30" display and 11" air problem

[Accywingy]

Hi All,

I have recently bought an 11" Air and have borrowed a friends 30" cinema display to decide whether I want to buy a big screen (I am now saving for a 27") I'm due to give it back soon so got a MDP to VGA adaptor today for another 19" screen that I have. So after checking the 19 inch works ok, I went back to the 30" cinema and now the view has changed.
All resolutions are set to maximum, everything is bigger than before. When plugging in before all windows were the size of my 11" display. Now I have to have them full screen to see the full page and it"s driving me mad!

I checked that i'm not zoomed and resolutions are set at maximum for the cinema display. What have I done wrong?? I'm guessing it's something really simple, please help if you can.

 

[thomanjones]

Hmm, two things I can think to check:

1. In System Preferences -> Displays -> Arrangement UNcheck 'Mirror Displays'

2. Are you using the "Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter"?

 

[Accywingy]

Hmm, two things I can think to check:

1. In System Preferences -> Displays -> Arrangement UNcheck 'Mirror Displays'

2. Are you using the "Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter"?

Hi and thanks for the reply.

Yes I'm using Dual Link DVI adaptor. Strangely i've connected it this morning and everything is back to normal which i'm happy about but would like to know what happened??

 

[thomanjones]

I just purchased an MBA (13") and a Dual-Link DVI adapter, and it's a pain to get it to 'activate' my external monitor (a Dell E2210H). I'll plug in the MDP connection, then the USB (or vice-versa, haven't noticed a difference), and the finder will move to the blank external (still in power save mode).

To fix, I've made (well, copied) a 'Detect Displays' application through automator- that works about 1/2 the time (command+space d-e-t-e RETURN).

When that doesn't work, I detach the monitor, open and close the laptop lid (which will bring back the finder to the MBA screen). Then I open up Display Preferences, move it to the top right corner of my screen (so I can blindly grab it with my mouse if hidden on the blank external).

With Display Preferences open, if the monitor doesn't switch over, I can click on 'gather windows' on my MBA screen, then change the resolution of the external, which seems to wake it up 100% of the time. Once the external is awake, I set it back to the native resolution and can start working.

Granted, it may all seem like a total PITA (and it was, until I figured out the resolution switching fix), but I can do the whole process in about 60-90 seconds now, so not -that- big of an issue, more annoying than anything else.

While this is different than your situation, hopefully this will help someone stumbling across this post in the future.

 

[thomanjones]

Final Solution for activating my external monitor- AppleScript script to toggle 'Mirror Displays' on, wait 10 seconds, then turn 'Mirror Displays' off. (Must have assistive devices turned on in system preferences)

tell application "System Events" to tell the front menu bar of process "SystemUIServer"
	tell (first menu bar item whose value of attributes contains "displays")
		click
		tell 2nd menu item of front menu
			click
		end tell
	end tell
	delay 10
end tell
tell application "System Events" to tell the front menu bar of process "SystemUIServer"
	tell (first menu bar item whose value of attributes contains "displays")
		click
		tell 2nd menu item of front menu
			click
		end tell
	end tell
end tell

Test it, save it as an application (I named mine Activate Monitor), and if I need to run it when I can't see the menu bar, I just type

COMMAND+SPACE activate m ENTER

Hope this helps somebody somewhere

Key words: MBA Macbook Air 11" 13" Dual-link DVI External Display blank

 

[AndrewS]

If you want the ACD panel at much less cost you should check this out

http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/...g-90hz-achieva-shimian-qh270-and-catleap-q270

$375 shipped for a 27" 2560x1440 S-IPS monitor - Dual Link DVI is the only connection on it.

 

[jterp7]

If you want the ACD panel at much less cost you should check this out

http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/...g-90hz-achieva-shimian-qh270-and-catleap-q270

$375 shipped for a 27" 2560x1440 S-IPS monitor - Dual Link DVI is the only connection on it.

wow beats the hp by at least $200, though warranty made be hard to use.