OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock User manual

THUNDERBOLT 3 DOCK
User Guide

Introduction.......................................................................... 1
1.1 Minimum System Requirements
1.2 Package Contents
1.3 About This Manual
1.4 Front View
1.5 Rear View
Support Resources ............................................................. 4
2.1 Connection
2.2 Usage Notes
2.3 Troubleshooting
2.4 Contacting Technical Support
OWC THUNDERBOLT 3 DOCK TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS

OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock Introduction
1
1.1 Minimum System Requirements
• Hardware: Mac with a Thunderbolt™3 port
• Operating System
• Mac: macOS 10.12.2 or later
1.2 Package Contents
* Space Gray model shown
Important Notes:
• Remove the thin plastic lm from the top and bottom of the dock before use.
• To enable support for the Apple SuperDrive, Apple USB keyboard, and iPad
1/2/3 charging, a driver is required.
1.3 About This Manual
The images and descriptions may vary between this manual and the unit shipped.
Functions and features may change depending on the rmware version and/or the driver,
if applicable. OWC’s Limited Warranty is not transferable and subject to limitations. Please
visit the product web page(s) for the most current product information.
Power supply and cableOWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock *
INTRODUCTION

OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock Introduction
2
1.4 Front View
NOTE: There are two LEDs on the bottom of the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock near
the front, which are not pictured. Their functionality is described below.
1. Data LED (green) — This LED will glow green when the dock has an active data
connection to a computer via the Thunderbolt cable. If the computer is powered o
or in sleep mode, this LED will power o.
2. Power LED (blue) — This LED glows blue when the dock receives power. Unlike
some Thunderbolt devices, the Thunderbolt 3 Dock does not power o when
disconnected from the computer or when the computer sleeps. As long as the
dock receives power, the blue power LED will remain on.
3. SD Card Slot — accepts SD type media cards commonly used in digital cameras.
4. Combo Audio Port — accepts 3.5 mm microphones and headphones.
5. High-power USB 3.1 Gen 1 port — Connect USB 3.1 Gen 1 devices here. This
port is capable of providing up to 1.5A of power for charging devices such as the
Apple iPad. Its functionality and performance is otherwise the same as a standard
USB 3.1 Gen 1 port.
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OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock Introduction
3
1.6 Rear View
1. (4) USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports — Connect additional USB 3.1 Gen 1 devices here.
Left-most port is a high-power port. This port is capable of providing up to
1.5A of power for charging devices such as the Apple iPad. Its functionality and
performance is otherwise the same as a standard USB 3.1 Gen 1 port.
2. S/PDIF Digital Audio port (output only) — Connect a S/PDIF output device here.
3. FireWire 800 (1394b) port — Connect a FireWire device here. You can daisy-chain
additional FireWire devices o of the rst FireWire device.
4. Gigabit Ethernet port — Connect an Ethernet cable here to access a wired
network.
5. Thunderbolt 3 ports — Connect one port to the Thunderbolt port on your
computer. Use the other port to connect up to ve additional Thunderbolt devices,
plus a display. Thunderbolt 3 supports DisplayPort™ 1.2 over USB-C™.
See Section 2.2 for more details.
6. Mini DisplayPort — Connect your display here. This connection supports
DisplayPort 1.2. See Section 2.2 for more details.
7. DC power input — Connect the included power supply here.
123 4 5 67

OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock Support Resources
4
2.1 Connection
1. Connect the Thunderbolt 3 Dock to power using the included power supply and
cable.
2. Connect the dock to a Thunderbolt 3 port on your computer using either one of the
Thunderbolt ports on the dock.
3. Connect other devices to the appropriate ports on the dock. All connected devices
will be available immediately for use on your computer.
2.2 Usage Notes
• IMPORTANT: To enable support for the Apple SuperDrive, the Apple USB keyboard,
and iPad 1/2/3 charging, please install the driver.
• There is no power switch on the dock. As long as it is connected to power and to a
computer, the dock will function. If the computer powers o or sleeps, the dock will
remain powered on, but all other devices connected through the dock will power o
or sleep, as if they were connected directly to the computer.
• The dock and all of its ports support hot-plugging. To ensure no data is lost, always
eject or unmount any connected storage devices from your operating system
before disconnecting them from your dock (or before disconnecting the dock from
the host computer).
• The Combo audio port on the front of the dock is analog. The S/PDIF port on the
back of the dock is digital, but it is output only.
• Thunderbolt 3 is backwards compatible with earlier versions of Thunderbolt
when using the appropriate adapter, such as an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to
Thunderbolt 2 Adapter. Use this type of adapter to connect a Thunderbolt 2 or
Thunderbolt device to the Thunderbolt 3 Dock. Note: to avoid operating at reduced
speeds, all Thunderbolt 3 devices should be at the front of the device chain, where
TB3 = Thunderbolt 3, TB2 = Thunderbolt 2 and TB = Thunderbolt (e.g. TB3 Host >
TB3 device(s) > TB2 or TB device via adapter > additional TB2 or TB devices).
• Thunderbolt device chains can support up to six Thunderbolt devices, thus ve
additional Thunderbolt devices can be chained to the Thunderbolt 3 Dock. A
Thunderbolt 3 display (or a display connected via a USB-C display adapter) can be
added to the end of a Thunderbolt 3 device chain.
• USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports are bootable only on mid-2013 and later Macs using macOS
10.12.2 or later. Thunderbolt, FireWire, and Ethernet are bootable on all Macs with a
Thunderbolt port.
• Note that it is possible to connect other types of displays such as HDMI and
DisplayPort to the available Thunderbolt 3 port, so long as you have the appropriate
USB-C display adapter (e.g. you could use a USB-C to HDMI adapter, connected to
the Thunderbolt 3 port).
SUPPORT RESOURCES

OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock Support Resources
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• The Thunderbolt 3 Dock can support a single 5K display running at 60Hz.
• The refresh rates available at 4K will depend on the display connections used. To
achieve 4K @ 60Hz on both displays, one display must be a native USB-C display
and the other a native DisplayPort / mini DisplayPort display. *
* Dual 4K display setups that include a native Thunderbolt 3 display were not available at
the time of this writing. The Apple Digital AV Multiport Adapter and the Apple USB-C VGA
Multiport Adapter are both supported by the Thunderbolt 3 Dock.
2.3 Troubleshooting
Begin your troubleshooting by verifying that the power cable is connected to the
OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock and to a power source. If the power cable is connected
to a power strip, make sure that the power switch on the strip is turned on.
Next, verify that both ends of the Thunderbolt cable are properly plugged into the
computer and the dock. If the dock is still not working properly, try using a dierent
Thunderbolt cable or using another Thunderbolt port on the computer or the dock.
You can verify if the dock is communicating with the computer by going into
System Information and clicking on the ‘Thunderbolt’ category on the left. If
the dock is seen by the computer but one or more connected devices are not,
troubleshoot each device individually. If problems persist, see Section 2.4 to
contact OWC technical support.
Our FAQs can be found at: www.owcdigital.com/support/faq
2.4 Contacting Technical Support
Phone: M–F, 8am–5pm CST
[phone] (N. America) | [phone] (Int’l)
Chat: M–F, 8am–8pm CST
www.owcdigital.com/support
Email: Answered within 48 hours
www.owcdigital.com/support

Copyright 2017 OWC. All Rights Reserved.
OWC’s Limited Warranty is not transferable and subject to limitations.
Changes:
The material in this document is for information only and subject to change without notice. While reasonable eorts have
been made in the preparation of this document to assure its accuracy, OWC, its parent, partners, aliates, ocers,
employees, and agents assume no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document, or from the use of the
information contained herein. OWC reserves the right to make changes or revisions in the product design or the product
manual without reservation and without obligation to notify any person of such revisions and changes.
FCC Statement:
Warning! Modications not authorized by the manufacturer may void the user’s authority to operate this device.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part
15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference with radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the
user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference with
radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try
to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver is connected.
Health And Safety Precautions:
• Read this user guide carefully and follow the correct procedures when setting up the device.
• Do not attempt to disassemble or modify the device. To avoid any risk of electrical shock, re, short-circuiting or
dangerous emissions, never insert any metallic object into the device. If it appears to be malfunctioning, contact OWC
technical support.
• Never expose your device to rain, or use it near water or in damp or wet conditions. Never place objects containing
liquids on the device, as they may spill into its openings. Doing so increases the risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting,
re or personal injury.
General Use Precautions:
• To avoid damage, do not expose the device to temperatures outside the range of 5° C to 40° C (41° F to 104° F).
• Always unplug the device from the electrical outlet if there is a risk of lightning or if it will be unused for an extended
period of time. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting or re.
• Do not use the device near other electrical appliances such as televisions, radios or speakers. Doing so may cause
interference which will adversely aect the operation of the other products.
• Do not place objects on top of the device.
• Protect your device from excessive exposure to dust during use or storage. Dust can build up inside the device,
increasing the risk of damage or malfunction.
• For up-to-date product and warranty information, please visit the product web page.
Copyrights and Trademarks:
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of OWC.
© 2017 OWC. All rights reserved.
OWC is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Oce
and/or in Canada. The OWC logo is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation. Apple, FireWire, iPad,
Mac, MacBook Pro, macOS, and SuperDrive are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other
countries. DisplayPort is a trademark owned by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA®) in the United States
and other countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property of their owners.
OWCMANTB3DOCKR2 07/07/17 DM