ZBook reset triggered by Perixx Periboard-335 keyboard reset through Sonnet 750ex eGPU

[jhansonxi]

While testing out some ergo keyboards I encountered a highly repeatable bug that often results in my Ryzen Pro ZBook (752N4AV) freezing and resetting.  While it won't affect me in the future I'm posting this as a bug report and warning to others.

The Periboard-335 (and the larger 535) has basic macro capability.  According to the manual (PDF) it has a unusual macro/settings reset procedure - unplug the keyboard then hold down Fn+D+G keys while plugging it back in.  Some LEDs flash and it's back to factory defaults.  Except that's not all that happened…

I have the 335 plugged into a Coolgear CG-U3MINI7PH surge-protected USB hub, connected to an USB-A port on my new Sonnet 750ex eGPU case, which in turn was connected to the USB-C Thunderbolt on the ZBook.  This configuration was working without problems using only the default Win11 drivers and a Nvidia GeForce 1050Ti.  Everything is plugged into a CyberPower UPS and my metal desk is grounded.  The ZBook is running the factory installed Win11 with all firmware and software updates.

When I performed the keyboard reset procedure, the ZBook promptly locked-up then rebooted a few seconds later.  I have since repeated this dozens of times with varying results.

1. Freeze and reset, sometimes delayed up to about 30 seconds
2. The eGPU stops responding along with connected peripherals
3. A bunch of Win11 tones indicating USB devices connecting/disconnecting repeatedly

I usually have to reboot and power-cycle the 750ex to recover.  This failure occurs with the keyboard directly connected to the 750ex or through the hub.  Other peripherals don't matter.  ZBook powered either by the 750ex with the HP USB-C adapter.  Video card doesn't matter - it's repeatable with no card installed.  Edit:  It doesn't occur with the keyboard connected directly to a USB-A port on the ZBook.

I enabled the Microsoft UEFI key and booted Xubuntu Linux 23.10 using a LiveDVD.  Other than some graphics problems with the open source AMD and Nvidia drivers conflicting the system worked as expected.  Unlike Win11 the keyboard reset did not cause problems on Linux.

I contacted Sonnet about it and they were aware of some problems with Win11 and Thunderbolt bridge devices.  I sent them a usbmon data dump of the keyboard reset process.  I can't attach them here but I can email them.

I've decided to use a different keyboard I liked better thus this bug won't affect me.  But a downstream USB device causing an unintentional system reset seems like a serious problem that may indicate other latent bugs present.  An engineer should investigate this.