The fact that the Kramer adapter intermittently worked when connected prior to an update and now doesnt connect unless done after the A1620 adapter has been connected could show a defect within the adaptor itself. If the Belkin adapter was suggested then thats what's going to be your best resource and the Kramer adapter may look like the Belkin adapter but the internal build would be different as both manufactures use different parts.

We understand that you are having issues with third party adapters intermittently working with your Mac. Thank you for posting in Apple Support communities. Will this Belkin adapter (F2CU037dsWHTAPL) work with my M1 Mini? Is this Belkin adapter the only third-party device that will work with Apples? Should the Kramer USB-C to VGA adapter work on my Mac Mini without having to first prime the connection with an Apple adapter? The Kramer looks exactly like the Belkin adapter. That page does not specifically mention compatibility with the M1 Mini. It appears that at least some third-party adapters can work, as Apple has mentioned the Belkin adapter on If I use the A1620 adapter, to get the Mini connected to the VGA monitor, then switch to the Kramer adapter, it will keep working until I reboot the computer. If I use a A1620 adapter (that is usually on my laptop), that will make the VGA monitor on the Mini work. If I use a Kramer adapter, it used to work sometimes, but now will not work. I have connected a VGA monitor to one of the Thunderbolt ports. I have an HDMI monitor connected to the HDMI port.

Macbook pro hdmi to vga adapter