What materials does a docking station has? This is the basis of how to distinguish a qualified docking station.Wire, shell, PCB, chips, resistance and capacitance.
- Wire:
Standard with automotive HDMI wire
In order to match different kinds of data transmission, we usually use Standard with automotive HDMI wire, which can transmit audio, video and other data, to support different ports command. So we can see there are at least 20 lines inside. Generally a qualified docking station would use #28 or# 30 wire with 0.36mm diameter. The wire core material is electrolytic pure copper. And usually we can see the core material is white. That is because the copper is tin plated. For the skin material, usually we use rubber and fabric weaving. Rubber skin wires are most commonly seeing in the market, but fabric weaving cores are usually used in high-end docking stations. Weaving cores looks more elegant and have better ant--scratch, anti-friction,antioxidant performance.
How to distinguish a wire is good quality or not? I wrote an article before. You can learn more by this
- Shell
Aluminum alloy shell
Aluminum alloy and ABS plastic are the almost shell material.
Aluminum shell, ROHS SGS compliant. It has excellent conductivity, thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance. Aluminum price is higher than ABS, that is why aluminum shell docking station price is higher than plastic ones, even they have the same function and design. And more important aluminum shell docking station has much better heat radiation performance, longer service time, more stable etc. So most docking station brands uses aluminum as the main stream shell material. Different color shells have different painting. But most of of them in the market looks with something gray. Different brands seems have same shell color. Why? That because the color is not painted but oxidized, for the technique limitation almost colors are gray. They have little difference, gray with blue, gray with purple, deep gray, light gray.
3.PCB
PCB can be divided into rigid pcb and flexible PCB according to material. Common materials of rigid pcb include phenolic paper laminate, epoxy paper laminate, polyester glass felt laminate and epoxy glass cloth laminate. Common materials of flexible PCB include polyester film, polyimide film and fluorinated ethylene propylene film.epoxy glass cloth laminate is the most widely used PCB in docking stations.
4.Chips
Synaptics Chips
It is the core of a docking station. It dominates the performance of the products. Low quality docking station would use infamous chips to lower the costs. The most commonly results are 3. 1, service life is not long. Usually some problems would occur in about 3 months or so. 2. Operation is not stable. Some ports would not work well some time even not work.3, QC can not find the problem until they are used by customers. Most of time, QC can not test the quality problem of low quality chips. That is the most headache thing. A brand thinks about the price as the only thing to choose the supplier usually would have such problem, because the manufacture need profit to be alive. It would harm the brand much.
5.Resistance and capacitance
They are important assistant parts for chips. Bad quality resistance and capacitance would bring the same problem as chips.
6.Hardware interface
USB C, USB A, VGA, DVI, HDMI, SD, TF, RJ45, Ethernet, DP. Frankly there is no technology barrier in Chinese factories. Quality difference of these parts are mainly caused from the raw material ,production process and detail treatment. Aluminum alloy, copper are better than iron. So testing the metal position is a good way that we can distinguish the quality.
USB C interface
USB A interface
HDMI interface