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TS3

by CalDigit

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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.

GRL

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


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.

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