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View Full Version : Difficulty getting screen set up, with workaround


ryanprior
09-21-2015, 04:00 PM
I use a Dell XPS13 2015 with a Dell 4-in-1 adapter and a screen connected via HDMI. I have the DisplayLink driver installed on Ubuntu 14.04, as instructed.

This sequence is typical of my start-up routine:

1. After boot my monitor gets a display signal, but the screen is dark and apparently disabled.
2. I log in, disconnect the HDMI cable from my adapter, and plug it back in. Now the monitor is activated but shows a glitched desktop, which continues to accrue visual artifacts as I move windows.
3. I open Ubuntu's display settings screen and set the display to a lower resolution. This makes the screen flicker and pops up a box with the choice to "Keep this configuration" or "Return to last configuration," and I choose to return to the last.
4. The screen again flickers, this time returning to a display with no glitches. This is the desired behavior from the outset.

I put my dmesg and the contents of /var/log/displaylink in a zip file for you. Please let me know anything else I can do to help you debug this.

Szymon
09-24-2015, 08:18 AM
Hi ryanprior,

Thank you for logs.
Are you able to test your setup with other than HP l2045w monitor attached to Dell 4-in-1 adapter?

Regards,
Szymon

ryanprior
09-24-2015, 04:42 PM
I don't own another monitor but I can try to borrow one. (Or if you send me one you're interested in, I'd be happy to test it.)

I ordered a Dell 3100 docking station and I'll test with that as well when it arrives.

ryanprior
09-27-2015, 10:37 PM
I still haven't borrowed another monitor, but my Dell 3100 arrived and I've been testing with it.

The boot-up sequence is the same. The monitor initially doesn't work right but is fine after unplugging the HDMI cable and re-plugging it, then changing the resolution twice.

I found that unplugging the entire USB sync cable and re-plugging it also works.


I never used audio via the 4-in-1 since my monitor doesn't have actual HDMI support. I'm using a HDMI->DVI adapter. But with the audio port on the Dell 3100, I decided to give it a try.

The sound quality seems fine, but it's significantly quieter than when I plug my speakers directly into the headphone jack on my XPS 13. I can switch my speakers from the headphone jack to the audio out on the 3100 and notice an immediate dramatic reduction in volume.

The sound sink for the 3100 is listed as "Analog Output, Dell USB3.0 Dock" which has the following mode options:
Analog Surround 4.1 Output
Analog Surround 5.0 Output
Analog Surround 5.1 Output

My setup is only two speakers in stereo. I've tried each mode and played with the balance and fade, but no combination of settings I've tried restores the playback volume.

Again, please let me know anything I can do to help you debug this!