CalDigit TS3 Packs a Powerful Punch in a Compact Dock, Greatly Expanding Connectivity Options Using Thunderbolt 3

The CalDigit TS3 (Thunderbolt Station 3) is the Thunderbolt 3 version of the Thunderbolt Station 2 dock and uses the power of Thunderbolt technology to add tons of connectivity ports to your Thunderbolt 3 based Mac or Windows PC. 

Although both share the same USB Type-C connector, Thunderbolt 3 docks are architecturally different from non-Thunderbolt 3 based USB Type-C docks. Thunderbolt 3 technology extends the computer's fast internal PCI Express Gen 3 (7.5 GT/s) system bus outside of the computer. This means that all USB, SATA, and Ethernet interfaces on the Thunderbolt dock have access to the same internal PCI Express bus as the interfaces inside the computer itself. Of course, you can also directly connect super fast Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s) storage and networking peripherals to these docks, as well as a 5K@60hz display using DisplayPort Alternate Mode.

By comparison, in the case of USB 3.1 Gen 1 based docks, USB, SATA, and Ethernet interfaces have to go through the dock's internal USB Gen 1 (5 Gb/s) hub and then through the computer's internal USB 3.1 Gen 1 Host controller which is then connected to the computer's PCI Express bus. Video interfaces also need to go through a technology like DisplayLink which uses the computer's processor to convert the computer's GPU graphics data into USB packets and then out to a video interface like HDMI.

The CalDigit TS3 makes full use of Thunderbolt 3's advantages by packing in three USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gb/s) based USB Type-A ports, two eSATA Gen 3 (6 Gb/s) ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and 3.5mm input and output ports. There are two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one of which connects to the Thunderbolt 3 host computer and is able to supply up to 85 watts to keep the computer charged using USB Power Delivery technology. You can connect a Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.1 Gen 2 based USB Type-C peripheral, as well as USB Type-C to HDMI or VGA adapter to the other Thunderbolt 3 port. There is also a standard DisplayPort 1.2 connector to directly attach DisplayPort monitors without the use of adapters.

Opening up the CalDigit TS3 packaging, the accessories are the first thing you see.

After taking out the accessories, you can see the Quick Start Guide which is directly printed onto the packaging as a divider.

The dock itself resides underneath the Quick Start Guide.

The CalDigit TS3 comes with a .5 meter Thunderbolt 3 cable, AC power adapter and cord, rubber feet, and documentation.

The CalDigit TS3 has a nice aluminum metal casing that gives it a premium feel.

As a vertical dock, the CalDigit TS3 does not take much space on your desk, despite all the many interfaces supported.

The front of the CalDigit TS3 has a single USB Type-A port and 3.5mm audio input/output ports for easy access.

All the rest of the interfaces are found at the back of the dock.

The bottom of the CalDigit TS3 has a soft textured material that grips well to your desk's surface.

The top and sides of the CalDigit TS3 have a ribbed metal surface which increases the surface area to better dissipate heat.

The CalDigit TS3 looks great at all angles and gets you all the interfaces that you need to be more productive with your Thunderbolt 3 based Mac or Windows PC.

Using the USB Power Delivery Compliance C2 Tester from Granite River Labs to run just a subset of the full USB Power Delivery compliance test suite, we can see that the CalDigit TS3 supports a fixed PDO of 15 watts (5 volts @ 3 amps) for charging. Note some compliance failures were observed.

DUT Information

Manufacturer	Caldigit
Model Number	TBT3 Dock
Serial Number	Comm

Test Information

Date and Time:

20180315_120637

Controller and Instrument Information

Parameter	Value
GRL USB-PD_C2 Serial No.	044.027.044.031.067.
GRL USB-PD Software Version	1.3.3.8
GRL USB-PD Firmware Version	1.3.3.0.7
Board Calibration	Calibration Success.
App Mode	COMMUNICATION_ENGINE_TESTS
Tx Mask	true
Rx Mask	false
RX mask Power selection	Neutral Power
Device Type	Provider Only
Cable IR drop Imp(R)	0

Product Capabilities

Parameter	GetCapabilities
Vendor_Name	CalDigit
TID	0x0
Type_C	NONE
SOP_Capable	NONE
SOP_P_Capable	NONE
SOP_PP_Capable	NONE
SOP_P_Debug_Capable	NONE
SOP_PP_Debug_Capable	NONE
USB_Comms_Capable	YES
DR_Swap_To_DFP_Supported	YES
DR_Swap_To_UFP_Supported	YES
Externally_Powered	YES
VCONN_Swap_To_On_Supported	NONE
VCONN_Swap_To_Off_Supported	NONE
Responds_To_Discov	NONE
Attempts_Discov	NONE
Chunking_Implemented_SOP	NO
Unchunked_Extended_Messages_Supported	NO
Accepts_PR_Swap_As_Src	YES
Accepts_PR_Swap_As_Snk	YES
Requests_PR_Swap_As_Src	NONE
Requests_PR_Swap_As_Snk	NONE
Structured_VDM_Version	V1.0
Data_Capable_as_USB_Host	YES
Data_Capable_as_USB_Device	YES
Product_Type_DFP_SOP	Peripheral
Modal_Operation_Supported	YES
Security_Msgs_Supported_SOP	NO
USB_VID	0x2188
PID	0xD
bcdDevice	0x443
SVIDs Min	1
SVIDs Max	2
SVID1SOP	8087
SVID1Modes Min	1
SVID1Modes Max	1
SVID1Mode1 Enter Mode	NO
SVID2SOP	FF01
SVID2Modes Min	1
SVID2Modes Max	1
SVID2Mode1 Enter Mode	YES
SVID3SOP	8087
SVID3Modes Min	1
SVID3Modes Max	1
SVID3Mode1 Enter Mode	NO
SVID4SOP	FF01
SVID4Modes Min	1
SVID4Modes Max	1
SVID4Mode1 Enter Mode	YES
SVID5SOP	8087
SVID5Modes Min	1
SVID5Modes Max	1
SVID5Mode1 Enter Mode	NO
SVID6SOP	FF01
SVID6Modes Min	1
SVID6Modes Max	1
SVID6Mode1 Enter Mode	YES

Power Capabilities

Parameter	GetCapabilities
No_USB_Suspend_May_Be_Set	NONE
GiveBack_May_Be_Set	NONE
Higher_Capability_Set	NONE
USB Suspend may be cleared	NO
Send Ping	NONE
Supply Type #1	Fixed
Peak Current #1	0x0(A)
Voltage #1	0x64(5V)
Max Current #1	0x12C(3A)
No_USB_Suspend_May_Be_Set	NONE
GiveBack_May_Be_Set	NONE
Higher_Capability_Set	NONE

Result Summary

Sl No	Test ID	Test Name	Test Result
1	TDA.2.1.1.1	BMC-PHY-TX-EYE	PASS
2	TDA.2.1.1.2	BMC-PHY-TX-BIT	PASS
3	TDA.2.1.2.2	BMC-PHY-RX-INT-REJ	PASS
4	TDA.2.1.2.1	BMC-PHY-RX-BUSIDL	PASS
5	TDA.2.1.3.1	BMC-PHY-TERM	PASS
7	TDA.2.2.1	BMC-PROT-SEQ-GETCAPS	FAIL
11	TDA.2.2.7	BMC-PROT-BIST-NOT-5V-SRC	PASS
15	TDB.2.2.9	BMC-PROT-GSC-REC	FAIL

BMC Eye Diagram

From the below load screenshot taken from the GRL-USB-PD C2 Compliance Test Solution App, we can also see that the CalDigit TS3 uses different voltage and current levels for charging.