5

HP G5 Dock teardown

 3 years ago
source link: https://dancharblog.wordpress.com/2021/07/14/hp-g5-dock-teardown/
Go to the source link to view the article. You can view the picture content, updated content and better typesetting reading experience. If the link is broken, please click the button below to view the snapshot at that time.
neoserver,ios ssh client

Overview

I bought my HP G5 Dock over a year ago and with firmware updates it works well. So its about time I tore it down to find out how it works.

It weighs about a pound and a half (688 grams) which makes it easy to plug and unplug cables. A handy power switch resides on the top so you don’t have to hunt for the one on your laptop. Although HP claims dual 4K60 monitor support, many customers have had issues getting this to work correctly with one monitor always getting stuck at 4K30. For best results, ensure the dock’s firmware is updated

Although 100W PD charging is claimed by HP, I found the dock maxed out at around 90W which is just fine. The downstream USB-C port provides 10-15W charging (5V @ 3A) – in my case the measured voltage was closer to 4.6V but still within spec.

Physical characteristics

The Dock weighs 688g with the attached 1m long USB-C cable and measures 122mm x 122mm x 45mm.The PSU weighs 505g including the detachable 2m 3-prong AC/Mains cable and integrated 2m long DC cable.The PSU spec is 120W (19.5V @ 6.15A) and measures 140mm x 70mm x 25mm.The bottom of the dock has a port for the power supply barrel connector and a “sign-of-life” LED which turns on when the power supply is connected and working.

Teardown

A single M2.5×4 Philips (+) head screw and two plastic tabs hold the bottom plastic panel in place.Two M2.5×4 screws hold in a small plastic retainer for the USB-C cable.The USB-C cable is a standard replacement part from HP with a removable rubber strain-relief. The cable and rubber bit weigh 37g together.Loosening 4 M2.5×4 screws allow splitting the plastic shell in two. The top plastic shell has a small circuit board attached with a 4-wire ribbon cable. The cable can be freed by gently prying with a flathead screwdriver.The small circuit board is held in place with one M2.5×3 screw. It houses the on/off switch and a status LED.The Bottom plastic shell can then be freed. It is held in place with mild adhesive. Note the perforations allowing passive airflow.A large metal weight (432g) separates from the main PCB with 3 M2.5×4 screws. Two light-blue thermal pads remained on the weight – so it also acts as a heatsink.A heat spreader and/or EMI shield is held in place with mild adhesive and can be freed with a spudger.

PCB Analysis

Top of PCB

Bottom of PCB

Component topology

This topology is highly simplified and does not represent all connections between the ICs.

Final thoughts

I think HP’s design is clever with the bottom routing of the power and USB-C host cables. I especially like the way HP allows easy replacement of the host USB-C cable rather than soldering it in. While the form factor is a little bulkier than some other brands, the weight makes it feel very solid and easy to use. For some cables you still do need to use two hands to get the cable plugged in all the way, but with the added weight it is just easier to do. Most cables ca be unplugged one-handed.

The Dock is firmware upgradeable and HP has separated the firmware into 3 modules (3 different Winbond Flashram chips) this modularity allows HP to offer frequent updates of the various components. And HP has an excellent track record here when compared to other brands. Since release HP has issued 5 firmware updates.

Touchscreen users with sensitive skin will love that this dock comes with a 3-prong (class 1) power supply. This means no “touch current” or mild numb/buzzing feeling when you touch your screen or certain parts of the laptop chassis.

More reading


report

Recommend

About Joyk


Aggregate valuable and interesting links.
Joyk means Joy of geeK