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strange mini-dvi to dvi problem

post #1 of 9
5/1/10 at 12:57am
Thread Starter 
I have a brand new mac mini. I'm using an LCD monitor that has dvi and vga connectors. In the past I always used a vga connection, but with the mini I got out the cable that came with the monitor, plugged it into the mini-dvi to dvi adapter that came with the mini, and I see nothing. Oddly, when I plug the same connector into my macbook it detects the monitor and even lets me change screen resolutions, but nothing ever appears on the external monitor screen.

The same monitor works on the mac mini with a mini-displayport adapter. In fact, I had both adapters in the mac mini, and I plugged the monitor into one then the other. the mini displayport always works and the mini-dvi does not.

The mac mini will work on the television just fine using a mini-dvi to hdmi setup, so the mini-dvi port isn't the problem. My tests indicate that the adapter is at fault.

I got a new Apple brand mini-dvi to dvi adapter, and the result is exactly the same. I find it hard to believe that two mini-dvi adapters in a row could be faulty. Is there any good reason why the monitor would work on the minidiplayport but not the mini-dvi port?
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post #2 of 9
5/1/10 at 4:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fish2live View Post

The mac mini will work on the television just fine using a mini-dvi to hdmi setup, so the mini-dvi port isn't the problem. My tests indicate that the adapter is at fault.

I got a new Apple brand mini-dvi to dvi adapter, and the result is exactly the same. I find it hard to believe that two mini-dvi adapters in a row could be faulty. Is there any good reason why the monitor would work on the minidiplayport but not the mini-dvi port?

The new models apparently only put out DVI-D and not DVI-I like older machines with Mini-DVI. The Macbook is the same.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread....8699&tstart=15

I wouldn't have expected Mini-DP to support analog signals but it seems to. The HDMI will work with Mini-DVI as it uses a digital signal.

The only option is to get a monitor that accepts DVI-D for input if you want to run it off the Mini-DVI port or it may just need a DVI-I adaptor:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=362518
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post #3 of 9
5/1/10 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 
[QUOTE=Marvin;1624430]The new models apparently only put out DVI-D and not DVI-I like older machines with Mini-DVI. The Macbook is the same.

Note that I pulled the mini-dvi to dvi connector out of the Apple box and used it. The only possible way to do that is if I am already using a DVI-D cord to the monitor. I only said that the monitor has two connections and this is the first time I've tried to use the DVI connection. Nothing here is analog.

Again, things work fine with a minidisplay adapter, but neither the monitor nor the macbook will display anything on the monitor using two different mini-dvi connectors. I expect the cable to be fine because it allows a picture via minidisplay. The monitor shows a great picture via minidisplay.

Remember also, that the macbook even acts like there are two screens, but no change of resolution (or any other thing) has any effect on the external monitor.

Could I have received two bad mini-dvi to dvi adapters in a row?
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post #4 of 9
5/1/10 at 10:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fish2live View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin View Post

The new models apparently only put out DVI-D and not DVI-I like older machines with Mini-DVI. The Macbook is the same.

Note that I pulled the mini-dvi to dvi connector out of the Apple box and used it. The only possible way to do that is if I am already using a DVI-D cord to the monitor. I only said that the monitor has two connections and this is the first time I've tried to use the DVI connection. Nothing here is analog.

Again, things work fine with a minidisplay adapter, but neither the monitor nor the macbook will display anything on the monitor using two different mini-dvi connectors. I expect the cable to be fine because it allows a picture via minidisplay. The monitor shows a great picture via minidisplay.

Remember also, that the macbook even acts like there are two screens, but no change of resolution (or any other thing) has any effect on the external monitor.

Could I have received two bad mini-dvi to dvi adapters in a row?

Without knowing what monitor you're using it will be hard to pin this down. So... which monitor?
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post #5 of 9
5/1/10 at 12:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fish2live View Post

The only possible way to do that is if I am already using a DVI-D cord to the monitor.

The plug will accommodate a DVI-I cable too though. Check the cable plug pins and see what type of cable it is from this image:

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post #6 of 9
5/1/10 at 3:44pm
Thread Starter 
[QUOTE=Marvin;1624567]The plug will accommodate a DVI-I cable too though. Check the cable plug pins and see what type of cable it is from this image:

Wow, there are even more possibilities than I thought. I have a DVI-D dual link cable that came with the monitor.

The monitor brand is Norwood Micro, bought at CompUSA in 2006. The model is OLM-F190C. Judging by the owner's manual this was a CompUSA house brand.
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post #7 of 9
5/2/10 at 12:35pm
Thread Starter 
I gathered up more monitors and cables to continue testing. I have a second monitor identical to my first, and also a Dell monitor.

Two identical Norwood Micro (Compusa) monitors lead to identical results. I can connect either monitor to the new mac mini or a macbook beside it. I've tried all the combinations of monitor-to-computer with my two mini-dvi to dvi adapters. Nothing changes. Since I can now connect two monitors to the mac mini, I can see that both macs (mini and laptop) recognize both monitors but there is no picture. Neither computer shows up on a monitor screen when using the mini-dvi adapter. Both monitors work fine when using a minidisplay adapter on the mac mini.

Next I found a DVI-D single link cable that came from a Dell monitor. The results are exactly the same all the way around.

Finally I plugged a borrowed Dell monitor into the mac mini, and every combination of cable and adapter works on the Dell monitor.

Results: The Compusa monitor does not recognize a DVI-D signal from the mac mini's minidvi port, but it does recognize a DVI-D signal from the mac's minidisplay port.

Does anybody know how or why this would occur?
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post #8 of 9
5/2/10 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fish2live View Post

I gathered up more monitors and cables to continue testing. I have a second monitor identical to my first, and also a Dell monitor.

Two identical Norwood Micro (Compusa) monitors lead to identical results. I can connect either monitor to the new mac mini or a macbook beside it. I've tried all the combinations of monitor-to-computer with my two mini-dvi to dvi adapters. Nothing changes. Since I can now connect two monitors to the mac mini, I can see that both macs (mini and laptop) recognize both monitors but there is no picture. Neither computer shows up on a monitor screen when using the mini-dvi adapter. Both monitors work fine when using a minidisplay adapter on the mac mini.

Next I found a DVI-D single link cable that came from a Dell monitor. The results are exactly the same all the way around.

Finally I plugged a borrowed Dell monitor into the mac mini, and every combination of cable and adapter works on the Dell monitor.

Results: The Compusa monitor does not recognize a DVI-D signal from the mac mini's minidvi port, but it does recognize a DVI-D signal from the mac's minidisplay port.

Does anybody know how or why this would occur?

Have you considered throwing this very low-end and quite old monitor in the trash and getting something else?
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post #9 of 9
5/2/10 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hudson1 View Post

Have you considered throwing this very low-end and quite old monitor in the trash and getting something else?

I don't consider 4 years to be very old for a monitor. I've used other monitors for far longer. It also has one very big advantage. It has a 12v power brick, rather than a 120v outlet in the back of the monitor. I've already cut the cord and spliced it to run off a 12v power supply. Besides, I live on an island where trash is already a growing problem (as it typically is on most islands). Throwing it away is a poor solution.
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