Spin 713 Chromebook... no external monitor support?

GunkyGuy

Purchased a spin 713 chromebook this evening. Plugged it into my one month old Dell U2720Q monitor and...nothing. The display is recognized in the Chromebook settings, but there is no image signal being sent to the screen. I tried it both connected by the chromebook's hdmi port directly and through a powered USB-C hub. No signal either way. My son has the same laptop so I tried his and...nothing. For what it is worth, the monitor works perfectly with anything else I plug in via HDMI, including a three year old Asus chromebook. What am I missing here?

GunkyGuy

Also, I tried three different HDMI cables. All work fine elsewhere.

GunkyGuy

What a bizarre device. So through trial and error I find:
1) It will output video, but only if I plug my hub into the USB-C port on the left.
2) The HDMI port only outputs video if power is plugged in on the left, not the right.
3) It will not output video over USB-C to my USB-C capable monitor
4) maximum of 30 Hz refresh at 4k

I guess I'll give it a go for a couple of days, but for such a well reviewed device it has some very weird hardware behavior.

billsey

Which Spin 713 did you buy? Should be something like CP713-2W-xxxx. I believe for most of them the charging function port is on one side and the DP over USB-C is on the other, but the service guide is a little vague. Both are gen 1...

GunkyGuy

Thanks for responding! It is the CP713-2W-5874

When I posted last night I was using HDMI. I knew that wouldn't be ideal as far as output, but I had to wait until today to track down a proper (more than just charging) USB-C cable. I spoke with Acer support last night, described the issues I was having and did some diagnosing with them. The agent determined that there is a hardware fault of some kind and suggested I exchange. I've not done that yet. But, what I have done is:

1) Switched to a good USB-C cable that was shipped with the monitor. 
2) Did a hard reset

I am happy to report that I can now get 4k @ 60Hz from either port. The laptop is also charging over that same USB-C cable, so, nice!

There have been a few hiccups, mainly around sleep/wake. Twice on waking it did not feed the external monitor until I opened the laptop briefly (I don't use the laptop screen at my desk as the external monitor is sufficient real estate for my needs). Once it stopped passing audio through the monitor to my speakers (the monitor flashed a message saying to switch to PCM audio, but a reboot cleared that). And I had one instance where it crashed during the sleep/wake cycle and had to be rebooted.

On balance, I'm pretty impressed by the performance of the machine, especially compared to the 2-3 year old Asus C302c I've been using. I'm hoping that some of these little glitches are just related to whatever the Acer agent perceived as a hardware issue and that exchanging it for another will clear things up. I do want all the ports and capabilities working smoothly, in case I need them. 

billsey

Good to know, let us know when the new one comes in.

GunkyGuy

Thanks again for checking in, billsey. I picked up the replacement last night and, yes, there was definitely a hardware issue with the first one. Everything is functioning as expected with the new one. I am using:
1) the right side USB-C port for 4k @ 60 Hz out, audio to the speaker (which, in turn, are plugged into the monitor), and for power supply to the laptop.
2) the left side USB-C port is plugged into a dock the integrates  Ethernet and connects to the USB switch for my external keyboard, trackpad, and webcam.

I've been working for five hours with no hiccups. That includes several wake/sleep cycles. I haven't gotten around to testing the HDMI port. I ordered a USI stylus, really just out of curiosity, and I'm looking forward to giving that a try when it arrives.

Overall, I'm now a happy camper. I think the only thing I'd change on the device would be the ability to power on without having to open the lid when connected to all my external peripherals. I don't think you can beat the price/performance that this Chromebook delivers.

billsey

Great news! I'm glad you got it sorted...

writerdianalee

Hi. I got my Acer Spin 713 for Christmas. Tried to use it at church to cast a video through a projector using an HDMI connector. The screen didn't LOCK, but I couldn't navigate, and all tabs were hidden behind the Home screen - no response to cursor. I'm looking for a solution. Help! I love my Acer.

writerdianalee

I contacted Acer and have figured this out. There isn't a mirror option, only an extension option, and you must, on the laptop display after you plug in, you have to drag the webpage off to the right to bring it to the monitor. Weird, but it worked.