Question Surface pro 6, problem with 2 monitors. Please help finding the defect part.

[__Alex__]

Hi!


I have the following system:
- surface pro 6

• docking station PD9-00004. It has two miniDP ports for monitors.
• Monitors AOC Q2778VQE (DisplayPort and HDMI) and ASUS VS248H (only HDMI)
• Cables: Ivanky miniDP-Displayport (for AOC) and Ivanky miniDP-HDMI (for Asus)

What I want:

• when the surface is connected to the docking station and the lid is closed: AOC as monitor 1 and Asus as Monitor 2
• when the surface is connected to the docking station and the lid is open: AOC as monitor 1, Asus as Monitor 2, the surface itself as monitor 3.
• when the surface is not connected to the docking station: only the surface monitor.

I had some troubles making it work, since it did not want to make a switch properly, but then this setup was working. Now the AOC suddenly stopped working and the system does weird things. Here are some examples.

Attempt 1: I open the lid and start the computer. The surface screen is not on (but it can use the face recognition to login) and the two monitors are working.

Attempt 2: I open the lid and start the computer (so, same start as above). The surface screen is on, while the two monitors are not. I login and close the lid. It gives me a sound (that the lid is now closed), but the two monitors are still not on. I try a few times to open and to close - there is a sound every single time, but the two monitors are still off. In fact, i can also see that under the lid the surface screen is still on even though the lid is closed. In the windows settings the two monitors are considered being disconnected.

Attempt 3: One monitor at a time. Surface and Asus with minidp-hdmi: it works. Surface and AOC with minidp-dp: sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Surface and AOC with minidp-hdmi: seems to work as well.

Attempt 4: I turn off the surface with both monitors connected, and it seems like the monitors are confused. So, the screen on the Asus may turn black, and then suddenly after some time it may turn blue with the text saying that there is not signal. Similarly, on the AOC, like it captures some variations in the received signal.


So, what can be defect here? I can see that every solution that failed includes the miniDp-DP cable which can be defect. But then can it give such problems? Like the one in which surface screen is on while the lid is closed. Or is it the docking station? Or the detachable lid?

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Alabalcho]

Try first to make this with one monitor only, without dock statin. Why you want to close the lid? This makes your life much more difficult...

 

[__Alex__]

Try first to make this with one monitor only, without dock statin. Why you want to close the lid? This makes your life much more difficult...

So, yesterday I tried with just one monitor, AOC first. I tried both miniDP-HDMI and miniDP-DP, and the problem is still there (so, the cable is not the problem). The monitor is visible in the settings, but it is not possible to turn it on or send signal to it. Even when I choose it as the only monitor, it automatically switches back to the surface monitor. Then I restart, connect and disconnect the docking station, and it works, but with wrong resolution (cannot choose higher). Then I restart, connect and disconnect the docking station again, and it works the way it should!

Later I tried with both monitors, and in fact I can make it work by connecting and disconnecting the cable that connects the docking station and the surface itself (the one with a magnet) while the surface is turned on. So, while it is on, I connect and disconnect the magnetic-cable, and after some trials it gives me the right picture on both monitors. So, I guess this is a problem a) with the docking station, b) with the surface pro itself or c) with windows 10. Any suggestions which part is most likely to be defect? Thank you!