Upgraded Plugable Universal Docking Station

Posted on 06. Mar, 2010 by Bernie Thompson in Windows

The Plugable Universal Docking Station is getting some minor but nice upgrades to the latest chips for each function. All new units shipped from March 1, 2010 forward have these new features:

  • Upgraded the DisplayLink DL-160 to the newer DL-165
    • Previous maximum resolution was 1680×1050, now 1920×1080
  • Moved from two 4-port NEC USB hubs internally to a single FE 2.1 7 port USB hub
    • When using as a terminal, previously could daisy-chain 2 docks, now up to 4. All devices attached to the dock show on the same hub
  • Upgraded ASIX AX88772 ethernet chip to newer AX88772A
    • Auto-MDX support (automatically detects straight or cross-over cabling)

We’ve also shrunk the paper package size for less waste, and a have smaller connector for the (otherwise same) AC adapter.

The size and look of the docking station itself hasn’t changed, and all the same adapters, cables, and other hardware are included.

To the laptop docking station user on Windows or Mac, the changes won’t be immediately obvious, as the same drivers support both versions of hardware.

On Linux, both old and new chips have the same in-kernel support. In the terminal case, the USB configuration is now simpler (all devices are off the same USB hub), and that means a change in the udev rules for devices plugged into usb ports (keyboard and mouse are one hub less deep). Look for a future post on that.

So, with the new version, here’s the Windows Update experience you’ll see — without using any driver disks first, just plugging into a fresh Windows 7 machine with its own network connection up, letting it find and download drivers automatically.


Win7 first connect experience. Mouse and composite keyboard also attached

If you need to distinguish the versions from the outside (e.g. so you can make sure to give a newer one to someone who wants 1920×1080 resolution), the model number on the bottom of the older units all start with 0920J1.

Enjoy the upgrades on the new UD-160-A docking stations, and as always make use of our public problem reporting and support at http://getsatisfaction.com/plugable any time.

Win7 Plug and Play with the UGA-2K-A

Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Bernie Thompson in Windows

Attach your new Plugable USB graphics adapter to a Win 7 PC. What happens?

.. driver is found and downloaded from Microsoft’s Windows Update system…

… and a DisplayLink EULA and a bunch of screen flashes later …

Windows 7 and a network connection takes care of it. No driver disk needed.

Enabling Windows Update on Windows XP

Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by Bernie Thompson in Windows

Windows 7 and Vista have Windows Update on by default, as do most recent Windows XP machines. So when a new USB device arrives, the system is able to go out to the Internet and check Microsoft’s huge library of drivers to find a match — a great plug and play experience for devices like those we make here at Plugable.

But Windows XP, when it originally shipped in 2001, didn’t have this capability. So to enable Windows Update on XP, if you don’t already have it on, just upgrade to XP Service Pack 2 or later, and follow Microsoft’s steps:

  1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.
  2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select one of the following options. We recommend that you select the Automatic (recommended) Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them option.

Microsoft has more information in their knowledge base article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525

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