Never use 3rd Party USB-Hubs!

AToM.exe@lemmy.world to Steam Deck@sopuli.xyz – -8 points –

I was looking for a way to charge my Deck while still being able to use mouse and keyboard. So, 2 month ago I decided to get a cheap USB-Hubs (Anker USB C Hub, 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1)).

Turns out this was the worst mistake I could make. Immedialy after connecting the Hub, my Deck wouldn't charge power anymore. Like, at all.. The only way the Deck is working now is having it connected with the power cord and even than it says "not charging". Like if it had no battery inserted at all.

I tried to follow online instructions, factory reset and even contacted Steam Support. It's been 2 month and I'm on 78% battery now..

Has anyone encountered this problem and was able to fix(!) it? Should I send it in, or is there a component I need to get from ifixit?

Any help would be appreciated.

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Sorry this has happened to you but I think we would have heard about this by now if it was a common problem. I pre-ordered the Steam Deck and got one of the mid to early range shipments. I've been using an Anker hub since day one. There weren't any official hubs available for some months after the Steam Deck came out.

Really??? Did I just got an unlucky one? I used this Hub for like half an hour (power / mouse / keyboard attached). I don't know exactly when it stopped charging, but I got thrown into the Recovery screen and from then on it wouldn't charge.

On a side note, games using a lot of power crash the Deck after some time. Probably has something to do with the Deck relying on the built in battery for high performance procession.

I'm a really big fan of this console and maybe I shouldn't have listened to the Amazon reviews.

I think you should talk to Valve. They shouldn't care that you used a third party hub and Anker is a good brand usually.

Sounds like you should be contacting support for a repair.

Thank you! I'm wasn't sure what to do because I was using a product that was not explicitly stated as compatible. If there's nothing I can do on my part, I'll send it in (from Europe).

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A cheap USB-C hub can only output so many power and voltage levels at once. Looking at that device it's only a single USB C PD in and a single USB C PD out. Not a bad device, but not really a real charging hub if that is your goal.

Anker uses pretty good controllers. It's of course possible you got a bad one, but it's highly unlikely this is systemic.

Thanks for the comment! It wasn't meant to be a Dock replacement. Just a quick way to connect the keyboard, mouse and USB-sticks while at work, etc.

I like Anker products! I read reviews and comments from people using Anker Hubs without problem. So, without them being official supported I just tried it.

Well, hopefully this is something that can be fixed..

To be honest I doubt your issue has anything to do with the hub. Maybe it is connected with your USB-C port. You can also try to connect a charger and check the battery stats in the Konsole. upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT1

This should give you the status of the battery and it's health and whether it is charging or not.

Worth noting here is that you should try to connect with different chargers and cables to exclude problem with the charger/socket/cable.

My guess is that the charging port got loose or the connection between the port and your motherboard is broken. So it should be fairly easy to get fixed in any phone repair shop for not too much

The Battery seems to be OK but not charging.

https://i.imgur.com/BJAGwcT.jpeg

I tried different chargers and cables, but the original chargers is the only one working. With others it won't start and the white light won't stay on but flashes.

You might be right with something being faulty on the port.

Have you tried a BIOS update? I had an issue with my screen and thought I needed repair but it turns out some hardware issues are linked to the BIOS. These are the instructions steam support gave me, just on the off chance they help you:

To update to that BIOS you will need to opt into the 'Main' OS update channel:\

  • Turn on Developer settings (steam button > settings > system > 'Enable Developer Mode')
  • Turn on 'Show Advanced update Channels' in developer settings (steam button > settings > developer settings)
  • Set Deck to 'Main' in OS Update Channel (steam button > settings > system)
  • Select Apply under 'Software Updates' above and then select the 'Restart' once it is done.
  • Once the Deck restarts and has loaded to the OS, unplug the external monitor to test if the Deck's internal screen is now displaying correctly.

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried this now for the first time but still no change. (I never connected a screen, just the Hub and the original power cord through it)

I'm not sure if it is a software, or hardware problem but if I had to guess it's a problem with a component responsible for regulating the power flow.

Maybe the battery got damaged but that would be unusual with all the protections built into new batteries.

Ah damn, was worth a try I guess. Does seem like it's a hardware issue then and needs a repair

Thanks for the help!

It really doesn't seem like a very common problem. I'm not a fan of sending stuff in for repair, but I guess that's what we do now.

Did you try putting your deck temporarily into Battery Storage Mode?

Yes, I have tried that.

Worth mentioning, that only works if the power supply is disconnected. I have to push Volume+ & the Power Button and then insert the power cable. If I try this with the cable attached the screen, plays the short "activate" sound but the screen stays dark.

The power cord works like the "Auto boot on AC attached" in the power menu, but that is Disabled...

You may have luck with a slow (5W) charger according to the comments here.

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried draining the battery for 2 month now, hoping the problem will eventually fix itself.

I tried different chargers, but it will only start with the original charger.

Good luck! Hate that you are having to deal with this.

I think I had something similar happen, but it wasn't from a hub. I plugged my USB-C phone charger into my Deck and played it until the battery died since the charger didn't offset the drain (stupid, I know). After that, the battery indicator kept showing that it was almost dead even after I recharged it.

I was able to fix it by unplugging it from any charger, playing it until the battery died causing it to auto shutdown, then plugging it in and fully charging it again before turning it back on. No idea why this worked but it did.

This sounds very risky and I can't even try that because my Deck only runs with the power cord connected.

Up to you. I'm just telling you what worked for me