SilverStone EP14: A Miniature USB-C Hub with HDMI, USB-A, 100 W Power
by Anton Shilov on March 19, 2019 2:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Peripherals
- SilverStone
- USB-C
- USB-C Hub
With hundreds of different USB Type-C adapters and docks on the market, manufacturers are trying hard to make theirs more attractive. To that end, they now tend to design rather interesting products addressing focused use cases. SilverStone has introduced its new compact USB-C dock that has three USB-A ports, a display output, and can pass through up to 100 W of power to charge a laptop and/or devices connected to the USB-A ports, a rare feature for small docks.
The SilverStone SST-EP14C dock is based on the Fresco Logic FL5002 USB 3.1 hub controller that supports Power Delivery 2.0 spec as well as the Parade PS176 DP 1.2 to HDMI 2.0 converter. The unit has three USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port (that can be used as a power input as well as a display output), and an HDMI 1.4 connector supporting up to 4096×2160 at 30 Hz resolution (which is a bit odd as the product has a DP 1.2 to HDMI 2.0 converter chip that supports 4096×2160 at 60 Hz).
The key feature of the SST-EP14C is its ability to pass through up to 100 W of power from an appropriate power brick, enough to charge a 15.6-inch notebook and/or devices connected to its USB Type-A ports. Since there are laptops like Apple’s MacBook that feature only one USB Type-C connector, the ability to pass the power though a dock is a valuable feature.
The device comes in a sand-blasted aluminum with plastic chassis that matches design of contemporary laptops from Apple. Measuring 97.2×44×14.7 mm, the SST-EP14C dock weighs 71.3 grams.
SilverStone will start sales of the SST-EP14C dock in late March. The product will cost ¥6,500 w/o sales tax ($58) in Japan, but its MSRP in other countries is unknown.
Related Reading:
- HP at CES 2019: Slim Envy USB-C Hub Debuts with Charging USB Type-A and HDMI 2.0
- Silicon Power Has a Host of USB-C Peripherals: MicroSD Card Reader, Dongles & Docks
- Opro9 Introduces USB-C Dock & Adapters: from €29 to €109
- StarTech Launches Thunderbolt 3 USB Hub with 3 USB 3.1 Controllers & Power Delivery
- Kingston at CES 2018: Nucleum, a Portable 7-in-1 USB-C Dock for Notebooks
Sources: SilverStone, Hermitage Akihabara
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Gunbuster - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
Well it sure beats the opposite scenario of no name Chinese adapters for $25 that will claim 100W and then blow up your device.Killed $1500 in gear? We offer you free $25 replacement
Valantar - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
So SilverStone made a hub near identical to the hundreds of others available from Newegg, Amazon or Aliexpress. Good to know, I guess, but I'd rather take one of the dozens of alternatives with better I/O for cheaper, even if I do like SilverStone.Dug - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - link
It's too bad we can't have a USB-C hub, meaning USB-C connected to computer to many USB-C ports.timecop1818 - Thursday, March 21, 2019 - link
> It's too bad we can't have a USB-C hub, meaning USB-C connected to computer to many USB-C ports.It's hard to do it properly, because you need cable orientation direction and lane swapping on each port. What I've seen done is USB-C to dual USB-C + dual USB-A, with 2 hubs cascaded inside, with top/bottom orientation on each C-connector actually being different USB ports. So when you connect the plug one way, its connected to say hub port #0, but reversing it connects to hub port #1. It's kinda clever hack but of course misses all the good things about USB-C like PD or AlternateMode etc.
BerylliumBarry - Friday, March 6, 2020 - link
Very nicely designed hub. I'm definitely considering picking one of these up. I was not crazy about usb-c before, but it just seems so practical now, especially when there are viable options like this on the market. https://newyorkessays.com/examples/man/