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Mac Pro monitor dongle?
#59078 07/05/21 12:00 PM
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I am using my old Mac Pro (late 2010, 5,1) for storage, connecting it via router/ethernet to my iMac. I view the Mac Pro via Screen Sharing. The screen on the iMac is 5K pixels wide, the largest size I can manage on the Mac Pro is 2K, so you can imagine the viewing area of the Screen Sharing window is pretty small.

Here's the problem: in order to keep the 1920px screen size for the Mac Pro, I have to have the computer physically connected to my unused 24" Dell monitor. If I pull the DVI display cable from the Mac Pro, the window size defaults to 1024px and the preference pane offers no other size options. I have to keep the DVI cable physically attached to the Dell monitor even though the monitor is switched off and not even plugged into anything.

Question: is there some sort of dongle or trick that will make the Mac Pro think it's got a large monitor attached?

Thanks.


iMac (19,1, 3.1 GHz i5, 12.7.4, 40 Gb RAM); MacBook Air (1.8 Ghz, 8 Gb RAM, 10.14.6, 256 Gb SSD) Vodafone router and Devolo Wi-Fi Extender, Canon TS8351 printer/scanner.
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
freelance #59079 07/05/21 05:32 PM
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What if you plugged in a "DVI to…[some other standard]" adapter. It may be that the DVI port activates in some way when something is plugged in, even if that something is off, not powered on. By this thinking you would not have to connect the other end of the adapter to anything; you just want something that plugs into the DVI port. Make sure whatever you get can be returned because this is all a wild guess on my part. grin


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
Ira L #59080 07/05/21 06:31 PM
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Well, you've forced me to my knees again. I do have a "DVI to…[some other standard]" adapter. I got down and plugged it in, but no joy. And nothing to connect it to, either.

I don't know where the monitor preferences are kept, and if it is possible to download some preference for an imaginary screen to put in the proper place to fool the Mac Pro.

The Mac Pro "sees" the Dell2408WFP monitor in its preference pane and lists all the possible resolution sizes. Would that information be coming from a monitor that is not switched on or even plugged in? If that info is on the Mac Pro, where do I find the folder? Can I drop fake sizes into that folder?


iMac (19,1, 3.1 GHz i5, 12.7.4, 40 Gb RAM); MacBook Air (1.8 Ghz, 8 Gb RAM, 10.14.6, 256 Gb SSD) Vodafone router and Devolo Wi-Fi Extender, Canon TS8351 printer/scanner.
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
freelance #59081 07/05/21 07:16 PM
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Your problem sounds similar in nature to the one joemike ran into with his M-1, wherein he couldn't get max throughput from his external drive without having a monitor plugged into some port or other.

I don't remember his outcome, but I remember him referencing an OWC dongle that maaay be your solution.

Sorry, but I can't provide a link.

I think NewerTech HDMI Headless 4K Display Emulator is the guy I'm thinking of.

Last edited by artie505; 07/05/21 07:51 PM. Reason: Add link

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
artie505 #59083 07/05/21 10:54 PM
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Thanks for the steer. I ended up buying a DVI dummy plug, which should be about the same thing. Says I should get a 2560x1600 dpi display @ 60Hz or 3840x2160 @ 30Hz. For £7.88 I'm willing to take a chance.

Your link sent me to an HDMI dummy plug, which gave me the idea. They have the same thing for a mini-DP port as well. They are a monitor emulator. Fingers crossed it will work.

Cheers!


iMac (19,1, 3.1 GHz i5, 12.7.4, 40 Gb RAM); MacBook Air (1.8 Ghz, 8 Gb RAM, 10.14.6, 256 Gb SSD) Vodafone router and Devolo Wi-Fi Extender, Canon TS8351 printer/scanner.
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
freelance #59084 07/06/21 12:51 AM
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Good luck!

(I know nothing about DVI or HDMI other than that they exist and that I've had ports on one Mac or another.)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
artie505 #59085 07/06/21 11:22 AM
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Well, my wife hates me using Amazon, but I ordered the part last night and it arrived a few minutes ago.

Success! Plug'n'play. An assortment of resolutions to choose from and the 2560x1440 @ 60Hz option pretty much fills my iMac 5K screen. Even better, a square is actually square on the emulated screen.

Although I purchased the Affinity replacements for Adobe CS to run on the new iMac, I had to fall back on Photoshop on the Mac Pro the other day – the small screen size was a bit of a problem, but not any more.

As an aside, I was doing without sound from the Mac Pro, but have now connected some bluetooth ear buds to it and it's like having a whole new computer. Nice.

Anyway, thanks for the ideas.

DVI Dummy Plug In case anybody's interested.


iMac (19,1, 3.1 GHz i5, 12.7.4, 40 Gb RAM); MacBook Air (1.8 Ghz, 8 Gb RAM, 10.14.6, 256 Gb SSD) Vodafone router and Devolo Wi-Fi Extender, Canon TS8351 printer/scanner.
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
freelance #59086 07/06/21 12:02 PM
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Happy to hear that the "dummy" worked for you.

As I said, I know nothing about DVI and HDMI, so I'll ask if there's a functionality reason why you went with the one rather than the other or was it just a matter of which port you had?

I'm with your wife on Amazon, but sometimes there's just no viable option. frown (On the other hand, though, I've finally exorcised Nestle from my life in favor of a Brita pitcher. smile )


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
artie505 #59087 07/06/21 03:17 PM
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I could have used a mini-DP dummy as well, I suppose. I didn't have an HDMI input. The DVI port works well.

An alternative, if I had to go to HDMI, would have been a DVI to HDMI adapter, then a HDMI dummy into that. Twice as expensive.

Amazon has issues to address, like global taxation and treatment of their workforce, but as a service they are top.

Over the past year and a half, I've probably subsidised Jeff Bezos' first space trip.


iMac (19,1, 3.1 GHz i5, 12.7.4, 40 Gb RAM); MacBook Air (1.8 Ghz, 8 Gb RAM, 10.14.6, 256 Gb SSD) Vodafone router and Devolo Wi-Fi Extender, Canon TS8351 printer/scanner.
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
freelance #59090 07/06/21 04:27 PM
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Thanks for the clarification.

Originally Posted by freelance
Amazon has issues to address, like global taxation and treatment of their workforce, but as a service they are top.
Unfortunately so. I use eBay whenever I'm able, but sometimes Amazon's price, delivery window, or customer service is just too cpmpelling. frown


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
artie505 #59096 07/06/21 05:46 PM
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My apologies for being late to the thread, but I have been distracted attempting to get up and running with Monterey. I run an elderly Mac mini headless (sans, keyboard. mouse, and monitor) and connect to both it and working Mac minis using Screens 4. It capitalizes on the screen sharing server capabilities built into macOS but is much smoother faster and easier to control than Apple's Screen Connect. Using it I can connect to and control any of my macOS devices from any of my other macOS or iOS, iPadOS devices and it is able to compensate for variations in screen size (even the twin 23" monitors on my mini when connecting from my iPhone, but that does take a LOT of zooming and scrolling).


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Mac Pro monitor dongle?
joemikeb #59105 07/07/21 11:18 AM
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Screens 4 looks fairly priced, but far beyond my needs. I own two Mac laptops and two Mac desktops, but no other Apple products.


iMac (19,1, 3.1 GHz i5, 12.7.4, 40 Gb RAM); MacBook Air (1.8 Ghz, 8 Gb RAM, 10.14.6, 256 Gb SSD) Vodafone router and Devolo Wi-Fi Extender, Canon TS8351 printer/scanner.

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