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    W3J External Monitor issue

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by Mr.Pigeon, Oct 28, 2007.

  1. Mr.Pigeon

    Mr.Pigeon Notebook Evangelist

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    So I recently purchased a nice 21.6" Samsung monitor. The image is very crisp and clear, very happy with my purchase. But when I connect my W3J, I get a "wavy lines" effect .. horizontal lines that go up the monitor .. very distracting. The thing is this only occurs when the laptop is plugged-in (AC mode), otherwise it's fine.

    I tried using different VGA/power cable and a different laptop, so I know it's definitely an issue with my W3J. When I switch through the AC power profiles (while plugged in) in Power4 gear, the lower power settings seem to be a bit better than "Super Power", but the problem still appears when the CPU and/or HD throttle up. So I'm thinking I have power management problem.

    I tired uninstalling Power4 Gear, use the default Windows Power Management, but I still see the lines once in a while. I also tried upgrading to v1.18 to no avail. I'm using the latest ATI drivers 7.10

    Any idea what's causing the problem and how I could fix this ? Could I have a faulty video card ? Or might it be a power problem ? I appreciate your input, thanks !

    Cheers.
     
    Mr.Pigeon, Oct 28, 2007
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  2. Mr.Pigeon

    Mr.Pigeon Notebook Evangelist

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    Mr.Pigeon, Oct 28, 2007
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  3. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    Yep, that's what I was going to suggest. :)

    If you're using the 3-prong to 2-prong adapter that's not such a good solution btw, since it disables your ground plug and that can be dangerous for the notebook. You can try getting a surge protection unit instead.
     
    E.B.E., Oct 28, 2007
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  4. Mr.Pigeon

    Mr.Pigeon Notebook Evangelist

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    Just a quick recap .. I ended up getting a 3-prong to 2-prong adapter for my laptop and plugged it on a second powerbar, separate from the LCD's powerbar. For some reason when I used the same powerbar for both devices, the adapter actually burnt out. Luckily my laptop wasn't damaged :)

    Another (safer) solution would be to buy a 2-prong power adapter, such as the Kensington 120W Notebook AC/DC Power Adapter. I tried it and it works flawlessly.

    Cheers.
     
    Mr.Pigeon, Oct 29, 2007
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  5. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    Burned out?!? I would really be careful about what I plug in, maybe you want to bring an electrician to check the wiring in your house?...

    Adapters do have a lot of protection inside, that's one of their purposes, to act as a first line of defense and protect the laptop in case things go bad... but maybe the next piece of expensive technology that you use is not so well designed.

    Like I said, any 2-prong solution has the drawback of disabling your grounding connection. That is not so terribly important if the electrical system in the house is good, but seeing that it isn't...
     
    E.B.E., Oct 29, 2007
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