PM161Q Abmiuuzx 15.6" IPS LED FHD Portable Monitor - Black The image is very dark

pmacay

I unchecked "turn off fast startup" and rebooted 3 times, no bright screen. I then tried reseating the external monitor cable, first from the external monitor end, then from the PC end. No bright screen. I then unplugged the monitor and shut down. Then plugged the monitor in when it was up and running, no bright screen. I then tried reseating the external monitor cable, first from the external monitor end, then from the PC end. No bright screen.

pmacay

Sorry, I posted my reply twice, I thought my post didn't work.

JackE

> > The monitor sometimes comes up in full brightness, > >

Try this. Turn both the monitor and PC off. Wait a minute or so. First turn on the monitor. Wait another minute or so. Then turn on the PC second.

pmacay

I don't have the external monitor connected to a power supply, it is getting it's power from the PC's USB C port.

JackE

That may be the issue. The PC's port must be capable of delivering nearly 25 watts. Not sure what the power specs are on your Surface model's type-C port. Was an AC adapter or wallwart provided with your monitor?

pmacay

It did come with a power cord, and I tried it and the screen lite up to full brightness without rebooting. It's just strange that "sometimes" the screen would be at full brightness with just the USB C connector to the laptop.

JackE

> >It did come with a power cord, and I tried it and the screen lite up to
full brightness without rebooting. It's just strange that "sometimes"
the screen would be at full brightness with just the USB C connector to
the laptop..> >

If it was my Surface, I would try to find out if its port can safely or reliably deliver 25 watts before continuing to try to force it to do so. Meanwhile, I'd use the AC adapter to keep any smoke from escaping inside of the Surface.😯

pmacay

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I didn't want to have to carry another power cord with me when I travel, but it appears the surface can't supply the proper power for the external monitor.

JackE

Sorry, 25watts is about as low a power requirement for a backlit LCD monitor that's available in that size and price bracket. The PC really should have a ThunderBolt compatible port. Newer OLED monitors might work with your port but cost a lot more than an LCD monitor.

billsey

Yes, the laptop is only providing the standard 900mA@5V (4.5W) that USB defines, it's not designed for power delivery.

pmacay

Thanks everyone for all the help with this. When I bought the external monitor I was surprised that the tablet could power it, now I see that it can't, unless your computer has the newer USB C thunderbolt connection. I am happy with the Acer monitor, good quality at a good price and it really helps to expand my workspace when I'm traveling.

AJDeBosco

This afternoon I received my Acer PM161Q monitor and had the same problem. I'm using a laptop running KDE Neon Linux. I turned off DDC / CI in the monitor menu and that fixed the problem. I don't know if you've tried this but if not it's worth a shot.

JackE

https://community.acer.com/en/profile/AJDeBosco

Thanks for input. I'd guess that SP's GPU should be able to handle it automatically if power load was too high. And a very dim image might be the result without the power supply. It'd be interesting to see if anything good or bad happens.🙂

FlyingScotsman

I just solved the Dark Monitor problem! The power cord that came with the monitor needs to be plugged into the UPPER UBS-C port on the right side, while the USB-C Signal Cable needs to be plugged into the LOWER USB-C port. It’s not quite as bright as my iPad Pro, but perfectly adequate.