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So i have a thinkpad x1 tablet gen3, a lenovo thunderbolt3 docking station, and a dell u2721DE display that is also a USB-C docking station (so one usbc cable that carries usb video and power, to the screen).

Lappie since late 2018, display since late 2020.

after i got the display the health of the laptop slowly began to degrade. first one usbc port where i used to plug the laptop stopped working properly.

Recently the laptop builtin display starts to show issues in particular after i use the laptop for a while with the external display through USBC (it boots blank and i have to reboot it many times before it shows anything, i did update all system and drivers).

So i resurrected the thunderbolt3 docking station to see if that would improve the situation. And i connected one usb port of the docking station to the display to use it as usb hub for mouse and keyboard.

Well, after a couple of days that port on the docking station died. and the port on the display is the same i previously used to connect the laptop directly.

I have the fw of the laptop and of the docking station up to date. For the display u2721DE there seems to be no fw updates.

So i wonder: can the screen be the responsible for equipment damage?

Pa_
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1 Answers1

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A general answer:

Interconnected hardware (electronics) do share voltages and signals.

If one device has problems and the problem is "visible" within an interconnection, then it is - at least theoretically - possible that a problematic device can cause problems also within other connected device(s).

Certain possibilities exist to isolate devices on interconnections, if "galvanical isolation" is stated in the datasheet of a device, then it generally uses circuitry that contains optics (LEDS++) to transfer signals... this is "good", assuming that you make sure to keep[1] the isolation.

[1] just a single grounding wire may be a "breaker" in this regard.

Hannu
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