Poll: Are you getting random black screens with your 2012 mac mini

[Edde1]

Hello. Mini2012+ acd 27 with tb connection no problem. Try it alot

[calvol]

Originally Posted by calvol

Received BTO 2.6 Mini today, set up different scenarios:
- HDMI and DP->HDMI to Samsung TV
- HDMI->DVI to Dell monitors.

Black screen occurred for 2 seconds in the DVI test case after about 3 hours. Testing more this weekend.

Filed case with Apple, talking Monday am.

After 10 days of frequent black screens and two instances of the snow screens mentioned above, returned my Mini to Apple Store for full refund. POS!

[kristoffer4]

I didn't know this was an issue! I am just about to buy 4 for the High School where I teach. Maybe I should wait. I really hope Apple will fix this with a patch of some sort.

[phychi]

I don't know why I can't vote..but anyway..

I have both back screen random issue (every 2/3 hours, sometimes more) and "snow" screen (I have to shut down and restart the screen then). But ONLY on the HDMI output.
My second monitor is connected to thunderbolt with a mini display port to DVI adaptor and has never had any problem (and it's reassuring to know that the mini has not crashed when I look at that screen !)

I also have a very very very sloooooooww startup (perhaps because I use both Firewire and USB3 external drives ?!)

[Sean869]

I first tried an HDMI to HDMI cable, I kept getting black / snow screen and the colour seemed far too bright whatever monitor settings I used. The monitor calibration in the system preferences was no use either.
I switched to a Thunderbolt to HDMI which solved the black / snow screen issue but the colour was still terrible.
Out of desperation I tried a thunderbolt to VGA adapter which gave better colour (still not great) but the text was a bit fuzzy
I have managed to find a custom colour profile for my monitor on the internet which has helped a bit but its still far too bright.
My monitor is a 23" AOC i2353 LED (IPS) and only has HDMI or D-sub connections, so I have run out of ideas and cable options. I suppose the only thing to do now if wait for a driver update or something from Apple.
I don't want to return my Mini as apart from the colour issue I love it. Even my wife likes it and she hates technology.

[xlii]

Originally Posted by phychi

I don't know why I can't vote..but anyway..

I have both back screen random issue (every 2/3 hours, sometimes more) and "snow" screen (I have to shut down and restart the screen then). But ONLY on the HDMI output.
My second monitor is connected to thunderbolt with a mini display port to DVI adaptor and has never had any problem (and it's reassuring to know that the mini has not crashed when I look at that screen !)

I also have a very very very sloooooooww startup (perhaps because I use both Firewire and USB3 external drives ?!)

The poll closed a couple of weeks ago. This was the first poll I started. In retrospect, if I was to do this again I would have kept the poll open ended and allowed voters to change their vote. Some have run without an issue for 2 or 3 weeks and then... bam... black or snowy screen.

[Rob.G]

It seems to me that the radical variation in experience by people is either the result of the manufacturing process not being as "precise" as you'd think, or maybe that coupled with the cable and maybe even the monitor. Given that the snowy screens are caused by the monitor not being able to display the signal, it could be a monitor with a very close tolerance, a cable that's "too" tolerant (for lack of a better term), etc, etc, etc.

As for color quality, I also tend to think it's cable-related and also monitor-related. Here at work, I have a 2011 Mini with the Intel 3000 graphics, and a pair of "CTL" brand 20" monitors. One is on the TB port, the other is on the HDMI port using the included Apple HDMI->DVI adapter. I've had ZERO problems of any kind (knocking on wood). The picture on these monitors is surprisingly good for cheap PC monitors.

At home, next to my 27" TB display is a Samsung E2420. I thought this was supposed to be a quality monitor, but initially it looked like crap. Too bright and too much contrast. The color profile was pretty good. I did calibrate it according to the instructions, and it helped a little, but it didn't get good until I tweaked the brightness and contrast a little bit more by hand. Now it's not bad at all, but still can't compare to these CTL's at work.

I think I'll try swapping out my cable at home to the Apple-supplied one and see what, if any difference, there is.

I hope I'm making a point and not just rambling... it's early so I'm not sure.

Rob

[xlii]

Originally Posted by Rob.G

It seems to me that the radical variation in experience by people is either the result of the manufacturing process not being as "precise" as you'd think, or maybe that coupled with the cable and maybe even the monitor. Given that the snowy screens are caused by the monitor not being able to display the signal, it could be a monitor with a very close tolerance, a cable that's "too" tolerant (for lack of a better term), etc, etc, etc.

As for color quality, I also tend to think it's cable-related and also monitor-related. Here at work, I have a 2011 Mini with the Intel 3000 graphics, and a pair of "CTL" brand 20" monitors. One is on the TB port, the other is on the HDMI port using the included Apple HDMI->DVI adapter. I've had ZERO problems of any kind (knocking on wood). The picture on these monitors is surprisingly good for cheap PC monitors.

At home, next to my 27" TB display is a Samsung E2420. I thought this was supposed to be a quality monitor, but initially it looked like crap. Too bright and too much contrast. The color profile was pretty good. I did calibrate it according to the instructions, and it helped a little, but it didn't get good until I tweaked the brightness and contrast a little bit more by hand. Now it's not bad at all, but still can't compare to these CTL's at work.

I think I'll try swapping out my cable at home to the Apple-supplied one and see what, if any difference, there is.

I hope I'm making a point and not just rambling... it's early so I'm not sure.

Rob

I think you are correct. In 1981 I came across this problem in engineering. 10 prototype CI20 adapters, 3 boards per adapter. Each set had a unique number on their handles. Plug them into to the computer and our diagnostics ran great. Every set passed our tests. Then the sets were broken up and we mixed and matched the boards across various sets so instead of 111, 222, 333, etc we had 145, 236, 728. This was done about 40 times and 6 sets failed the other 34 combinations passed.

This is what we found... A 1000 ohm pulldown resistor was connected to the input to a shift register on a AMD2901. You should always shift in a zero. But there was a noise pulse high enough to be a 1 on the line.

On the sets that passed the noise pulse was not lining up with the clock. On the sets that failed the noise pulse was lined up with the clock and was being shifted in as a 1, and thus the failure.

The parts that make up a machine (even from the same vendor and same lot) can vary slightly in their timing. Some parts are just faster and some are a little slower. You have to design with this in mind.

[michael_aos]

I was getting a black screen when playing a video full-screen on an Apple Display connected to the MDP / Thunderbolt.

Required a reboot each time to recover.

Replace the 16GB OWC RAM with Kingston from Amazon and now the problem is gone.

[ctone]

Yes, having the issue intermittently, about once a week. Not using HDMI. I am using MiniDisplay port to DVI adaptor with a 20" Apple Cinema Display (silver metal model).

[elolaugesen]

Originally Posted by ctone

Yes, having the issue intermittently, about once a week. Not using HDMI. I am using MiniDisplay port to DVI adaptor with a 20" Apple Cinema Display (silver metal model).

Same config. No Problems. Osx 10.8.3

[pojo1806]

using HMDI to HDMI for one monitor and thunderbolt to HDMI and no problems what so ever.

[coyr1983]

When first plugging in my brand new Mac Mini to my five year old Sony LCD TV, the screen output had the weird violet hue that has been mentioned. No updates, changing of settings, etc, would cure this. When I plugged the Mac into my 2 year old Samsung LED TV, however, the picture was perfect and I experienced no issues.

I then installed Windows 8, plugged the Mac back into my Sony, and lo and behold, perfect output! So clearly the problem lies with OS X and some older screens, as with Windows 8 I have not had one single HDMI issue whatsoever.

[MJL]

I know it is the 2011 Mac mini: No problems with the original 500 GB HDD and Dell HM2412M. However with Samsung 830 SSD and HM2713H I do have 1 - 2 seconds blackouts once a week or so. This under both OS X Lion and Windows 7.

[fdr]

Originally Posted by Snowcake

Apple is lazy. Just

Thunderbolt display flickers when used as second display to IMAC.... booting intermittent blanking. Added the display to an iMAC mini, flickered for a couple of hours, then died completely.

Wonder why I bothered going to a retina MBP for the dubious benefit of TB.

Display issues out of the box, advised to apple, "just reboot it". Now display out of warranty and about to be dumped outside of apples shop, in a garbage bin.

Apple, are you ever going to listen to your customers?

[dapitts08]

i have had my late 2012 mac mini for about two weeks.

i've been using my 2008 ACD via the mini dipslay port to thunderbolt connection.

i got the dell u2412m yesterday and connected it via dvi to hdmi.

this morning i had the random black screen.

hope this isn't going to be a frequent occurrence

[benwiggy]

I've got 2 x 20" Apple Cinema Displays, one hooked up to the MDP/TB port; one hooked up to the HDMI port. Apple adaptors to DVI.

I've had no problems since day 1 (and I bought as soon as the new model was out). No black screens, no colour issues, no yellow tints, no lack of contrast, no difference between the two.