PeripheralsEdit
Notes on peripherals because, believe it or not, my cable management is so obsessive that actually getting around the back of my desk and figuring out what is plugged into what is kind of difficult.
Display
Not using the "hub" functionality because it is not reliable enough in my experience, but plugging:
- Desktop video coming in via Mini DisplayPort (v1.4), labeled as "MINI D" in the photo. When switching inputs using the on-screen controls, this is the left-most input.
- Laptop video coming in via DisplayPort (v1.4) connector (from dock, see below), labeled as "D-IN" in the photo. When switching inputs using the on-screen controls, this is the second-from-the-left input.
One day, I’d like to upgrade to the 5K model[1], the BenQ PD2730s, which will have:
- HDMI (v2.1)
- DisplayPort (v1.4)
- Thunderbolt 4 (recommended by BenQ for connecting Macs)
Dock
On the front:
- USB-A 3.2 Gen2 to Lightning (for charging the "Magic" Trackpad[2]): This is a 7.5W port that offers "offline" charging (ie. it provides power even when the "host" device — that is, the laptop — is not connected)
On the back, from left to right (as viewed from the back):
- Bottom row:
- DisplayPort 2.1 connector: runs to monitor (into DisplayPort 1.4 socket, as mentioned above); given that the monitor only has DisplayPort 1.4, and the model I’d like to upgrade to also has DisplayPort 1.4, I am using a cable that markets itself only as a "DisplayPort 1.4" cable (not sure if there are any differences with respect to a "2.1-rated" cable).
- Thunderbolt 5 (36W port): USB-C/Thunderbolt connector running to micro-USB connector on power port of UGREEN switching hub; this provides 36W of "offline" power, which is more than the switch actually needs (it asks for 5V 2A; ie. 10W).
- Thunderbolt 5 (host port, 140W): USB-C/Thunderbolt connector running to laptop (USB-C/Thunderbolt port)
- DC in (24V 13.75A): power in
- Top row:
- USB-A 3.2 Gen2: USB-A connector to data port (2) on back of UGREEN switching hub.
- 10 GbE: Gigabit ethernet, via crossover cable to desktop PC
USB switching hub
- Front (inputs, from left to right, as viewed from the front):
- USB-A port: empty
- USB-A port: to keyboard (terminating with a micro-USB connector)
- USB-A port: Blue Yeti microphone (terminating with a micro-USB connector)
- USB-A port: Elgato Facecam (terminating with a USB-C connector)
- Rear (from right to left, as viewed from the back):
- Output 1: USB-A to USB-A cable to desktop PC
- Output 2: USB-A to USB-A cable to dock (for use with laptop)
- Micro-USB: additional power in, which should be 5V 2A (ie. 10W) according to the manufacturer
- Top (status lights, from left to right, as viewed from the front):
- Output 1 active (desktop PC)
- Output 2 active (laptop)
Note on the ordering of the outputs/lights: I chose to do it this way so that the light on the left (output "1", the PC) corresponds to the input-selection button to the left on the display; likewise, the light on the right (output "2", the laptop) corresponds to the input-selection button to the right on the display.
UPS
I have APC Back-UPS Pro BR1600SI (1600VA/960W) UPS with the following ports:
There are ports on the back that offer surge protection and battery backup (labeled "4" in the diagram), and others that offer only surge protection (labeled "7" in the diagram); I’m only using the former[3]; that is, I have cables with IEC C13/C14 connectors leading from the UPS to:
- The desktop computer.
- The monitor.
- The dock.
The data connection on the UPS (labeled "1" in the diagram) runs to the desktop computer (because the laptop doesn’t care about the power going out in the same way the desktop does).
The UPS itself is plugged in (via port labeled "3" on the diagram) into power strip, in turn plugged into the wall.
Items not plugged into the UPS include:
- Printer (plugged directly into power strip, in turn plugged into the wall).
- El Gato light (plugged into power brick mounted on table leg, in turn plugged into a white extension cable, in turn plugged into power strip, in turn plugged into the wall).
Appendix: A note on units
The documents provided by the manufacturers use a mixture of different units (volts, amps, and watts[4]) in various places. In order to convert between different units, consider this relationship:
Power (Watts) = Voltage (Volts) × Current (Amps)
So, for example, as noted above, where above the USB switch says it wants to receive "5V 2A" over its Micro-USB port, that can be considered equivalent to 10W. So, plugging it into one of the 7.5W USB-A ports on the dock is insufficient, but using one of the 36W USB-C (Thunderbolt) ports is more than enough. Likewise, where the dock expects its power supply to deliver "24V 13.75A", that equates to 330W overall.
The upgrade would bring some nice spec bumps: 3840x2160 resolution → 5120x2880; 1200:1 contrast ratio → 2000:1; increased color gamut (eg. 99% sRGDB / 99% Rec. 709 / 90% DCI-P3 → 100% / 100%/ 98%); HDMI 2.0 → 2.1; and even the built-in speakers go from 3W → 5W. ↩︎
🤦♂️ ↩︎
If the laptop, monitor, dock, and desktop are all running and under load, the UPS is probably not qualified to support all of these devices, but I’m not expecting to run the all under load very frequently, if ever, so I’m trusting that this is going to be ok. ↩︎
I’m not an electrical engineer, but my understanding of these terms is as follows — volts: a measure of the difference in electrical potential energy (ie. capacity to do work, move charge around a circuit); amps: a measure of the current (charge) flowing through the circuit; watts: a measure of the rate of energy transfer. Given that amps and watts both describe transfer rates, it’s helpful to realize that amps relate to charge (coulombs) while watts relate to energy (joules). Charge is a property of material that creates electric forces, energy is the more general capacity to do work (more general because it comes in many forms — such as kinetic, potential, and so on — and can be exchanged between them). ↩︎