into the TS4, but after sleep it goes back to 30Hz, with no option to change it. I have to plug directly into the port on the side of my computer now.
 
rickeames said:
Bringing this thread back up again since Ventura came out and can still confirm that if I run the LG 4k Ultrafine (USB version) through the TS4 to the Mac, I lose the ability to change the refresh rate, so I have to bypass the TS4 and go straight to the mac with two cords. Not ideal, and I still don't understand why.
Click to expand...

Reach out to Caldigit support to advise them of the problem. There's a PowerDelivery patch that they'll provide you with to install on your TS4 to resolve these issues. The patch is Windows based though, - so you'll need access to a windows computer - or windows running on bootcamp.

I had similar issues with the Asus PA329C USB-C 4K monitor, - the power delivery patch resolved similar problems.
 
tigo013 said:
Reach out to Caldigit support to advise them of the problem. There's a PowerDelivery patch that they'll provide you with to install on your TS4 to resolve these issues. The patch is Windows based though, - so you'll need access to a windows computer - or windows running on bootcamp.

I had similar issues with the Asus PA329C USB-C 4K monitor, - the power delivery patch resolved similar problems.
Click to expand...
Is this different from the 39.1 firmware that was released (months ago on Windows and just last week on Mac)?
 
tigo013 said:
Yes, it's not something that's part of the firmware. Below is the link to their latest version of it - ver. 3708. It's a powerdelivery firmware only, affecting the powerdelivery on the ports for USB-C monitors. Give it a go, it may resolve the issue for you, and let us know.
https://downloads.caldigit.com/TS4/CalDigit_TS4_PD_Firmware_Updater_v3708_windows.zip
Click to expand...
Any additional information you can provide about this secret patch?

I just purchased two Dell U2723QE USB-C monitors plus a TS4 and I'm experiencing a similar problem. The monitors are both connected to the TS4 Thunderbolt 4 ports and the TS4 is connected to a MacBook Pro 14" M1 Max. After sleep, the monitors wake up and one or both are set at 30Hz, with 60Hz having disappeared completely, and remaining settings (resolution, orientation) have been reset to defaults in the Displays control panel.

CalDigit support is being kind of useless and hasn't mentioned anything about this patch.
 
recursor said:
Any additional information you can provide about this secret patch?

I just purchased two Dell U2723QE USB-C monitors plus a TS4 and I'm experiencing a similar problem. The monitors are both connected to the TS4 Thunderbolt 4 ports and the TS4 is connected to a MacBook Pro 14" M1 Max. After sleep, the monitors wake up and one or both are set at 30Hz, with 60Hz having disappeared completely, and remaining settings (resolution, orientation) have been reset to defaults in the Displays control panel.

CalDigit support is being kind of useless and hasn't mentioned anything about this patch.
Click to expand...

It's a lost cause. The TS4 does not work with my choice of USB-C monitors. Best to switch to a TB3 monitor if you want to use it. Caldigit support are aware of the problem, and can't / won't do much. Firmware / power delivery updates are not fixing the problem, that may simply be their wrong choice of hardware to use in the unit design.
Excuse the long post - it's my drama with the TS4.

Initially (prior to applying the patch), had tried connecting a PA329C monitor to the TB ports at the back, and it wasn't being identified - no video output to the monitor. I could connect USB devices to the monitor, and they would show up in OS X, but not the video for the monitor. Tried plugging the monitor directly to the USB-C port on the unit, and as expected the USB hub on the monitor did not work.
(Work around - connected the monitor the DP port on the TS4, and TB port on the Unit - to get both video & data working. The monitor hub did not work when connected to the USB-C port on the TS4 unit).

summary:
  • PA329C USB-C to TB port on TS4 = only data, no video. USB hub on monitor worked.
  • PA329C DP to DP port on TS4 and PA329C USBC-C to USB-C on TS4 = only video no data (USB hub did not work).
  • PA329C DP to DP port on TS4 and PA329C USBC-C to TB port on TS4 = both video & data working fine.
  • PA329C USB-C connected directly to Mac Studio - works fine.
Corresponded with support - received patch - applied patch. The following happened.

PA329C USB-C to TB port on TS4 = both video & data worked fine. 4K-60Hz video. Computer goes to sleep then wakes up. The PA329C came up as running 1920x1080 at 30Hz. The patch did not solve the problem.

Plugged in another monitor PD3220U - which is a TB3 monitor to work with. The TS4 is working perfectly fine.

PD3220U and PA329C both plugged-in being used. Initially both are working fine. Computer goes to sleep, wakes up, - the configuration had changed into mirroring and both at at 30Hz. So, then I'd un-mirror them, adjust the resolution on the PD3220U, and that's fine. For the PA329C, I'd have to turn it off and back on again, and I'd then be able adjust the refresh rate to 60Hz.

Then I tried my previous tests:
  • PA329C DP to DP port on TS4 and PA329C USBC-C to USB-C on TS4 = only video no data (USB hub did not work). Same as before.
  • PA329C DP to DP port on TS4 and PA329C USBC-C to TB port on TS4. Can no-longer be used, as both video signals are being recognized, and USB hub only works on the TB config that has a messed up video.
Also. Although I turned off the PA329C to work on the PD3220U, - OSX still thought the monitor was switched on. I unplugged the PA329C, and the OSX still thought the monitor was ON.

Skipped the TS4, and connected the PA329C directly to the studio - it works fine.

Decided to replace the PA329C with the Dell U2723QE, and I had the exact same dramas.

I had been in touch with Caldigit support from July 2022 to present regarding the above. Their response was I have a faulty unit, and will issue me an RMA to swap it. Based in Australia, I was referred to an imaginary non-existent Asia support team that doesn't reply to emails or issues RMA.

I won't be purchasing another Caldigit device anytime soon, and I've simply resorted to having the PD3220U connected to the TS4 and the U2723qe directly to the Studio.

Life moves on.
 
Wow. @tigo013 Thanks for the lengthy explanation.

So the hub functionality does appear to work on both of my Dell monitors, I just plugged in a USB stick to the USB-A port under the chin and then an SSD into the USB-C port next to it. Didn't see any problems there.

I don't get the sense that CalDigit actually has an in-house engineering team software or hardware. If they designed this hardware they should have figured it out by now; likewise, if they wrote the firmware then they should have figured it out by now. I think all of these companies are just OEM'ing the same circuit design, customizing the layout of which ports they'd like to offer, and then sometimes customize the case design as well. You can see this that there are several units out there that have the exact same port layout and same or similar case.

CalDigit support replied in a thread on reddit stating that:

This update is meant to help increase support for a few USB-C monitors that don't properly utilize the PD protocol to communicate with connected devices. Basically, the update opens up our PD protocol to work with these monitors that are out of spec. It doesn't actually change how power delivery works or anything like that, it just adjusts the underlying code to accept these previously incompatible monitors.
Click to expand...

But you tried the same monitor that I have (Dell U2723QE) and continued to experience problems with that after the patch. :(

I always had this idea that CalDigit was the leader in this space so I don't get it. And yet everywhere you look there are just glowing reviews of this device with MacBooks and multiple monitors.
 
recursor said:
Wow. @tigo013 Thanks for the lengthy explanation.

So the hub functionality does appear to work on both of my Dell monitors, I just plugged in a USB stick to the USB-A port under the chin and then an SSD into the USB-C port next to it. Didn't see any problems there.

I don't get the sense that CalDigit actually has an in-house engineering team software or hardware. If they designed this hardware they should have figured it out by now; likewise, if they wrote the firmware then they should have figured it out by now. I think all of these companies are just OEM'ing the same circuit design, customizing the layout of which ports they'd like to offer, and then sometimes customize the case design as well. You can see this that there are several units out there that have the exact same port layout and same or similar case.

CalDigit support replied in a thread on reddit stating that:



But you tried the same monitor that I have (Dell U2723QE) and continued to experience problems with that after the patch. :(

I always had this idea that CalDigit was the leader in this space so I don't get it. And yet everywhere you look there are just glowing reviews of this device with MacBooks and multiple monitors.
Click to expand...

I had no luck with it at all. Thats why support said that they'll issue me an RMA to swap it - they assume it should be working!

I've just tried it again now, - no luck. I placed the computer to sleep for 20 minutes, and woke it up again. The display came back in HD at 30Hz. Will just plug it back into the computer directly.

You can give the patch a go, it's a legit patch. Just read the reddit conversation that you posted. I like the part that they'll start to incorporate the patch load in future manufactured units, and they'll probably load up a more up-to-date versions of it.

The device was rushed to market. Still has issues for them to sort out.
  • It does not work with my choice of USB-C monitors;
  • Computer crashes when waking up - if I had USB HDDs / SSDs connected to the TS4.
  • Intermittent Ethernet connection.
My work-around,
  • Connect only TB3 monitors to it. It works fine.
  • Connect only temporary drives to it. Thumbdrives / memory-cards are fine. USB-HDDs / SSDs must be removed before the computer sleeps.
  • mouse / keyboard USB dongles are fine.
  • Ethernet cable directly to the computer.
Perhaps they may solve its issues in the future, - I don't know. But in the interim, there are alternatives that are worth considering. But, before pulling the trigger on them, check out the forums to see that they'd work fine with your equipment.

Hope this feedback helps.
 
That "secret" power delivery patch partially fixed things with my 22MD4KA-B and the TS4. It now at least turns on when connected over the Thunderbolt ports. However, it is locked at 30Hz.
 
I can't even plug in a Microsoft USB mouse receiver without it stuttering all over the place. CalDigit's recommendation is to use a USB extension cable to bring the receiver closer to the mouse to prevent interference, but that doesn't help either. Between this and the lack of proper support for monitors, the functionality is pretty limited. It's essentially a dock that you can't plug things into, so what's the point?!
 
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kryptticAZ said:
I can't even plug in a Microsoft USB mouse receiver without it stuttering all over the place. CalDigit's recommendation is to use a USB extension cable to bring the receiver closer to the mouse to prevent interference, but that doesn't help either. Between this and the lack of proper support for monitors, the functionality is pretty limited. It's essentially a dock that you can't plug things into, so what's the point?!
Click to expand...
Just so you know, the issue with your mouse stuttering is due to the USB 3.0 port signal interference. When using a wireless mouse you are on the same frequency channel as USB 3.0. It's a decade-old known intel issue that has limited solutions. But here are the easiest solutions :
1. use a USB 2.0 extension adapter (as the problem only is when using a wireless mouse/keyboard on a USB 3.0 port via a HUB, usually there isnt an issue when directly plugged into a computers port, this is due to laptops having more foil insulation which can reduce interference.
2. STOP USING a WIFI mouse and keyboard. Everyone should be upgrading to a wireless Bluetooth Mouse and keyboard. Why? 1. BT will free a port and you don't have to have a dongle now wasting a USB port. 2. Signal and interference are no longer an issue.


No need to replace you $400 docking station, just replace your mouse and keyboard. They probably can use an update anyways. ;)
 
dielawn714 said:
Just so you know, the issue with your mouse stuttering is due to the USB 3.0 port signal interference. When using a wireless mouse you are on the same frequency channel as USB 3.0. It's a decade-old known intel issue that has limited solutions. But here are the easiest solutions :
1. use a USB 2.0 extension adapter (as the problem only is when using a wireless mouse/keyboard on a USB 3.0 port via a HUB, usually there isnt an issue when directly plugged into a computers port, this is due to laptops having more foil insulation which can reduce interference.
2. STOP USING a WIFI mouse and keyboard. Everyone should be upgrading to a wireless Bluetooth Mouse and keyboard. Why? 1. BT will free a port and you don't have to have a dongle now wasting a USB port. 2. Signal and interference are no longer an issue.


No need to replace you $400 docking station, just replace your mouse and keyboard. They probably can use an update anyways. ;)
Click to expand...
My mouse is a brand new Logitech MX Master 3S, so nothing newer to update it with. Also, they sell this model with the unifying receiver as a desirable feature. I use it instead of bluetooth because the battery on the mouse lasts much longer this way. My point of view is that a $400 dock should work with what you already own, not the other way around.
 
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