Widescreen Gaming Forum

Testing to confirm a working solution for active adaptors.

For the past couple of weeks I have been running some tests with active DVI display port adaptors to try and get to the underlying problems that many users experience.

What I have discovered is that the adaptor appears to be be underpowered.
According to Bizlink the adaptors should work on as little as 400mA, although this does not seem to be the case when using any of the USB1/2/3.0 sockets which provide 500mA/500mA/900mA accordingly.
Taking readings with a multimeter the device was apprently drawing 152mA however when the Ameter was plugged in the adaptor failed to work with the PC so I am going to look for another multimeter to test again exactly what they are drawing, although indications would point to approximately 1Amp.

With the adaptor plugged into any one of the USB ports it fails to work and the PC does not detect that the device is even connected.
Upon powering the adaptor with an external power supply source such as a HTC charger which provides a USB socket with a power of 5V@1Amp the adaptor started to work.
Other USB chargers may also prove to help, such as those of the iPad which provide up to 1.2Amp.
Using a USB Y splitter cable the adaptor also works flicker free, this way you can use 2 USB1/2 ports to give a total of up to 5V@1Amp or 1.8Amp if using 2x USB3.0 sockets.

With the results above I am to beleive that the devices do not have enough power to run smoothly.
To further test this I have made some USB splitter cables that I am willing to post out to WSGF members in the UK free of charge whom are suffering from none working or flickering adaptors.
I have about 5 or 6 to give away in exchange for some feedback here on WSGF so just let me know in PM if you are interested. If these work for other people also then we can suggest this as a confirmed wokring solution to the issues that are experienced by many other people.

The average power supply and USB hubs are not enough to drive these devices, you must supply them with AT LEAST 5V@1Amp !!

With the following equipment I have a working solution that is stable without any flicker.

Card: ATI 5870 Eyefinity6 2GB (Trillian)
Card Bios: 012.020.000.002.036574
Driver Version: 10.6
GPU-Z Validation
Adaptor: Bizlink Active DP to Dual-link DVI also branded as Accell/Sapphire/Dell.
Adaptor Firmware: 034
Adaptor Model: BZL-KS10008(B)
Powered by: Dual USB or External USB power supply (HTC/iPad charger)
Power Supply Voltage: 5V
Power Supply Current: 1000mA


or
The above power supply pic is just an exmalpe (it is only rated at 400mA you must use at least 1000mA).

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| Gigabyte X79S-UP5-WiFi Skt2011 | i7 4820k @4.4GHz Watercooled (Ivy Bridge-E) | Corsair Vengence 32GB @2133MHz 11-11-11-27 2T Quad-Channel (8x4GB) | AMD R9-Fury-X 4GB @1140/505MHz + EKWB Watercooled | 256GB Crucial MX200 SSD | 8x 1TB Samsung F3 SATA-II | Corsair 850W TX PSU | 3x Dell S2209W 22"wide TFT's (5760x1080res) | Logitech Z-5400 5.1ch speakers | Win7 Ultimate x64 |

Interesting. This was a solution for some people early on, using a separate ac to usb adapter. But others like myself didn't have the flickering problem until cat 10.4. I've been running cat 10.7 but with CCC from 10.3 to avoid the flickering/monitor going off problem.

I have an early Bizlink DP active adapter also.

I'm going to try this as I have an Apple AC to USB adapter from a first gen iphone lying around doing nothing. I'm going to use that and go back to CCC 10.7 and see if it helps.

Cool, let us know your findings, hopefully it will resolve the flicker issues with the later drivers :)

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| Gigabyte X79S-UP5-WiFi Skt2011 | i7 4820k @4.4GHz Watercooled (Ivy Bridge-E) | Corsair Vengence 32GB @2133MHz 11-11-11-27 2T Quad-Channel (8x4GB) | AMD R9-Fury-X 4GB @1140/505MHz + EKWB Watercooled | 256GB Crucial MX200 SSD | 8x 1TB Samsung F3 SATA-II | Corsair 850W TX PSU | 3x Dell S2209W 22"wide TFT's (5760x1080res) | Logitech Z-5400 5.1ch speakers | Win7 Ultimate x64 |

My initial trial with Eyefinity involved the ACCELL Active DP -> DVI adapter. It would work to some extent but I would often lose signal or suffer a few flickers and eventual blank screen.

I tried using a separate USB power source to no avail. I would still lose signal and have to unplug the USB and then plug it back in to get a few minutes of screen again.

I won't be trying any other active adapter as I'm really very pleased with the performance of my Monster passive DP -> VGA adapter. No need for any USB power source at all and I really can't tell the difference as for Image Quality between the three screens.

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~Windows 7 x64 Professional~MSI X58A-GD45~Intel I7-950~6x2 GB DDR3 1600 RAM (Triple Channel)~RealTek Onboard~XFX HD 6950 2 GB GDDR5~3 ViewSonic 24 inch LCDs in Eyefinity~SATA Dual Layer DVD RW~1000 W PSU~And a Whole Lot More!~Done with Vista~XP Pro on the way out, too!~AND....250 GB XBOX 360~

Dyre Straits, what what the seperate power source you tried, what was the voltage and current output rating? In most cases it would appear that it needs to be at LEAST 1amp.
What Model adaptor was it?
What firmware?
What drivers where you running?

EDIT:
When submitting feedback can members please provide the following details...

Card: ATI 5870 Eyefinity6 2GB (Trillian)
Card Bios: 012.020.000.002.036574
Driver Version: 10.6
Adaptor: Bizlink.
Adaptor Firmware: 034
Adaptor Model: BZL-KS10008(B)
Powered by: Dual USB or External USB power supply
External Power Supply Voltage: 5V
External Power Supply Current: 1000mA
Working flicker free: Yes

I still have 5 cables available to anyone in the UK whom wishes to test this solution.

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| Gigabyte X79S-UP5-WiFi Skt2011 | i7 4820k @4.4GHz Watercooled (Ivy Bridge-E) | Corsair Vengence 32GB @2133MHz 11-11-11-27 2T Quad-Channel (8x4GB) | AMD R9-Fury-X 4GB @1140/505MHz + EKWB Watercooled | 256GB Crucial MX200 SSD | 8x 1TB Samsung F3 SATA-II | Corsair 850W TX PSU | 3x Dell S2209W 22"wide TFT's (5760x1080res) | Logitech Z-5400 5.1ch speakers | Win7 Ultimate x64 |

Props for this, Delphium. Hope you find a fix. :)

The USB HUB I tried to use is the same as this one posted on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/GE-USB-2-0-7-Port-Hub-model-HO97916-/260649665622?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2

I had the AC Adapter plugged in to supply power and also ONLY had the DP adapter plugged into the HUB. I'll have to dig up the HUB again in order to provide any additional data on it. But, at the time, I recall that it DID meet the specifications provided by ACCELL.

I also received a BIOS update from XFX for my HD5770. That helped some but did not resolve the issue.

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~Windows 7 x64 Professional~MSI X58A-GD45~Intel I7-950~6x2 GB DDR3 1600 RAM (Triple Channel)~RealTek Onboard~XFX HD 6950 2 GB GDDR5~3 ViewSonic 24 inch LCDs in Eyefinity~SATA Dual Layer DVD RW~1000 W PSU~And a Whole Lot More!~Done with Vista~XP Pro on the way out, too!~AND....250 GB XBOX 360~

The problem with USB hubs is that even though they can be powered a lot of them still only provide a max of 500mA to each USB port.
According to the manual of the hub you have (pdf) the power supply should provide 2.5Amps which is ample power IF each USB port on the hub could directly access that 2.5Amps which as I state it sadly does not appear to be doing.

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| Gigabyte X79S-UP5-WiFi Skt2011 | i7 4820k @4.4GHz Watercooled (Ivy Bridge-E) | Corsair Vengence 32GB @2133MHz 11-11-11-27 2T Quad-Channel (8x4GB) | AMD R9-Fury-X 4GB @1140/505MHz + EKWB Watercooled | 256GB Crucial MX200 SSD | 8x 1TB Samsung F3 SATA-II | Corsair 850W TX PSU | 3x Dell S2209W 22"wide TFT's (5760x1080res) | Logitech Z-5400 5.1ch speakers | Win7 Ultimate x64 |

The iphone adapter didn't quite do it. I don't know how much amperage it puts out. The label on the thing doesn't state it. I'm not 100% certain but I think it helped, it didn't seem to lose picture as quickly or easily.

I'm going to try something else, maybe wire a 5v ac adapter of at least 1.0 amp to a usb female connector.

Funny thing, there was one at Newegg which was available yesterday that fits the bill perfectly. But maybe because of the topic, it's out of stock today.

If anyone outside the UK wants one of these plugs, I will reimburse Delphium for the shipping. Also, there are online stores that carry USB Y cables. Also, if a few people in the US want to find a Y cable and order it, I will send money via PayPal to reimburse you. Most I've found are about $15.