KVM Model:
1.4 Display Port KVM - Single Monitor 4 Computers
USB Interface (5-gigabit or 10-gigbit):
10-gigabit
Problem:
I’ve connected my mac and PC, as well as a single Alienware 34" ultrawide monitor.
When connecting any of my macs (both M3 and M2), both the display and data disconnect every couple of minutes, and then immediately reconnect again, resulting in a black screen for a few seconds and the mac getting locked.
When switching to my PC everything works great.
I’m using only forum recommended cables (fibbr for display port, moshi for mac display port to usb-c, and club3d for usb-c to usb-c data). I also tried connecting through an elgato 3 docking station, but the issue persisted.
Another issue I noticed (both in PC and mac) is that the first input channel doesn’t work. For PC I’m just seeing a black screen and for mac the resolution is capped at a low rate (960 x 720 or someting similar, but defiitely far from 3440).
Does this mean my KVM is faulty?
Other Notes:
I received my KVM from your store only a couple of days ago, so it’s a brand new model. All firmware is updated across macs and my monitor.
I’m also having an abundance of issues with the 1.4 DP KVM and a M4 macbook pro. My configuration is slightly different, I have a Studio Display versus an Alienware and switching simply does not work in my case. I have tried to put an OWC dock in between hoping that would fix it but it didn’t. What’s funny is it works flawlessly with a Dell laptop. In my case the only workaround is for me to put the Mac on the PC 1 slot on the KVM and disconnect the thunderbolt end of a moshi cable from the studio display and reconnect it then I get image on the display. I’m starting to think if you have Macs in the mix, high end monitors may flake out. I also have a much older LG 4K monitor DP 1.2 and that one gives me 0 issues with the same config.
@wendell Insight? Flickering is usually a bandwidth issue, but they’re using the appropriate cabling.
Been playing with the configuration some more and right now the most stable setup in my case is connecting the data usb to the elgato 3 docking, and from there to the mac, while connecting the display port directly to the mac using the moshi DP to USB-C cable. It still disconnects every 30-40 minutes but when using the Fibbr cable through the elgato 3 docking it happens every few seconds.
Still not sure what’s causing the issue though, as it persists even with the moshi option. (also I really hoped it would work with the docking station so I’ll only need to connect one usb-c cable to my mac, since I take it to the office a lot)
could be external interference in this case. These symptoms line up with noise/interference/just barely marginal signal.
Hmm not sure what would cause this… nothing on top of the desk other than my screen, phone, keyboard and mouse.
Can you give some examples for devices that would cause this?
Amps, fluorescent lights, power supplies, audio interfaces, to name a few. Do you have any ferrite clamps?
I don’t. How exactly do I use those?
Hmm the only thing I have from your list is a small Schiit amp (& DAC) for my headphones. Do you think this might be it? How far should I move it from the KVM? Or from the cables themselves?
Also which clamps would you recommend to buy?
You can buy any cheap clamps from Amazon that will fit the diameter of your cables. Usually, these go on either end of a cable. I don’t know exactly how far, but you could always unplug it for troubleshooting purposes, power cycle the KVM, and see how well the connections are working.
Ok I’ll give it a shot!
So do I put the ferrite clamps on both ends of the DP cables? Are these needed for the usb-c cables as well?
Oh also, I have a wi-fi antenna connected to my PC, and it’s pretty close to all the cables. Could this be the source for all the issues?
Hmm, I wouldn’t think so normally, but the more isolated the KVM is the better. Wouldn’t hurt to try moving it around
Ok looks like getting rid of the Elgato 3 and switching to CalDigit TS4 did the trick! Mac works great now (at least for the few hours I tested).
I do want to add the ferrite clamps to reduce interference even more. Should I put them on both ends of each DP cable?
For testing, you can start by just putting 1 on close to the whatever end is providing the signal. So, on a PC you’d place the it near to the end where it’s plugged into the GPU.
Thank you very much for the support!
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