Lenovo M70s issue with HDMI port on multi screen?

[PotNoodleTech]

Hi All we are battling against a problem/bug here on our own and I can't find any other school in my area that is having the same issue.

 

Looking for some backup on edugeek!

 

We are having issues on Lenovo M70s Staff PCs where we are using all three display outputs (2 x displayports into 24" TFT and 1 HDMI into an 86" whiteboard varying manufacturers).

 

This started off working OK - we've done similar things for a long time with our old Dell Optiplex's.

 

We are seing the ports slowly die on the PCs - we have 7 classrooms with this issue now. The HDMI port appears to die first after some time of being unreliable and finicky, but we have just had one room where we plugged the whiteboard into the Displayport via a converter a few of weeks ago as a mitigation/bodge fix, and now the displayport has died too - to so that PC only has one working output!!

 

Anyone seen anything like this? Tried firmware driver updates etc but nothing seems to work. I suspect an actual manufacturing defect / hardware issue on the motherboard.

 

Clearly going to be having trouble with the RMA process as it's such a weird and wonderful issue that no one else in the world seems to have run into. :-/

 

Cheers!!

Edited December 4, 2024 by PotNoodleTech

[chazzy2501]

You may find that the HDMI port is running those screens at 4K60 which for a marginal HDMI cable may or may not work well. I've had no end of trouble with my 4K displays and their respective cables. I'm now ONLY using optical HDMI cables for my 4k displays.

 

(the multi display aspect may have nothing to do with your issues)

 

EDIT: BTW my HDMI cables were included with the TV ffs..

[PotNoodleTech]

Thanks for the "input" (chuckle)

 

Yes we've noted the 4K - it always defaults to 4k30 on our boards, but we set each screen to 1080p60.

 

HDMI cables are decent quaity 4k 60 18GB/s rated and no more than 10 metres. Therere is no pattern there - infact most of the port issues are in classrooms where the screen is within 5m of the PC.

 

:-/

 

Cheers!

[chazzy2501]

modern PCs let you set 1080p60 but will do that over a 4k signal... Have you checked the desktop resolution VS Active Signal resolution?

 

My cables were rated 4k60 18gbps cables, but let me down, optical sorted out the inconsistent output issues. I did also try an EDID feeder to trick the signal to 1080p60 but optical cables are only £20 now.

[PotNoodleTech]

What optical cables are you using mate out of interest? It's a seperate issue I think as the ports dying thing actually happens with whatever is plugged in e.g. a TFT monitor doest work either, wheras if I plug a different PC or chroembook into the HDMI lead to the boards they come on straight away and works fine so I don't believe it's a cabling issue.

[3s-gtech]

The slow dying is not a classic driver issue - to me it strikes as either dying chipset or CPU, perhaps due to voltage issues on the cable runs - but what driver version are these using? Do you get a display of the splash or UEFI screens?

[chazzy2501]

if the socket is loose maybe no cable will help but some contact cleaner and an optical cable to make sure. (usbc is a git for needing a clean) my cable isn't for sale anymore but the Amazon basics 10m optical is only £20 for a test.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Basics-Braided-High-Speed-Fiber/dp/B0BYD8BWP2/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1P8ZD85WBON52&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NZtzE759KNc6KNlyK1vwtyd_rClefnQIazI3rOyNDa2_-iuigqT0_JfqvyHpDDmwTdpHN-xb6v_4yS8kh4GOwmbO4Q__eri8oyut0mgnXFkUonrIfXG-Ixg1C_6GUdcYD0dMr4q1819DYLczMo4NMehJ32s5H7AcnvFipVi48jhHL2qT-wPo90Uxv17t0S65RNgAbe6vpH16z__7N70BzOYUbGG64yLVa30abWP_Qmk.GF46CWHFrobXicMcOS_wg7HV7xnQonPSF8I7x4ntt9E&dib_tag=se&keywords=hdmi+optical&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1733310188&sprefix=hdmi+optical%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-3

 

oh we use this on cables and sockets that give trouble and fix the usbc displayport issues all the time!

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ambersil-Ambertron-Ultra-Pure-Contact-Cleaner/dp/B017XJQM0W/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2ZA0TZSLTZ2LS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.V3MByJE9NhnUf-5qdQelW7RX5NHDU8HhG6EG88eFT5Cz6cqhVf7-tnR79ezhBnrlfbj4Zu-7VOpAVc4mfzFMcsI465L_fXSiYTMBQBxWs9cwzuN-1Kd5CgH1PyAUrt9oEBmqD5LYPdt94Kk0gN3fuA-bX0_2NQw0KnyzoSCrRk0G_yEQLGy6_V3AC34ARPhcfAv0auevQglQbItCI7gvA3uM4Bt3VCLMjF8cCvXNIFawkjo0lRAE3Bt_32QktbKoqpQycR8HEr6Yo7mkbte5pYWvwnoH_AdJSbj3Ox-Q6hg.4v97lPkneowLQCeLw81h_xvgTNIeU-WV9sxbXfggO9c&dib_tag=se&keywords=Ambersil+Contact+Cleaner&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1733310484&sprefix=ambersil+contact+cleaner%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-9

Edited December 4, 2024 by chazzy2501

[Oaktech]

Following... I'm seeing a similar issue. It's as though the output has totally died, doesn't even detect the cable being plugged in. However in my case if you unplug the PC and swap a replacement in, leave it unplugged for a week or so and then plaug it back in again it's fine again for a few more days then it happens again. I've got a mix of M70 and older M710 and it's happening on both. It's only just started happening in the last 3 weeks.

[Andrew_C]

I assume you've done some swapping around to see if the fault "moves" with the cable/monitor?

 

Another thought - check that there is no voltage between the earth on the board, and the earth at the PC. A simple multimeter andf a long lead should suffice. An offset could be frying components.

[dhicks]

Anyone seen anything like this?

 

We have some newer Lenovo all-in-ones, some of which started being finicky about connecting via HDMI (after, like with you, seemingly working just fine for weeks). We mostly seem to have solved the problems with an EDID emulator pass-through dongle on the HDMI port:

 

Lindy 32104: https://www.amazon.co.uk/32104-3840x2160-Pass-Through-Overcomes-Equipment/dp/B07NNL1Z1Z/ref=sr_1_5

 

Lindy 32115: https://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-32115-HDMI-EDID-Emulator-Black/dp/B07FMT5RNS/ref=sr_1_3

 

Lindy 2.1 EDID Emulator: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emulator-Advanced-Displays-Supports-Refresh-black/dp/B0DD7R34QD/ref=sr_1_9

 

I'm honestly not quite sure what the orginal problem is or quite what the EDID emulator is doing that solves it, but the 32115 version above (£55) seems to work for us. I've only just seen the 32104 (£25) version, which we might try if we buy more - I have no idea what the difference is betwen that and the £76 version.

[PotNoodleTech]

Following... I'm seeing a similar issue. It's as though the output has totally died, doesn't even detect the cable being plugged in. However in my case if you unplug the PC and swap a replacement in, leave it unplugged for a week or so and then plaug it back in again it's fine again for a few more days then it happens again. I've got a mix of M70 and older M710 and it's happening on both. It's only just started happening in the last 3 weeks.

 

Yes!! This!!!!

 

I had one that payed up for 2 weeks I left it off with everything unplugged for a couple of days as the teacher wasnt in there when I plugged it back in and plugged all three outputs in it works and touch wood it's still working 1 week on - i dont expect it to last though.

 

Contrast that to one in another room that HDMI failed and now one of the Displayports has failed too so that PC can only output onto one monitor!!

 

:-/

[PotNoodleTech]

We have some newer Lenovo all-in-ones, some of which started being finicky about connecting via HDMI (after, like with you, seemingly working just fine for weeks). We mostly seem to have solved the problems with an EDID emulator pass-through dongle on the HDMI port:

 

Lindy 32104: https://www.amazon.co.uk/32104-3840x2160-Pass-Through-Overcomes-Equipment/dp/B07NNL1Z1Z/ref=sr_1_5

 

Lindy 32115: https://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-32115-HDMI-EDID-Emulator-Black/dp/B07FMT5RNS/ref=sr_1_3

 

Lindy 2.1 EDID Emulator: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emulator-Advanced-Displays-Supports-Refresh-black/dp/B0DD7R34QD/ref=sr_1_9

 

I'm honestly not quite sure what the orginal problem is or quite what the EDID emulator is doing that solves it, but the 32115 version above (£55) seems to work for us. I've only just seen the 32104 (£25) version, which we might try if we buy more - I have no idea what the difference is betwen that and the £76 version.

 

OK thanks I will look into that but having. Other ways round it I've found is to buy a startech HDMI splitter and power it from a Displayport to HDMI dongle which does seem to work - I've got a few more of those on order.

 

Hving to spend £25 or £50 or £75 per PC just to get the PC to work as it should is not sitting well with me.

 

I want to try and identify/solve the actual problem before it affects more schools as these lenovo M70s were sold across wales as one of the three different pcs you could buy on the welsh catalogue so they've litreally sold tens of thousands of them here.

[chazzy2501]

As I mentioned above, I used an EDID emulator to fool the graphics card into thinking the screen can only work at 1080p/60. This ensures that the "signal resolution" is reduced to be more reliable. (I now use optical cables)

Edited December 5, 2024 by chazzy2501

[PotNoodleTech]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]72739[/ATTACH]

As I mentioned above, I used an EDID emulator to fool the graphics card into thinking the screen can only work at 1080p/60. This ensures that the "signal resolution" is reduced to be more reliable. (I now use optical cables)

 

Hi where did you get that one from?

[chazzy2501]

Hi where did you get that one from?

 

I got it from Amazon, it was £20, it has pre-fixed EDIDs but can also copy like the Lindy. (not sure why you would want to copy but it must have a use case that escapes me)

 

However I now use a £20 optical HDMI as that seems to eliminate the 4k 18Gbps marginal cable issue.

[PotNoodleTech]

Thanks I like the rotary knob for the resolution.

 

TBH i am 95% sure it isnt a cabling issue as if I plug a dell optiplex in or even a chromebook everything works fine. The vast majority of the cables are 5metres and of high quality.

 

Its LENOVO!!!!!! :-/

Edited December 5, 2024 by PotNoodleTech

[3s-gtech]

Sadly, I've now just seen this happen on two M72s. AMD powered.

 

It appears that in building these PCs, I've connected them to a monitor which I think has a duff DVI connection which has 'poisoned' the ports, so to speak (over a DP to DVI cable). The damage was quick, affected both DisplayPorts, and couldn't be fixed by changing cables or anything. Perhaps it's high impedance, blown protection circuits or chips.

 

These machines have HDMI ports which work fine so I can use those (gutting, on a brand new PC!) but the dodgy monitor now goes in the bin.

[PotNoodleTech]

Noooo I was hoping this years AMD ones were solid!!

 

Hm interesting this is happening on 7 different rooms 3 different manufacturers of smartboard (Smart, Clevertouch, Samsung) and at least 2 different monitor makes (Dell or Phillips) so I just cant see it being the monitors here to be honest?

 

Still looking for answers

[Oaktech]

Noooo I was hoping this years AMD ones were solid!!

 

Hm interesting this is happening on 7 different rooms 3 different manufacturers of smartboard (Smart, Clevertouch, Samsung) and at least 2 different monitor makes (Dell or Phillips) so I just cant see it being the monitors here to be honest?

 

Still looking for answers

 

Same - I'd like to throw AOC for monitors and Benq for Interactive screens into the mix as well.

[3s-gtech]

In your cases, I very much doubt it's the monitors themselves. It may be the impedance of long cable runs, the issue being that over time this may actually damage the display outputs so they subsequently don't work on shorter cables.

 

My experience was just strangely similar. I like the AMD ones otherwise - I've taken one as my own desktop and it's a decent all-rounder. Mine has working ports though!

[PotNoodleTech]

In one classroom I fitted a Dell Optiplex and that has has no issues since, same board same TFTs same cables.

 

I think I need to buy a few Optiplex from ICT direct and see if that cures the issues in all 7 rooms.

[mikes]

My issue is similar but I think unrelated, if we try a dual monitor setup - one with the HDMI output the other DP - it will be very difficult to get both displays to work - one of them will just be a black screen. You can mess with the leads plugging things in and out and it will eventually work, but it will break again. This was with Phillips monitors. Swapped one of the 2 Phillips out for an Iiyama monitor and it has worked fine since.

[Oaktech]

In your cases, I very much doubt it's the monitors themselves. It may be the impedance of long cable runs, the issue being that over time this may actually damage the display outputs so they subsequently don't work on shorter cables.

 

My experience was just strangely similar. I like the AMD ones otherwise - I've taken one as my own desktop and it's a decent all-rounder. Mine has working ports though!

 

That was kind of my point, albeit badly expressed.

 

It's happening on such a wide variety of external hardware it's almost impossible for it to be the external hardware, it has to a weakness in the device, or something in the cabling.

[3s-gtech]

I’m finding cheapo Amazon DP to DVI cables are extremely variable. Out of 90 odd I ordered I’ve had three dead out of ten tested - who’d have thought that thrown-together junk would be so unreliable 😅

Another cable from the box picked, and they work okay.