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HDMI output to Dell 2007fpb monitor not working

kse001

Hello,

 

I purchased an Element14 Raspberry Pi 3b+ in late November 2019.  My plan was to use it in a retroPi type of setup, using a Dell 2007fpb monitor as the display.  When I initially got the Pi I connected it to the monitor via a HDMI-DVI cable and it booted the image I had just fine.  Everything looked good so I disconnected things until I was ready to really devote some time to doing the build.  The next time I put things together - with zero changes to anything, other than cables having been disconnected and reconnected - I no longer got any output displaying on the monitor.  I tried many different troubleshooting steps:

 

  • I was able to connect the Pi to a TV via HDMI and the output was fine.
  • I was able to connect it to another (newer) monitor via the same HDMI-DVI cable I originally used and everything worked fine.
  • I tried 3 different HDMI-DVI adapters with the 2007fpb, none worked
  • I tried reflashing the boot image, as well as trying different boot images.  None worked
  • I tried an HDMI-VGA adapter with the 2007fpb, it didn't work
  • I tried editing the config.txt file as follows (note that I didn't have to do any of this when it was working the first time):
    • I tried setting hdmi_safe in the config.txt file, it didn't work.  This was re-commented out after verifying, so all subsequent testing was done with this turned off.
    • I tried setting hdmi_force_hotplug in the config.txt file, it didn't work
    • I tried setting various recommended combinations of hdmi_drive, hdmi_group, hdmi_mode, config_hdmi_boost, none worked
  • I read about people experiencing problems with the EDID being corrupted on the 2007fpb monitor, so I tried editing the config.txt file to ignore the EDID from the monitor and force a specific mode, but none worked (I tried all supported modes for the monitor)
  • I also read about sometimes more power being required so I upgraded to a 3A power supply (had been using 2.5A previously).  No effect
  • At this point I assumed the monitor was somehow "bad", but when I connected it to a PC using the same HDMI-DVI cable it worked fine
  • Finally, I ordered another Element14 Raspberry Pi and hooked everything up again and everything worked fine. 

 

This seems to suggest that something "happened" to the original Pi that I was using, but for the life of me I have no idea what since as mentioned HDMI output to other devices does work.  Of course all the time I spent troubleshooting has put me beyond the return period for the original, so I'm stuck there.  But now my main concern is understanding what happened because I'd like to ensure that the same thing doesn't happen again to the new Pi.  Does anyone have any thoughts on what may have caused this problem?  And even better, some way to fix it so my original can still be used?

 

Thanks

  • 0

    I have a way that you probably can use your original rPi, but you may not like it.

     

    First of all, good troubleshooting and documenting your troubleshooting.  I had a few suggestions half way through and then, oh, you tried that already.

     

    So, I happen to have my own Dell 2007fbp monitor.  It's an old model, I rescued it from the recycle pile.  And I rescued it for use with an rPi because it has a composite port:

    https://www.dell.com/downloads/emea/products/snp/UltraSharp%202007FP_EN.pdf

    And all raspberry pi models have a composite port.  Resolution won't be very good, but it would make your rPi usable.  With the newer Pi models, it's a bit more difficult because you'll need a 3.5mm jack to composite cable.

    .imageimage

  • 0 in reply to mp2100

    Thanks for the response.  I do have the newer version, so if I did go this route I'd have to get one of the cables you mentioned.  I think I'd probably shop around for a different monitor in the resale shops first to see if I could find one that would work with it before going that route, since as you said, the resolution wouldn't be the best.  Worst case, I could use the original Pi to run Octopi or something along those lines so it's not a total loss.  I'm really mainly interested in understanding what could have happened so I can avoid running into this issue again.  For the time being, I'm not removing the HDMI cable from the Pi that's working.

  • 0

    This sounds like it could be the victim of the order in which the devices are setup and powered on.

     

    For example:

     

    - Power off all devices

    - Connect up the cabling, except power.

    - Connect power to the display first, turn the monitor on into standby mode with only one display input

    - Power on the Raspberry Pi using a default Raspbian setup on the SDCard

     

    Raspbian in its latest builds have some accommodations for the display due to the dual output of the Raspberry Pi 4, it tries to detect how the screen works that it's connected to and determine the correct resolution and settings, and if it hasn't received this information as the Raspberry Pi is powered up/powered on, then it's going to have difficulty negotiating the display properly.

     

    I'd be interested if an older version of Raspbian would work 'better', though it may be difficult to find an older version these days. Still, my main thoughts here are the order in which the devices are plugged in and powered on.

     

    Equally if this has already been tried, then attempting to plug in the display when both the display and Raspberry Pi have been powered on separately may be worth trying, though I would suspect it may not renegotiate the connection to the display as well.

  • 0

    Wow that is a strange one. By the way, great documentation.

     

    I wrote this summary after reading some of the posts to have you confirm your current condition.

     

    You have two Pi3B+ (same model) one displays and the other doesn't display on HDMI using 2007fpb monitor. The Pi that doesn't work, in the past worked at least once.

  • 0 in reply to colporteur

    Yes, that is correct.  I can even add a little more information to that:

     

    I had gotten a second 2007fpb monitor and run through the tests on both of them after the original Pi stopped displaying, and neither one displayed.  Both monitors exhibited the same behavior:  they detected "something" was connected to the DVI port, but went into power saving mode and never came out.  The same thing happened when I tried the HDMI-VGA adapter on both of them.  From what I read in my research, this was common for others who have experienced this problem.  I unfortunately no longer have access to the second monitor for testing, so I'm limited to testing with the first one which is connected (and still working!) to the second Pi.

  • 0 in reply to cstanton

    That's a very interesting idea!  I did not really play around with the order in which I connected devices - never thought about that.  I will have to give that a shot and see if it has any effect!

  • 0 in reply to kse001

    If I am reading correct, the monitor has a DVI type connector and you are using a HDMI to DVI?

     

    Can you tell me what DVI connector is on the monitor?

    image

    I may be taking you down a path that is not valid but here is my train of thought.

     

    I have HDMI to DVI cables. The DVI connector is third from the top. I'm have on order a adaptors HDMI female to DVI connector at the top.

     

    Do these connector impact a monitors ability to detect a device. Again I'm just thinking out load.

  • 0 in reply to colporteur

    The monitor connection and cable I was using are both dual link DVI-D.  I'm not totally sure I understand your question/statement, so I may not be responding to what you meant, but I don't think the connectors come into play with this.  My reasoning is that things did work initially, right up until I disconnected everything and moved it to a different room in the house.  Also, I connected an Intel NUC using the same HDMI-DVI cable I'd used with the Pi when it worked and got a signal.  Plus the fact that the new Pi is now working with everything else being the same seems to support that.  With all that having been said, though, I definitely don't claim to know enough about this to say one way or another with any authority.  I'm just going on the testing I did and how I interpreted the results.

  • 0 in reply to kse001

    Can you do the following command:

         uname -a

    This can tell what software level you are running on Raspberry Pi. If it changed due to an apt update, that would explain your trouble.

    Also look at https://pinouts.ru/Video/hdmi_dvi_cable_pinout.shtml  This explains the pins like the pictures from above.

    Looking https://www.dell.com/downloads/emea/products/snp/UltraSharp%202007FP_EN.pdf shows the operating frequencies and screen coordinates.

    One parm that may help is the following to boost signal strengthen especially for a long cable.

         config_hdmi_boost=4

    Look at https://www.opentechguides.com/how-to/article/raspberry-pi/28/raspi-display-setting.html  to use a tool to get the EDID information for your monitor.

    Match it with the following settings as an example:

    "CEA" corresponds to hdmi_group=1
    "DMT" corresponds to hdmi_group=2
    The value inside () corresponds to hdmi_mode.

    From the above result:
    hdmi_group=1
    hdmi_mode=16

    I know this is a lot of information, but it can be tackled.

    I hope this leads you to success.

    Clem

  • 0 in reply to clem57

    Thanks for the response.  If you go back to the original post I made where I listed all the steps I've gone through, I think I've tried all the things you suggested already.  The thought that an apt update might have been the root cause is interesting, but I tried reflashing the image several times and there is no video at any point.  By that I mean, the problem is not that there's video until the OS boots and then the screen goes blank, but rather than there's never any video at all because the monitor goes into power saving mode and stays there whether the Pi is on or off.  The main boot image I'm using doesn't suppress any output as the OS boots, and I did try several different images as well, so at a minimum I'd have expect to see some text scrolling through the screen before the monitor blanked on one of the images I tried.

     

    I appreciate all the responses I've gotten here.  Pretty amazing community of people trying to help!  I guess my main concern was that I had done something myself to cause the problem and was hoping to ensure I did not repeat my mistake and render another Pi unusable for my project since Id rather not have to buy a third one for this.  I'm starting to think that the issue may have been semi-unique and that there simply may not be an answer, or at least one that's feasible for me to determine given the time and equipment I have.  Since the second Pi worked with the monitor, I've not disconnected it and am reluctant to do so - as much as I'd like to better understand the issue with the first Pi, I am kind of in "why mess with success?" mode as I've been playing with this off and on since November.  If I hit the problem with the second Pi, I will likely go back and try the steps suggested by Christopher Stanton above since its something I hadn't considered and experimented with. 

     

    Thanks again!