Struggling to connect projector

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Struggling to connect projector

Hi

I am running a 2018 i5 Mac Mini with 32GB of ram and a Saphire Vega 56 8GB GPU in a Sonnet 550 Breakaway Box.

I run all 4 of my displays from the graphics card.

We recently got a new projector and I cannot get the Projector to connect to Graphics card at all. I have tried swopping cables using adapters you name it.

Even if I plug the HDMI directly into the Mac Mini it still does not pick it up.

But, and this is the extremely frustrating part.

I also have a USB C Hub connected to the Mac Mini for a few extra ports: https://www.takealot.com/nxtech-professional-7-in-1-type-c-hub-multi-function-adapter-hdm/PLID71111138

When I plug the HDMI into the port on the USB C hub the projector connects to the Mac Mini.

Here is the link to our old projector: https://www.christiedigital.com/products/discontinued-products/end-of-support/end-of-support-projectors/christie-lw555/overview

Here is the link to our new projector: https://infocus.com/product/quantum-laser-advanced-series/

It is an InFocus INL 4129.

If anyone has any idea why this is happening or what I could try and change I would greatly appreciate it. Having the projector connected to the usb c hub and not the graphics card is massively hindering the performance of the pc.

Mac mini, macOS 10.14

Posted on Aug 26, 2022 1:55 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Johnb-one

Level 6

9,180 points

Aug 26, 2022 3:54 PM in response to Nathan_deNobz

Hi, Nathan_deNobz… i will try…

have you tried doing the basics for your Mac Mini 2018?

eg, resetting smc/pmu and zapping pram 4 times on startup? Your eGPu should be shutdown and disconnected from your mac mini after you shut it down… how to reset the smc/pmu and zap pram can be found here( see link) :

https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/35820-add-these-… steps-to-your-toolbox-when-troubleshooting-issues-on-a-mac/… your usb-c hub might not be providing enough power/ juice to run 4 displays, seeing as how it’s not active/powered… i’d recommend a usb-c/Thunderbolt 3 powered dock rather than a hub for your applications.. also ensure that everything( cables and dock) support HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2) so, from what i see on sonnet’s website, the breakaway box 550 has a usb-c/thunderbolt 3 port on it, plus 1 ethernet and 3 usb 2.0 type A ports… the card itself has 3 1.4 displayport connectors on it and 1 hdmi 2.0 b connector on it… so there’s your 4 outputs from the card itself.. your new projector does hdmi 2.0 with hdcp 2.2 support and hdmi 1.4 support along with vga. And analog video . no displayport on the projector itself… the christie one does Hdmi 1.3b, vga and analog video… so i’m guessing you’d wanna do hdmi 2.0 for everything… i think i got that ok… so why plug the projector into your usb-c hub? You have 3 displayport 1.4 outputs on the card itself + 1 hdmi 2.0 .. this post from sonnettech has something about displays not being detected : https://www.sonnettech.com/support/kb/kb.php?cat=524&expand=_a2_b1001_b970&action=b970#b970

anyways, i am almost out of ideas for now… you can’t mix hdmi 2.0 and 1.4 cables and stuff, with hdmi 2.0 and hdcp 2.2 all must support it or it won’t work….monoprice makes a blackbird hdmi 2.0 fixing device that makes hdmi 1.4 and hdcp 2.2 play nicely together… see link : https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15242

they also have a 4 way hdmi matrix box that does the same thing, but for 4 hdmi outputs… etc.. might be worth a look: and now i’m tapped out..

john b

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Answer 2

Johnb-one

Level 6

9,180 points

Aug 30, 2022 3:22 PM in response to Nathan_deNobz

Apologies to you as well… i didn’t know the projector was 6 m up at the top of the auditorium and 18 m from your Mac mini…that’s a heck of a long cable run in any event.. you’d need an active hdmi cable ?? Anyways, i’ve enclosed an amazon link for a long distance fiber optic hdmi cable in various lengths… it’ll go up to 30 m and supports hdmi 2.0b, it’s from the United Arab Emirates( the link, not the cable) … i don’t know what the exchange rate is between uaeD and south african rand, but it might give you a rough idea of the cost.. https://www.amazon.ae/TESmart-Supports-Compatible-Blu-ray-Projector/dp/B08J7YL37X/ref=sr_1_12?crid=QN24EOAICLGO&keywords=fibre%2Boptic%2Bhdmi%2Bcable&qid=1661896292&sprefix=%2Caps%2C372&sr=8-12&th=1 same with the hdmi converter… https://www.amazon.ae/Monoprice-115242-Blackbird-Converter-Black/dp/B01CT7THLO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=UF9D19PFWHD1&keywords=Hdmi+2.2+to+hdmi+1.4+converter+monoprice&qid=1661896846&sprefix=hdmi+2.2+to+hdmi+1.4+converter+monoprice%2Caps%2C227&sr=8-4 … yeah, i’m getting pretty confused here too… maybe you can find and try to buy locally and use a usb-c/thunderbolt 3 active dock, rather than a hub… ( do they have local kijiji or facebook marketplace in South Africa… ?? You must have something like that… obviously i wouldn’t know for sure as i’m canadian… i can only guess.. as for the hdmi 2.2 to 1.4 box… well, maybe you can find a local dealer.. i’m sure other companies than monoprice make them and someone not too far away from you might have one in stock… i hope so, anyways… i’m no expert at all… if you’re not sure if the 2.2 to 1.4 box would work to do what you wanted it to do, likewise with the active usb-c/thunderbolt 3 dock, maybe contact the makers of each of those kind of devices and ask them before you spend the cash.. anyways, i tried, Nathan..

john b

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Answer 3

Aug 30, 2022 4:39 AM in response to Johnb-one

Hi John

Thank you for the guidance. I tried resetting the smc and pmu but but to no success.

The Breakaway box that I have only has the thunderbolt port to connect it to the Mac Mini and then the 4 ports of the graphics card (1 HDMI and 3 Display Port as you stated).

The HDMI fibre cable that we are using we got a few years after we got our old projector (which was in 2012) so to be honest I do not know what version of HDMI it is running as it does not say on the cable.

My challenge is that the projector sits at about 6m up at the top of our auditorium and about 18m from the mac mini. So buying a new cable would be pricey for only the possibility of it working. The other issue is that I cannot buy a newer HDMI to fibre cable for the projector as the HDMI port on the graphics card is being used up by our TV that we have on the stage, and a fibre display port to hdmi cable of that length would be very hard to come by, especially here is South Africa.

I am currently plugging the projector into the USB C hub because that is the only place where the projector and mac mini communicate. Even if I plug the projector in directly to the mac mini's HDMI port it does not work.

Unfortunately the monoprice converter is pricey for something that might now work. To buy it here in South Africa would be about $84.30. Would it work though? Because I would have to use a display port to HDMI cable plugging into the monoprice which would be converting the signal from the graphics card from HDCP 2.2 to HDCP 1.4 compliant which should work seeing as though the projector does support HDMI 1.4

The part that confuses me about all of this is why the old fibre cable that we have works with the usb-hub but does not work with the graphics card. Because that shows me that the cable is not too old for the projector to be able to pick it up.

Apologies. I do not know if I made sense in all of that.

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Answer 4

Aug 30, 2022 11:39 PM in response to Johnb-one

Thank you so much for all your assistance John. It is greatly appreciated.

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Answer 5

Aug 30, 2022 11:42 PM in response to Johnb-one

Yes we do have facebook marketplace.

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Struggling to connect projector

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