Q: Static shock disrupting video output (2014 MacMini)
I'm having an issue with static shock temporarily disrupting the video output from my MacMini. This wouldn't be such a big deal but the device is outputting live lyrics for our church services so any disruption is very noticeable.
The setup:
- 2014 MacMini
- Vid Output 1: HDMI to monitor
- Vid Output 2: MiniDV to HDMI Projector (HDMI over HDbaseT)
- Vid Output 3: USB to HDMI splitter to Monitor (HDMI) /Projector (HDMI over HDbaseT)
The mac and 2 monitors sit on a plastic folding table in our carpeted sound booth and the projectors are hung from the ceiling. The issue occurs anytime someone walks up and touches the table (while statically charged), the person gets a shock and one of the screens will go black but then come right back a second later. It also occasionally will do the same thing to one of the projector feeds so I'm thinking the issue is with the Mac getting zapped and a random video output freaks out temporarily. Every time it happens, the signal always comes back but it usually makes for an interesting couple seconds of black screen...
I know the plastic tables combined with the carpet are not ideal for static charging but that's what I hoping I can get some suggestions on improving.
What would be the best way to solve this? Some things that crossed my mind are:
- Rubber mat on the table top.
- Switch to a wood table.
- Rubber mat on the floor under the table and chairs.
- Run a grounding wire to the tables/monitors/mac (not sure how to do this...)
Mac mini, iOS 9.3, 2014 model
Posted on Mar 23, 2016 10:33 AM