periodic Dual-link display problem with new adapter

So I'm joining the party - just got my new 17" MBP after a shocking wait - and hey the max res the 30 inch Apple Cinema display will run at is 1280x800. Tech support know nothing.

Just wanted to share a link to a twin discussion (and lamenting/troubleshooting) going on over here: <http://mjtsai.com/blog/2009/03/06/macbook-pro-mini-displayport-dual-link-dvi/# comment-486802>. I've spoken with someone at Bookendz to determine if their as-of-yet-unreleased dock for the unibody MacBook Pros has been tested with 3rd party 30" monitors. No word yet, but it may be a solution for some of us, if it works. Apparently we'll know something more in mid-April.

I, too, am deliberating about choosing a previous-model MacBook Pro that I know for sure works beautifully with the Dell 30" and the Bookendz dock. Apple used to facilitate my productivity (for the last 15+ years), and now they seem to be on a totally different plane.

Well, I hate to upset everyone, but I should chime in. I've had my DELL 30" for a week now, and haven't seen a single problem - and I'm using all my USB ports, and the 3 ports on the monitor's hub!

I have found a way to fix the screen fairly quickly once it scrambles. I enabled a hotspot under the screen saver System Preferences, and setup that corner to put the display to sleep. Whenever the screen scrambles, I move my mouse there to force the display to sleep, then move it again to bring it back up. Sometimes it works the first time, sometimes it takes more than one try.

This beats my other "workaround" which involved unplugging the adapter from the powered usb hub, and plugging it back in. Sometimes that would work, sometimes it wouldn't, and sometimes my laptop never recognized the external monitor again without a reboot. I can't tell you how frustrating that is.

Hope this helps someone...

Glad your setup is working for you. No screen issues at all? Can you boot from Mac to Windows and back again with no issues? I was going to buy a SWEET laptop but Apple's slow handling of this made me choose to throw an SSD and more memory in my Macbook Pro instead. Apple, this is really, really important! Fix this or I'll keep my current laptop for 3-4 years.

A better (faster) workaround is to turn Mirroring "ON". This will fix the screen. Then turn if "Off". That is the fastest way to fix this issue.
I hate to do that though as sometimes I'm doing professional work and get the blurriness. APPLE, you must fix this bug before it drives me crazy!! 🙂
Thanks for listening.

I don't know if this is related but i'm also experiancing problems when exiting the sleep mode on my MBP. it was working perfectly up until some time ago.

When my MBP exits the sleep mode, only my second display goes on. the display on the MBP stays dark. I can either remove and re-plug the mini display port or choose detect displays in the display menu. then i works again.

I also had one other issue once when exiting the sleep mode. There was static (as in TV static) when i exited the sleep mode. It was flickering on the bottom of my display. That was weird.

IF anyone has some tips or knows this issue please let me know 😀

Many thanks.

I have used this procedure. When I switch from a PC (connected through the Belkin KVM) to MacBook Pro, the Apple Cinema Display shows snow. When I put it to "sleep" then wake, the display turns to normal. I have top repeat this every time I switch from MBP to PC and back. Very annoying.

I believe this problem is getting worse over time. I have had my MBP since December and have not heard of any help on solving this very very annoying problem.
What I am seeing now is the double script or sometimes overlapping script frequency is going up. It used to come up mostly in the morning a few times after sleep and then late in the afternoon the process would repeat.
Now I am finding the problem through out the day multiple times. This is driving my eyes crazy. Many times I have been typing and in the middle of a word I can no longer see.
Are other people seeing the problems increase over time?
As for the snow and the blue vertical line or the white line at an edge or the pink horizontal lines these seem to come up at the same old frequency.

Is there any hope in sight?

Can you tell us how long you have had your MBP? Perhaps there is a chip problem with the early models that has been replaced in yours? I am sure from reading this for now four months that there are thousands of us who are loosing our minds over this. It would be interesting to know if only the early editions of the MBP are suffering.

(bit of repetition as there are two simultaneous threads in the forums on this problem)

Yet another formerly happy Mac user, mugged by Apple's delightful (hah!) support.

I have a Samsung 305T; works a treat with my older MBP (2,2 iirc) but since I was forced through an upgrade the wretched dongle do-dad (Yetch!) does the period flicker dance.

Another effect I've noticed probably related? is that my Display settings periodically gets reset. my mac forgets the arrangement of monitors, the resolution settings - any ideas? I'd just concluded it was a symptom of the same problem.

(yep tried different monitors, problem remains, yep un plugging and replugging "fixes" the problem but of course all the window-locations are lost.)

ta,
A.

(should be a little more complete here...)

I am disappointed at the poor quality of this product (naturally)

I believe the image from http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/12/applesmini_displayport_to_duallink_dvi_adaptor_has_periodic_distortionissues-2.html displays the problem I get.

For me, this occurs 5 or more times a day; (the fuzziness on the 30" display); and is only cured by unplugging and replugging one or more of the mini Displayport - DualLink USB (aka power source), mini port connector or Dual-Link DVI into the monitor itself.

This post is very much in the category of "Me too, but on a Samsung 305T".

I am rather intrigued by the Display-settings problem, and wonder if it is related... Anyone else have something similar occur? (Dual-head settings rest to default periodically)

ta,
A.

I'm experiencing the same issue as everybody else.

I'm using an iMac 2.93Ghz 24" with a Dell 3007WFP connected externally with the mini displayport to dual-dvi adapter.

This thread has now been open for almost six months and as far as I am aware there is no solution to the problem.

I have had a ticket open with Apple since December. I have gone out of my way to cooperate with them in debugging this. I have provided them with everything they have asked for, including event traces, system log files, and digital photos of my screen in this mode. I have reproduced the bug repeatedly on Apple, Dell, and Samsung monitors. I even brought my machine into the local Apple store and demonstrated the problem to the geniuses there. I have installed every update and patch, cleared my parameter RAM, etc....

After all this cooperation I still haven't gotten any reply beyond a claim that engineering now has all the data they need, is working on the problem, and will release a firmware patch when the bug is fixed. I can't even get any ETA for the fix or any other information whatsoever.

Is this really how Apple now treats it's customers? After buying dozens of Apple computers for myself and my employees over the years I am now seriously considering going back to a PC.

Well apparently new topics about this problem are deleted by the moderators, so I will try again here.

Did anyone find a solution to these issues yet, or better yet, do we have any official statement from Apple? I'm not planning on buying a known defective product.

I now have a largely worthless 30" Apple Cinema Display sitting on my desk, unable to connect it to my 2009 MBP. Not happy.