WD19TBS dock not charging Dell Precision 5530 via Thunderbolt 3

The dock should power the system and charge the battery.  If you have another USB-C adapter, will that be detected when directly connected to the system and at least attempt to charge the battery?

Thanks for the response!

I tried connecting a USB-C power bank, and Windows showed a warning that the charger was too weak – so that detection is working properly.

However, when using the WD19TBS dock (with the 180W adapter), BIOS and Windows both show "130W adapter connected", and there are no warnings most of the time. Still, the battery drains slowly even when plugged in.

Occasionally, I do get a message saying something like "Use the original Dell charger for full performance", so I assume this means the dock is not providing a stable 130W, or the system cannot draw full power via Thunderbolt 3.

I did more testing, and it seems the order in which I plug the dock and the original barrel charger makes a difference.

If I plug in the barrel adapter first and then the dock, the laptop charges fine. But if I plug in the dock first and then the barrel charger, the system shows "plugged in" but the battery drains – it seems like it doesn’t properly switch over to the higher-wattage source.

This seems like a power source prioritization issue between Thunderbolt and the barrel input.

While I discovered that plugging in the barrel charger before the dock allows the system to charge properly, this still doesn't solve the actual problem for me.

What I need is for the WD19TBS dock to charge the Precision 5530 on its own, without needing the barrel adapter at all. No matter what I try, the dock never charges the battery on its own, even though the BIOS and Windows both show that a 130W adapter is connected. The battery keeps draining.

So while the prioritization workaround helps me understand the behavior better, the dock still does not provide effective charging, which defeats the purpose of having a dock with a 180W adapter. I'm looking for a way to make the dock charge the system directly, reliably, and without needing the original Dell barrel charger.

If you haven't tried a new USB-C/Thunderbolt cable between the dock and system, that would be next.  If that does not solve the issue, it sounds like the dock output is the issue, meaning the next step is to replace the docking station.

Thanks again for the suggestion!

I ran several tests earlier today while the laptop battery was completely drained:

• Using the dock (WD19TBS + 180W PSU) → system would not power on

• Using a USB-C power bank (65W) → same result

• Using the original Dell barrel charger → system powered on normally

When the system is running, the BIOS shows "AC Adapter = 130W" for both the dock and the barrel charger.
However, even when connected to the dock, the battery drains slowly, and occasionally Windows displays a "PC isn't charging" warning.
So it looks like the dock is detected, but either it can't deliver stable 130W over Thunderbolt, or the system can't draw it.

As for testing with another Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C cable:
The WD19TBS uses a built-in, non-detachable Thunderbolt 3 cable, which can technically be removed by unscrewing a few screws and disconnecting it from inside the dock — but I currently don't have the tools or the time to do that.
Also, I don’t own any Thunderbolt 3 cable rated for 130W — only one that supports up to 100W, which wouldn’t help verify power delivery.

The dock charges other USB-C devices just fine (like my Steam Deck), and all firmware and BIOS are fully up to date.
From what I’ve gathered, it seems the Precision 5530 requires the barrel-style charger for full charging, and can't draw full power over Thunderbolt 3, even if the source is capable of supplying it.

Let me know if there's any official Dell documentation on this — would be great to confirm.