On 29/09/2023 in message <7s5dhi5qkh879sjm361u1ln6ijho4fc1eb@4ax.com> Mike Halmarack wrote:

My Surface Pro 9 has 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.

So as to run 2 HDMI displays from it I thought it would be simplest to
buy a HDMI splitter cable from eBay.
The one to two option didn't work, nor the one to one.

It might be that there are splitters that work, possibly more
expensive ones.

Anyway, I have two UGreen hubs. They each have a single HDMI socket.
I plugged them both into the USB-C sockets and ran a HDMI cable from
each to each monitor. Only one monitor came live.

Is this a more likely to be a config problem or hardware limitations?

Just to clarify are you trying to run 2 external monitors from 1 x
Thunderbolt port?
Do you still want the display on the laptop as well?

Spent the last 2 days hanging upside down behind my monitors trying to
convert signals, at one stage I convinced myself the signal ran FROM the monitor TO the computer :-(

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
Those are my principles – and if you don’t like them, well, I have others. (Groucho Marx)

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My Surface Pro 9 has 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.

So as to run 2 HDMI displays from it I thought it would be simplest to
buy a HDMI splitter cable from eBay.
The one to two option didn't work, nor the one to one.

It might be that there are splitters that work, possibly more
expensive ones.

Anyway, I have two UGreen hubs. They each have a single HDMI socket.
I plugged them both into the USB-C sockets and ran a HDMI cable from
each to each monitor. Only one monitor came live.

Is this a more likely to be a config problem or hardware limitations?
--

Mike

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com> wrote:

My Surface Pro 9 has 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.

So as to run 2 HDMI displays from it I thought it would be simplest to
buy a HDMI splitter cable from eBay.
The one to two option didn't work, nor the one to one.

It might be that there are splitters that work, possibly more
expensive ones.

Anyway, I have two UGreen hubs. They each have a single HDMI socket.
I plugged them both into the USB-C sockets and ran a HDMI cable from
each to each monitor. Only one monitor came live.

Is this a more likely to be a config problem or hardware limitations?

You can't 'split' HDMI. You need the machine to generate two HDMI outputs
(in reality Displayport plus a DP->HDMI conversion). It appears Microsoft reckons it can output to two monitors: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/troubleshoot-connecting-surface-to-an-external-display-bc8f5121-a4cb-cf0b-5770-2df7a66a3b28#bkmk_changesupportedresolution_w11

but that's mostly about the Surface Dock.

It's possible the second display is only accessible from a Thunderbolt dock rather than USB. You'd need to dig into how to do it with that specific machine.

I think the original Surface Dock is pure USB though, so it sounds like it's possible to do it with USB alone.

You could try switching around the Ugreen hubs. Try one in one port, then
move it to the second port. Each time later add a second hub to the other port. It might give some clues as to what works.

Also, drive the monitors to something easy like 1080p, so you're not running into bandwidth limitations.

Theo

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Mike Halmarack wrote:

My Surface Pro 9 has 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.

I have a Lenovo with dual Thunderbolt4 ports

One port is hooked to a CalDigit TS4 dock and from there to a 4K DP
monitor and a WQXGA DP-altmode monitor (plus other stuff)

That dock's not cheap, but it sure is good.

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On 29 Sep 2023 10:08:55 GMT, "Jeff Gaines" <jgnewsid@outlook.com>
wrote:

On 29/09/2023 in message <7s5dhi5qkh879sjm361u1ln6ijho4fc1eb@4ax.com> Mike >Halmarack wrote:

My Surface Pro 9 has 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.

So as to run 2 HDMI displays from it I thought it would be simplest to
buy a HDMI splitter cable from eBay.
The one to two option didn't work, nor the one to one.

It might be that there are splitters that work, possibly more
expensive ones.

Anyway, I have two UGreen hubs. They each have a single HDMI socket.
I plugged them both into the USB-C sockets and ran a HDMI cable from
each to each monitor. Only one monitor came live.

Is this a more likely to be a config problem or hardware limitations?

Just to clarify are you trying to run 2 external monitors from 1 x >Thunderbolt port?
Do you still want the display on the laptop as well?

Spent the last 2 days hanging upside down behind my monitors trying to >convert signals, at one stage I convinced myself the signal ran FROM the >monitor TO the computer :-(

I'm trying to run two monitors from two Thunderbolt ports through two
hub extensions that each have just one HDMI socket. I know there a
similar hubs with two HDMI sockets but I'm not sure that one of those
would be a solution.

But now you mention it I wonder if daisy chaining the two hubs from
one thunderbolt socket would help to get the two monitors working.

It was easier with my old laptop, it having one HDMI socket and one
VGA.
--

Mike

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On 29 Sep 2023 11:18:32 +0100 (BST), Theo
<theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com> wrote:

My Surface Pro 9 has 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.

So as to run 2 HDMI displays from it I thought it would be simplest to
buy a HDMI splitter cable from eBay.
The one to two option didn't work, nor the one to one.

It might be that there are splitters that work, possibly more
expensive ones.

Anyway, I have two UGreen hubs. They each have a single HDMI socket.
I plugged them both into the USB-C sockets and ran a HDMI cable from
each to each monitor. Only one monitor came live.

Is this a more likely to be a config problem or hardware limitations?

You can't 'split' HDMI. You need the machine to generate two HDMI outputs >(in reality Displayport plus a DP->HDMI conversion). It appears Microsoft >reckons it can output to two monitors: >https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/troubleshoot-connecting-surface-to-an-external-display-bc8f5121-a4cb-cf0b-5770-2df7a66a3b28#bkmk_changesupportedresolution_w11

but that's mostly about the Surface Dock.

It's possible the second display is only accessible from a Thunderbolt dock >rather than USB. You'd need to dig into how to do it with that specific >machine.

I think the original Surface Dock is pure USB though, so it sounds like it's >possible to do it with USB alone.

You could try switching around the Ugreen hubs. Try one in one port, then >move it to the second port. Each time later add a second hub to the other >port. It might give some clues as to what works.

Also, drive the monitors to something easy like 1080p, so you're not running >into bandwidth limitations.

Theo

Thanks, I'm working my way through the tests and possible setups
you've suggested
--

Mike

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Mike Halmarack wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

CalDigit TS4 dock [...] not cheap, but it sure is good.

It stikes me that Thunderbolt can be a costly upgrade.

It sat in my wishlist for weeks thinking "shall I, shan't I" then amazon
threw me a 20% voucher ...

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On Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:40:54 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

Mike Halmarack wrote:

My Surface Pro 9 has 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.

I have a Lenovo with dual Thunderbolt4 ports

One port is hooked to a CalDigit TS4 dock and from there to a 4K DP
monitor and a WQXGA DP-altmode monitor (plus other stuff)

That dock's not cheap, but it sure is good.

It stikes me that Thunderbolt can be a costly upgrade.
--

Mike

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Thanks so much for the variety of advice. I was sufficiently scared
off the super expensive hubs, just to get my dual monitor display
functioning again So I took the simplest option offered and just
swapped and jiggled the two relatively cheap UGreen hubs around in
various configurations and both monitors sprang into life.
So one hub in each USB-C socket and one HDMI cable to each hub worked
in the end after much shuffling.
--

Mike

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks so much for the variety of advice. I was sufficiently scared
off the super expensive hubs, just to get my dual monitor display
functioning again So I took the simplest option offered and just
swapped and jiggled the two relatively cheap UGreen hubs around in
various configurations and both monitors sprang into life.
So one hub in each USB-C socket and one HDMI cable to each hub worked
in the end after much shuffling.

The thing to remember is that each USB-C port, unless you're using a Thunderbolt dock, can drive max one monitor. If you put a USB hub on the
end of it, either it'll split that off to its own HDMI or DP output, or
it'll pass the video through to exactly one of its USB-C ports. You can't drive two monitors from an upstream USB-C port unless using Thunderbolt (or Displaylink).

So your setup is what I'd expect: one USB-C port driving one hub driving one monitor.

Theo

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