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Acmee Author

Level 1

5 points

Mini Displayport to Dual-Link DVI not working?

I have just received my Mini Displayport to Dual Link DVI Adapter. The good: After I cancelled my initial order, because it delayed my notebook, I reordered last week and got it within 5 days or so (despite the store displaying 2-3 weeks). I was positively surprised to see it featuring a USB repeater. I plugged it in and it seemed to work instantly I also encountered no jumpy mouse whatsoever. I tried with a Dell 30" screen (3007WFP).

The Bad: The dvi connector is pretty bad and unstable, you can also not use the screws on the dvi cable to the monitor to fix the plug to the adapter. They also didn't recreate the analog video signals on the dvi connector, so no luck in trying to use the adapter with an old dvi to vga adapter (I was sort of expecting that, but given they have all kinds of circuitry in the box anyway, there was a tiny quantum of hope).

The Ugly: A few minutes later the problem surfaced: The picture became somehow distorted, it looks as if the Dual Link connection is losing a link, meaning that every second pixel or so is missing on screen. But the symptoms can also include shadows etc. I tried a few things:

* Cycling the monitor power has no effect
* It makes no difference if the adapter gets power via the Macbook Pro USB ports, a powered hub, a usb ac adapter etc.
* It makes no difference if there is something plugged into the adapter USB repeater or not.
* The problem seems to be occuring later if the main display is folded down and only the 30" screen is connected
* Re-plugging the connection DVI side fixes the problems sometimes.
* Re-plugging the Mini Displayport side connection either fixes the problem, or kills the connection forever, requiring complete adapter removal and redetection of the main display (sleep, function key etc.).

Over time, the problem surfaces 100%, typically after a few minutes. Funny enough, sometimes it vanishes by itself.

Does anyone have a similar problem? Or is my adapter defective? Any suggestions towards a fix? Any help is appreciated. I am cursing the day someone decided to replace the old dvi connector.

Regards,
TB

Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Dec 24, 2008 3:58 PM

145 replies

Sep 22, 2009 11:03 AM in response to Acmee

I bought this crap on ebay. Had the old firmware. Tried calling apple but nobody wants to help and the guy who sold it on ebay will not return it. Apple says I should download the update online but it doesn't exist. Apple should just take it back with no questions asked and hand out a new one, so not just a **** product, **** company with **** support as well. I'm glad there are alternatives from other companies out now.

tsumuji

Level 1

0 points

Sep 22, 2009 9:31 PM in response to crackapple

You are absolutely correct in your observations of Apple. The problem is that support has buried it's collective head in the sand on this issue. There is no consistent policy and in some cases Apple support gives the wrong information such as "download online"
But what is the alternative you are talking about? Is there another adaptor out there that works? Could you post a link?
Thank you.

e.f.

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2009 7:31 PM in response to dukeiii

AFAIK the only option is to take your existing adaptor into an apple store with your receipt and ask for a new one. the apple people won't know what you're talking about, but if you explain the issue and that you need the 1.02 version, they should swap it for free. note: you can't tell it's got 1.02 without plugging in and looking in system profiler. but it's been out for months now so most likely anything in the store will be 1.02.

also: while it is a big improvement (at least with my Mac Mini), it isn't perfect. still a tiny bit of pixel noise...

iaw4

Level 1

9 points

Oct 3, 2009 3:57 PM in response to tsumuji

even more amazing, they continue to advertise the ability of their computers to drive 30" monitors and continue to sell this defective adapter.

Oct 3, 2009 6:54 PM in response to Acmee

I have the 1.02 firmware with a new Macbook Pro and it is working fine.

Alex_A

Level 1

8 points

Oct 9, 2009 12:07 PM in response to eww

I think it's related to the graphics card on the MBP. I tested a MacBook air using the same adapter I thought was faulty and it worked perfectly non-stop.

I've had some strange graphical glitches on my MBP display... a distorted band appears down the right side of the display for a few days every few months and then goes away again. Apple have agreed to replace the mainboard but the wait is up to 28 days at the moment so I've decided to wait for now.

Ken Loh

Level 2

299 points

Oct 13, 2009 9:44 PM in response to Acmee

For what it's worth, I have a 3.06GHz 24" iMac using this adapter with a 30" Apple Cinema Display and the horizontal lines are everywhere when there is a "dark" background. My firmware is 1.02 and that's not helping my issue.

This is very disappointing since there are no other options out there to connect Mini Displayport to DVI.

awm22

Level 1

4 points

Oct 20, 2009 6:05 AM in response to DaviddesJ

While I have suffered with this ridiculous problem for 9 months; I am happy to report that I've now gone 2 weeks without a problem.

I have an MBP 15" 5,1 running 10.5.6 (that is new) and a DVI Duallink adapter with firmware updated to 1.0.2 (that is new too!)

with both a firmware update and an OS update I've not (cross-fingers) had any problems.

Your mileage may vary.
cheers,
Andrew.

Oct 20, 2009 6:41 AM in response to Acmee

I am still having problems after receiving my 1.02 Firmware adapter. My MBP is a late June 2009 model with the integrated battery. I have tried three different adapters, so it is not an adapter problem. I am up to date on all software updates. An apple tech support person offered to send me another replacement MBP (my earlier MBP from January was replace twice for major problems) so that they could study this problem, but I didn't think that would fix the problem. I am still very frustrated. It doesn't seem to make any difference which video card I use either.

Oct 20, 2009 6:43 AM in response to 99thpercentile

Could it be possible that the problem is related to the port on your computer or the Dual-Link DVI cable you are using?

Oct 21, 2009 2:36 AM in response to Acmee

Absolutely annoying. MBP 3.06GHz, 30 inch ACD. Mini Display Port to dual Link DVI.
After monitor sleep, external display goes black in about 30% of cases with some off-color and moving pixels/stripes. Display power on/off does not help, only disconnecting/reconnecting USB. All windows are rearranged.
In addition, external screen goes black for a second during normal operation every once in a while.
Happens with both video cards and on both MBPs I have (one late 2008 and one mid 2009, both with 30inch ACD and the infamous adaptor).
Apple, we quickly need a fix - this is inacceptable for any system, but certainly even more so for one that is 5.000 Euro or more!

Oct 26, 2009 9:16 AM in response to Meristemania

I've had this problem with my Apple 30" display for about six months. Changing Powerbooks, upgrading OS, and trading in the dual-link cable didn't help. I'm running with version 1.02 of the firmware.

However, thanks to a suggestion from Apple, I have now found a solution that is 90% effective. I installed a Tripp-Lite TL013-ND line conditioner ($200) to filter out line noise, and the static and blackouts have almost disappeared. Before this I had been using a $20 surge protector, but that evidently didn't filter all the noise out of the power supply.

The few blackouts and static bursts that do still occur seem to be caused by radio-frequency interference, and could possibly be eliminated using a grounded Faraday cage, but they are rare enough that I haven't felt the need to try this so far.

Alex_A

Level 1

8 points

Oct 29, 2009 7:36 AM in response to johnjones

Interestingly I have had the problem happen a LOT less since I switched the screen with my menu bar, (the primary display), to the laptop monitor and I am using my 30" monitor as the extended area.

Weird! Give it a go.

albo

Level 1

45 points

Nov 6, 2009 2:29 PM in response to Acmee

LCD: Dell 30" with MacBook Pro screen off (single external display)
Adapter Type: Mini DisplayPort To Dual-Link DVI Adapter
Adapter Firmware Version: 1.02

- Various issues with screen flickering, flashing, completely out of sync.
- Issues ALWAYS happen when waking the computer from sleep.

- Issues are mostly fixable by logging out and switching from the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M chipset to the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT chipset and vice versa. Worst case I'd need to restart.

Video example of the flashing issue here: http://vimeo.com/7478458 with more to follow as they happen.

direwolf8

Level 4

1,286 points

Nov 6, 2009 2:57 PM in response to crackapple

I bought this crap on ebay. Had the old firmware. Tried calling apple but nobody wants to help and >the guy who sold it on ebay will not return it...Apple should just take it back with no questions asked >and hand out a new one,

How is Apple different from any other manufacturer in this respect? If you bought a defective Zune on Ebay would you expect Microsoft to replace it with a new one? Sometimes saving money involves risk.

Mini Displayport to Dual-Link DVI not working?