[UFO Chicago] HDMI Port on Docking Station Doesn't Work With Linux

[Jay F. Shachter]

Centuries ago, Nostradamus predicted that Greg Neumarke would write on Sat Apr 2 10:10:56 2022:

> 
> Have you tried the dock on a windows PC to confirm that the HDMI in
> fact works?
> 

Yes, and yes.

I do not have a Microsoft Windows system on my HP Probook 640 (I
apologize for the typographical error in my original posting; it is a
Probook 640, not a Probook 649).  However, I do have a Microsoft
Windows system on an HP Elitebook 745.  When I plugged in the docking
station to the HP Elitebook 745, running Microsoft Windows, the HDMI
device was immediately recognized, and the system immediately began to
mirror the local display onto the remote display.  However, the
Elitebook hardware does treat the docking station differently than the
Probook hardware, in that the Elitebook can get its electrical power
from it, whereas the Probook cannot.  So maybe the Probook would not
recognize the HDMI port even if it were running Microsoft Windows.
Here's what I can say: the Probook running Linux does not recognize
the HDMI port, at least not in its current configuration -- xrandr
does not claim that an HDMI video device is connected, and neither
pulseaudio nor alsamixer shows any knowledge of an HDMI audio device.
The external speaker device on the docking station is recognized (but
it is peculiar, it seems to replace the existing external speaker
device rather than add to it), and the external USB ports are
recognized (when I use them for mass storage, I haven't tested whether
they work for keyboard or mouse input).


>
> It looks like the dock also has displayport ports, do those work? If
> they do, a conversion from displayport to hdmi can be accomplished
> with a simple adapter.
> 

I've never seen such an adaptor, but if I could get one, wouldn't it
lose the audio signal?


>
> .... Are you using a native USB-C port on the laptop?  I doubt video
> would work if you are using a converter.
>

Does "USB-C" mean "tiny USB"?  If so, than yes.  The docking station
is connected to the only hole in the laptop into which it fits, which
I believe is a tiny USB port.


> 
> ... Otherwise, maybe freegeek Chicago has a long VGA cable?
> 

Alternately, is there such a thing as a VGA connector, female at both
ends, that can connect two VGA cables that are male at both ends?


>
> -Greg
> 

                        Jay F. Shachter
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