Monitor "No Signal" problem

[cydewaze]

I'm in the process of building a new PC, and one of the things I picked up was an LG 34UM61-P 34" super-widescreen 21:9 monitor.

The setup I'm replacing is actually one of two machines that are connected to a KVM switch and share a pair of 19" monitors. Both PCs use VGA connectors both in and out of the KVM switch.

Since I'm still waiting for parts to arrive for the new build, I thought I'd connect up the new monitor and see how it looked. The sales guy at the PC shop sold me a VGA to HDMI adapter, which I connected to the VGA cable coming from the KVM switch.

The result is "No Signal" regardless of which box the KVM switch it switched to.

Am I safe in assuming that neither of my old video cards support the resolution required for the new monitor? Or is the problem in the adapter? Eventually I want to keep the KVM setup, so I need to figure out how to get a signal through to the monitor that it can use.

 

[10tacle]

How is that switch plugged into your current PC it's being used on? VGA out? If that's the case, then you won't be able to use it with the new monitor's digital input with a passive VGA to HDMI adapter. With KVM switches, there is no mixing digital and analog signals in and out so it's either going to be digital or analog all the way from the PC to the monitor. So you'd have to go VGA out from PC to the switch, VGA out from the switch and VGA in to the monitor. Same for digital: all or nothing.

Edit: I have not used a switch in many years so there may be more options with newer ones I'm not up to date on. I noticed you are still rocking an E8400 with an ASUS P5Q Pro and 4GB G.Skill. Mine still works great and I use it for general office use. Had it overclocked to 4.4GHz back in the day when it was my primary rig.

 

[cydewaze]

It's VGA from both PCs to the KVM switch, VGA out from the KVM to the new monitor, and a VGA to HDMI adapter on the end of that final VGA before going in to the monitor.

It seems like I'll need a KVM switch that handles HDMI for this to work. I have a switch that takes 3 HDMI in, and one out, but I'd still need a convertor before plugging into that from VGA, no?

 

[10tacle]

Yep, that's your problem. You can't mix as stated. All same VGA or all same HDMI. The converter is not sending a signal to mixed up digital and analog signals. There are switches out there that have both HDMI and VGA in/out together so you could say use one all analog to one monitor and one all digital to another monitor. But no converters between the four access points between PC out, switch in, switch out, and monitor in.

Also I assume you know you'll need a DVI-D cable (not DVI-I) to that 34" for getting maximum 2560x1080 resolution.

 

[cydewaze]

Also I assume you know you'll need a DVI-D cable (not DVI-I) to that 34" for getting maximum 2560x1080 resolution.

It's funny you mention that, because the video cards on both of these machines are both DVI-I out, with DVI-I to VGA adapters.

Since it looks like the new monitor had HDMI inputs only, it's looking like I'll have to get a new video card for my older PC that's HDMI out (the one for the new build already has HDMI out) and use this HDMI switch I have for switching monitors, and use the existing KVM for mouse and keyboard. Tedious, but I think a proper HDMI KVM switch is $$$$$$$.