• From: Wien
  • Registered: 2022-05-04
  • Posts: 1

Topic: UFX+ not recognized via Thunderbolt (Windows)

I'm facing an issue where my UFX+ is not recognized via the Thunderbolt driver (though it's operable with USB).

Previously (about one year ago, with a different driver version), the interface was working correctly on the same laptop via Thunderbolt using an Apple TB2 cable and Startech TB3 adapter.

The Thunderbolt white light briefly illuminates during boot, but remains off subsequently. Also, the RME PCIe Settings application doesn't start up post-installation.

The Thunderbolt Control Center doesn't identify any connected devices or any requiring approval. Also after disabling all Thunderbolt-related security features in the BIOS, the issue persists.

The same problem occurs on a second Windows 11 dual-boot installation on the same machine.

Upon manually searching for the RME PCIe Settings application in /System32/DriverStore/, only an amd64-related exe is located, suggesting maybe a potential issue with the driver installation?

The drivers of the Thunderbolt controller (9A1B) have also been updated to the latest version (1.41.1335.0).

Evidently, this is a recurring issue based on the forum discussions.

OS: Windows 11 Pro 10.0.22621
Machine: Dell Precision 3560 Laptop
RME Thunderbolt Driver Version: 1.21
UFX+ (Rev. A) Thunderbolt Firmware Version: 111

2 Reply by Ninbura (edited by Ninbura 2023-09-27 22:04:30)

  • From: Utah, USA
  • Registered: 2020-10-08
  • Posts: 104

Re: UFX+ not recognized via Thunderbolt (Windows)

Unfortunately Intel has dropped support for Thunderbolt 2 via their latest ME firmware.

RME is no longer making Thunderbolt interfaces due to Intel's ridiculous TB standards / chip supply. Evidenced by intel's move to drop support for TB1 & TB2 devices.

Moving forward the most reliable way to use RME interfaces over a thunderbolt connection is with an HDSPe PCIe interface inside a Thunderbolt enclosure. As the standard continues to update companies will continue to make new enclosures and your interface won't risk going out-of-date since the PCIe standard continues to be backwards compatible.

Though, I wonder if there's a way forward with USB 4? That's an open standard with PCIe tunneling as far as I know. But I'm not informed well enough to truly understand if that's meaningful in any way.

2x MADI FX | Digiface Dante | Fireface UFX+ | ADI-192 DD