M1 MBA And VGA Monitor

[MightyGem]

I am trying to use an Acer 1716 VGA monitor with my MBA(Mac OS 11.6.3) with little success.

I have tried a HDMI to VGA adaptor via a Belkin hub and a USB C to VGA adaptor direct from the MBA. In both cases the monitor screen stays black.

The monitor is ok: it works with my old MBP and White MacBook.
The monitor receives a signal from the MBA: the "No Signal" message clears(and re-appears when disconnecting from the laptop), the mouse pointer moves off the top of the screen, I can move windows onto the monitor, if I move the Menu bar onto the monitor(in Sys Prefs>Displays) the MBA screen changes to the default Big Sur background.

I can connect to my Sony Bravia TV without a problem.

Can anyone help with the monitor?

 

[krs]

Sounds to me as a problem with the aspect ratio of the Acer monitor.
The Acer 1716 has a native resolution of 1280 x 1024 which the M1 MBA may not support.
Check System Preferences > Displays

 

[MightyGem]

The Acer 1716 has a native resolution of 1280 x 1024 which the M1 MBA may not support.
Check System Preferences > Displays

1280x1024 doesn't show. So is that the problem then?

 

[krs]

I read your originalpost again and am now a bit confused.

At the beginning of that post you say:

I have tried a HDMI to VGA adaptor via a Belkin hub and a USB C to VGA adaptor direct from the MBA. In both cases the monitor screen stays black.

And later:

I can move windows onto the monitor, if I move the Menu bar onto the monitor(in Sys Prefs>Displays) the MBA screen changes to the default Big Sur background.

So the BigSur background shows on the monitor?

What are you trying to usethe Acer monitor for?
a. Expended Desktop? or
b. Mirrored display? or
c. Main display with MBa cover closed and external keyboard and mouse?

 

[MightyGem]

So the BigSur background shows on the monitor?

No. It came up on the MBA. I'm thinking that it takes the role of secondary display once the monitor has been designated as the main by transferring the Menubar.

What are you trying to usethe Acer monitor for?

Extended desktop.

 

[MacInWin]

the mouse pointer moves off the top of the screen, I can move windows onto the monitor, if I move the Menu bar onto the monitor

In System Preferences/Displays, does the monitor appear? If so, where is it in relation to the MBA screen? I'm slightly confused by the mouse moving off the top of the screen. I'm also confused by the moving windows to the monitor and the menu bar. Are you saying that if you drag/drop a window from the MBA to the Monitor, it appears on the monitor? And the top menu bar appears there as well? If that's not what is happening, can you be a bit more specific about what IS happening? Remember, we cannot see your setup, so we need pretty explicit descriptions of what you are doing and what you are seeing.

 

[krs]

No. It came up on the MBA. I'm thinking that it takes the role of secondary display once the monitor has been designated as the main by transferring the Menubar.

Yes, that is exactly what is happening.
And then the MBa can't match the resolution required by the monitor because of its 5:4 aspect ratio which was common only until 2003.

Display aspect ratio - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I bet you your old MBpro and white MacBook do handle that resolution and that's why the monitor works with them.

 

[MacInWin]

I'm thinking that it takes the role of secondary display once the monitor has been designated as the main by transferring the Menubar.

What is the "it" that takes the role of secondary display?

 

[krs]

What is the "it" that takes the role of secondary display?

When you read MightyGem's whole reply...to me "it" refers to the MBa

 

[krs]

The way I see the problem:
Monitor requires a resolution of 1280 x 1024
OPs MBa does not have that display resolution option
So monitor is detected as connected by MBa (As OP described) but MBa can't provide the required video signal

 

[MacInWin]

When you read MightyGem's whole reply...to me "it" refers to the MBa

OK, I'll drop out. Good luck with it.

 

[krs]

OK, I'll drop out. Good luck with it.

If you have a different opinion as to what might be happening or have an idea how to get this monitor to work with the MBa as an extended desktop,please don't hesitate to share your opinion/suggestions.
I'm sure the OP would appreciate it.
As far as I am concerned, that MBa and that Acer monitor are just not compatible because of the required resolution for the quite old monitor that the much newer MBa just does not support.

Maybe the OP can take a look at this to see if it helps solve the problem:

SwitchResX - The Most Versatile Tool For Controlling Screen Resolutions On Your Mac

 

[MacInWin]

Nope, I'll leave it to you. All I know is that I've attached monitors of all kinds of resolutions to my various Macs and they have always shown SOMETHING, even if the resolutions don't match. I can't follow where the OP is dragging things, or what is showing up. Too many "it" pronouns to keep track. You do seem to know what is going on, so I'll leave it to you. (You might ask about the mouse cursor disappearing off the top of the screen that the OP mentions in post #1. Could be an arrangement problem.)

 

[krs]

I have used numerous different monitors with various Macs as well and have never had an issue, but no monitor with a 5:4 aspect ratio and that 1280x1024 resolution.
There are some discussions about that on the Apple forum where people have run into the same compatibility issue.
One comment was that Apple discontinued supporting that resolution with macOSLion.

 

[MightyGem]

As far as I am concerned, that MBa and that Acer monitor are just not compatible because of the required resolution for the quite old monitor that the much newer MBa just does not support.

OK, I'll go along with that.

One comment was that Apple discontinued supporting that resolution with macOSLion.

Don't think so. I was using the monitor up to Mojave, and it still works with that on my MBP.

In System Preferences/Displays, does the monitor appear?

Where ever I drag it to.

If so, where is it in relation to the MBA screen?

See above.

I'm slightly confused by the mouse moving off the top of the screen.

That happens if that the configuration set in Sys Prefs. If I position the screens side by side, then I can move the mouse off the side of the screen.

Are you saying that if you drag/drop a window from the MBA to the Monitor, it appears on the monitor?

No. I am saying that I can drag a window off the MBA onto the Monitor, but it doesn't appear on the monitor because the screen is black.

And the top menu bar appears there as well?

No, because the screen is black, but I can drag it onto the monitor in Sys Prefs.

When you read MightyGem's whole reply...to me "it" refers to the MBa

Yes.

 

[krs]

One comment was that Apple discontinued supporting that resolution with macOSLion.

Don't think so. I was using the monitor up to Mojave, and it still works with that on my MBP.

Yeah, that seemed a bit of an odd comment to me when I read it..
It wouldn't make any sense if a monitor would stop working just because the macOS was upgraded. Makes more sense to relate that to the hardware and the video drivers.

As a final test just to make sure we're on the right path - when you use that monitor as an extended desktop with your MBP running Mojave, can you take a look at the display resolution on the MBP to see if 1280 x 1024 is selected.
If not,what is the seleted resolution and also are there any black bars, either horizontal or vertical at the edge of either screen (which would adjust aspect ratio of the image

 

[MightyGem]

As a final test just to make sure we're on the right path - when you use that monitor as an extended desktop with your MBP running Mojave, can you take a look at the display resolution on the MBP to see if 1280 x 1024 is selected.
If not,what is the seleted resolution and also are there any black bars, either horizontal or vertical at the edge of either screen (which would adjust aspect ratio of the imag

Good idea. I'll try and get round to it in the next day or so.

 

[MightyGem]

OK.

With the White MacBook, there are numerous display option but it only works on 1024x768.

The MBP only shows 800x600 and 1280x1024. I use 1280x1024.
There are no black bars with either computer.

Options with the MBA are 1280x720, 1600x900 and 1920x1080, so it looks like you are correct and the MBA doesn't support 1024x768 or 1280x1024.