2013 MacBook Pro sleeping when I turn off external monitors

[Joshua M]

I'm running a 2013 MacBook Pro with Yosemite in closed clamshell mode and just purchased an NEC PA272W to accompany my HP ZR24w. Both are connected through the TB daisychain.

How they are connected:
TB port 1 > ARECA 8050t2 > NEC PA272w (main)
TB port 2 > Promise Pegasus2 > CalDigit dock > HP ZR24w (secondary)

I'd previously used the HP as my main display connected to the Areca and another monitor connected by a DVI to displayport adapter thorough the Caldigit dock. I don't believe I changed anything else of significance.

However, when I now turn off the NEC, it turns off the arrays and puts the computer to sleep. I checked the NEC and don't see anything funky in the menu that would do that. I checked the energy settings and have the computer never sleeping on the power adapter, disabled Power Nap, and unchecked "let disks sleep".


I reset the SMC, or at least I think I did. The power plug didn't flicker like suggested. Didn't change anything. I reset the PRAM. That didn't change anything either. If I turn off both displays (ie, not just the secondary HP), it will put the computer to sleep. Help! lol

Also, if I let OS X sleep the displays, the computer stays on. It's only if I hit the power button.

 

[Joshua M]

I was just thinking: when I had the MacBook setup with one DP and one DVI monitor before, I could turn off the secondary DVI monitor and lose the mouse to the field outside the monitor's resolution, meaning the computer was still operating like it was on. If I turned off the main monitor, the screen would switch to the DVI monitor. Perhaps, when I turned off both, the computer was defaulting to sending video to the DVI, not knowing it was off. ie, the computer wouldn't sleep because it was still "in use".

Now, when I turn off the secondary monitor, the main will flash and I am unable to place the mouse outside the field provided by the main monitor. It's aware of the monitors' power status.

Therefore, it's very possible this sleep thing would have happened before had OSX been able to communicate with the DVI monitor that it had turned off. My understanding that this issue is "new" could very well be incorrect, and the question is less "what changed to make this happen" and more "how do I get a displayport monitor to not communicate to OSX that it has been turned off"?

 

[bits]

Maybe search for apps?
There are several programs, first one from google:

https://code.google.com/p/macosx-nosleep-extension/

This should prevent sleep mode when you turn off all monitors.
Other: InsimniaX, AntiSleep, Amphetamine, Caffeine...

Just be careful with this apps when you use MBP on battery (don't forget to disable).

 

[Joshua M]

I only use this laptop while plugged in, so that should be fine.

I'll try that app, but it feels like it should be some setting somewhere. When I get home tonight, I'm going to try the HP monitor plugged into DVI to confirm my suspicions, but it would suck to use that as a method as well, as it's a different resolution than the new monitor and would mess up my window sizes every time I turned off the monitors. I could set the monitors to sleep quicker as well