Mac Mini 2018 HDMI failes after OS upgrade / patch

[tstimper]

👍
Please let us know how it went, if it's no trouble to you

i will do, i am really interested in getting a fix for this issue.
Has your Mac mini 2018 warranty / Apple care? Than you could call Apple support, and point hem to this thread.

As far as i see they are very interested to fix this. I think until today they do not have enough data from customers.
Most customers give up to early and using a workaround, which works for them, but not for all.

Going that way there is never the chance to really figure out whats going on and fix it.

Now we are on the way to change that.

 

[oviuan2]

It should have... only it's company equipment, I'm only using it, and I was hoping there was a simple software solution, so I don't have to take it with the IT department... I don't even think they would care to solve it, since it works with the monitor I have at the office, but not the one from home (an older model, Samsung SyncMaster T200). Maybe the issue is with the monitor, but it was working fine before upgrade to Catalina

 

[tstimper]

interesting, is HDMI still working with the monitor at the office? Which model is that?

Another question: The Samsung SyncMaster T200 is a 20" 16:10 monitor with DVI and VGA connector.
Do you use a HDMI to DVI adapter with DVI cable to the monitor? Or HDMI to VGA adapter with VGA cable to the monitor?

Could be that they have a problem with 16:10 display resolutions.
I have the same issue when i use a projector with the Mac mini 2018,
but the projector is configured for 16:10, not for 16:9

We only have 16:10 monitors...

 

[tstimper]

ok, another 3 hours with Apple support testing graphic drivers, creating system diagnostics, enabling FileVault, taking video of the issue.

We see the issue, we can reproduce the issue. Still trying to figure out what cause the issue....

 

[oviuan2]

interesting, is HDMI still working with the monitor at the office? Which model is that?

Another question: The Samsung SyncMaster T200 is a 20" 16:10 monitor with DVI and VGA connector.
Do you use a HDMI to DVI adapter with DVI cable to the monitor? Or HDMI to VGA adapter with VGA cable to the monitor?

Could be that they have a problem with 16:10 display resolutions.
I have the same issue when i use a projector with the Mac mini 2018,
but the projector is configured for 16:10, not for 16:9

We only have 16:10 monitors...

Could be... I didn't get the chance to try the monitor from the office after upgrade, since I work from home since the covid crisis started. I use a dvi to hdmi adapter with dvi to the monitor. I also suspect an incompatibility with the hdmi mode used by the monitor, but since on reconnect it is able to negotiate it properly, it may be that on initialisation (after power on without reconnect) it doesn't

 

[tstimper]

Could be... I didn't get the chance to try the monitor from the office after upgrade, since I work from home since the covid crisis started. I use a dvi to hdmi adapter with dvi to the monitor. I also suspect an incompatibility with the hdmi mode used by the monitor, but since on reconnect it is able to negotiate it properly, it may be that on initialisation (after power on without reconnect) it doesn't

interesting, this is the same behaviour as on my Mac mini 2018.
Could you check something please?
Go to Apple menu > About this Mac > System Report > Graphics/Display and check the Adapter Firmware Version.
That should be 2,19 which is faulty regarding this post https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ch.2221573/page-4?post=28536967#post-28536967

If you have time you could try the steps mentioned there to get Adapter Firmware Version 2.0a.

I can not do it now because I am working with Apple support on this case and I do not want to interrupt their support process.

Can somebody confirm, that a Mac mini 2018 with Mojave stays on Adapter Firmware Version 2.0a?
And if so, does the HDMI port works in the login screen with FileVaild enabled, if HDMI is the first or only used display port?

 

[Colstan]

Can somebody confirm, that a Mac mini 2018 with Mojave stays on Adapter Firmware Version 2.0a?
And if so, does the HDMI port works in the login screen with FileVaild enabled, if HDMI is the first or only used display port?

Greetings, I registered to specifically reply to your inquiry, but have been following this thread with interest for some time. I'm currently running:

Mac mini 2018
Dell 2005FPW monitor at 1680 X 1050 (16:10 ratio)
Using HDMI to DVI Apple adapter inherited from my old 2011 mini
I am not using any other displays nor am I using any of the USB-C ports
Currently running Mojave 10.14.6 (18G6020) (as of this writing the latest non-beta version)
I have never installed Catalina or Big Sur, so the latest firmware is from whatever Apple has updated the 2018 mini running Mojave with the latest security update (2020-004)

I suffer from the same issue (unplug and plugin the HDMI adapter at login) that occurred after one of the later Mojave updates, which you have been attempting to address. I have tried the adapter with other computers and the adapter itself seems to be functioning properly.

Finally, to actually answer your question, I just checked System Report, and here's a copy/paste:

Adapter Firmware Version: 2.0a

So yes, this issue is still a problem, at least for myself, while running an older firmware version.

I hope this helps and Apple is able to resolve this issue. Thank you for your efforts, as well. It's much appreciated.

Colstan

 

[tstimper]

Finally, to actually answer your question, I just checked System Report, and here's a copy/paste:

Adapter Firmware Version: 2.0a

So yes, this issue is still a problem, at least for myself, while running an older firmware version.

I hope this helps and Apple is able to resolve this issue. Thank you for your efforts, as well. It's much appreciated.

Colstan

Thank you for reporting this. I am very happy to get responses from users who has the same issue.

Looks like:
Adapter Firmware Version 2,19 always has the HDMI output problem
Adapter Firmware Version 2.0a some users have the HDMI output problem

Does somebody have a Mac mini 2018 with a Adapter Firmware version older than 2.0a?
Check : Go to Apple menu > About this Mac > System Report > Graphics/Display and check the Adapter Firmware Version.

If yes, does the HDMI port works at startup or do you need to disconnect / reconnect the HDMI adapter / cable?
Do you use a HDMI to DVI adapter or a HDMI cable?

Using HDMI to DVI Apple adapter inherited from my old 2011 mini

I use the same adapters, have a bunch of them from our Mac mini 2010/ 2011 devices.
But i see the same issue with a HDMI cable.

 

[oviuan2]

interesting, this is the same behaviour as on my Mac mini 2018.
Could you check something please?
Go to Apple menu > About this Mac > System Report > Graphics/Display and check the Adapter Firmware Version.
That should be 2,19 which is faulty regarding this post https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ch.2221573/page-4?post=28536967#post-28536967

If you have time you could try the steps mentioned there to get Adapter Firmware Version 2.0a.

I can not do it now because I am working with Apple support on this case and I do not want to interrupt their support process.

Can somebody confirm, that a Mac mini 2018 with Mojave stays on Adapter Firmware Version 2.0a?
And if so, does the HDMI port works in the login screen with FileVaild enabled, if HDMI is the first or only used display port?

I confirm it's 2.19
I saw that solution, but I don't have the nerves to install an entire OS only for a driver. And it's not guaranteed it will work. It seems there should be a simpler way to solve this...

 

[tstimper]

I confirm it's 2.19
I saw that solution, but I don't have the nerves to install an entire OS only for a driver. And it's not guaranteed it will work. It seems there should be a simpler way to solve this...

I expect response from Apple this week.

Finally, to actually answer your question, I just checked System Report, and here's a copy/paste:

Adapter Firmware Version: 2.0a

So yes, this issue is still a problem, at least for myself, while running an older firmware version.

Looks like firmware 2.0a does not always help

 

[Em St]

I expect response from Apple this week.



Looks like firmware 2.0a does not always help

2.0a Is not perfect, I get hdmi problems when I let my computer sleep and sometimes if I start the Mac without powering my monitors first.

As for my monitor power has to be on, I keep my monitor on standby, although one monitor keeps on turning on every minute when the Mac is powered off, so at night I turn it off.

these are the problems I am facing, I guess it is acceptable, as there isn’t anything I can do and just have to live with it. I hope big sir won’t have these issues. Other than that all works well

 

[Em St]

interesting, this is the same behaviour as on my Mac mini 2018.
Could you check something please?
Go to Apple menu > About this Mac > System Report > Graphics/Display and check the Adapter Firmware Version.
That should be 2,19 which is faulty regarding this post https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ch.2221573/page-4?post=28536967#post-28536967

If you have time you could try the steps mentioned there to get Adapter Firmware Version 2.0a.

I can not do it now because I am working with Apple support on this case and I do not want to interrupt their support process.

Can somebody confirm, that a Mac mini 2018 with Mojave stays on Adapter Firmware Version 2.0a?
And if so, does the HDMI port works in the login screen with FileVaild enabled, if HDMI is the first or only used display port?

I can confirm and have been using it ever since I posted my findings. To setup the way I did, is not that bad and would require about 3 hours. Btw, I am hesitant to update Catalina as it can install an updated firmware, tonight I may try to update as I have planned to spend 3 hours if things go south

 

[tstimper]

on Friday i was able to test with another monitor i got from a coworker, its a LG Flatron W2242T.
This Monitor has the same 1680*1050 resolution / 16:10 ratio as my ViewSonic VG2230wm
It's connected to the macmini 2018 with a Apple HDMI to DVI adapter and a DVI cable.
While the ViewSonic keeps blank on a broken Mac mini 2018, the LG shows something:

Part 1:

We start with FileFault disabled:

we see the Apple logo and a small purple line on the left side of the monitor.
That change to a noisy screen.

Lets disconnect the Apple HDMI to DVI Aadaper and reconnect it.

We get a perfect screen

ok, lets try with FileVault enabled at the next post:

 

[tstimper]

Part 2:

Test with FileVault enabled:

Power on the Mac mini 2018, purple line on he left side of the monitor

Then we see the FilrVault login screen, purple line on the left and missing parts on the right

Looks like the frequency is slightly out of range and the screen resolution does not fit.
It has to be 1680*1050 but looks like 1600*1050.
Ok lets login and see what happens next.

We get the same scrambled noisy picture as we had after booting without Filevault enabled.
There is an easy fix, simply disconnect and reconnect the Apple HDMI-to-DVI adapter.

As far as we know until today there are only two ways to get it working again at least temporary:

- replace the logicboard with a new one which comes with Mojave and do not apply any firmware updates
I got this logicboard replacement twice and HDMI was working until i applied two macOS updates

- install a older macOS version to get an older Graphics Adapter firmware (older than 2.19 or 2.0a) installed and do not apply and updates.
I did not test that, this was reported in this thread from others.

Currently i am working with Apple support to further narrow down when that happens.

On friday i was testing two projectors with HDMI cable connected directly to the Mac mini 2018 and they where working without any issues.

So looks like this is related to HDMI to DVI adapters. But again, it works with a fresh new Mac mini 2018 and breaks after macOS updates.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"As far as we know until today there are only two ways to get it working again at least temporary:
- replace the logicboard with a new one which comes with Mojave and do not apply any firmware updates
I got this logicboard replacement twice and HDMI was working until i applied two macOS updates"

I'm going to make a fearless prediction in front of everyone, and y'all can hold me to this:

The OP is NEVER going to resolve this issue, so long as he keeps using the hardware and connection scheme that he's currently using.

Three different logic boards and "the same thing". What kind of odds are those?

Seems to me that early on, the OP said that if he used A DIFFERENT CONNECTION SCHEME to connect the display, IT WORKED. See reply #4 early in this thread.

But... he refuses to use it, and insists that his current connection scheme must be used (which DOES NOT work, with multiple logic boards).

Like the old saying goes:
"Why do you like banging your head against the wall?
Because it feels so good when I stop..."

Those are my observations, and I'm stickin' to 'em.

 

[oviuan2]

on Friday i was able to test with another monitor i got from a coworker, its a LG Flatron W2242T.
This Monitor has the same 1680*1050 resolution / 16:10 ratio as my ViewSonic VG2230wm
It's connected to the macmini 2018 with a Apple HDMI to DVI adapter and a DVI cable.
While the ViewSonic keeps blank on a broken Mac mini 2018, the LG shows something:

Part 1:

We start with FileFault disabled:

View attachment 939993

we see the Apple logo and a small purple line on the left side of the monitor.
That change to a noisy screen.
View attachment 939996

Lets disconnect the Apple HDMI to DVI Aadaper and reconnect it.

View attachment 939997
We get a perfect screen
View attachment 939998

ok, lets try with FileVault enabled at the next post:

Yup... this is exactly what happens in my case also

 

[oviuan2]

OP wrote:
"As far as we know until today there are only two ways to get it working again at least temporary:
- replace the logicboard with a new one which comes with Mojave and do not apply any firmware updates
I got this logicboard replacement twice and HDMI was working until i applied two macOS updates"

I'm going to make a fearless prediction in front of everyone, and y'all can hold me to this:

The OP is NEVER going to resolve this issue, so long as he keeps using the hardware and connection scheme that he's currently using.

Three different logic boards and "the same thing". What kind of odds are those?

Seems to me that early on, the OP said that if he used A DIFFERENT CONNECTION SCHEME to connect the display, IT WORKED. See reply #4 early in this thread.

But... he refuses to use it, and insists that his current connection scheme must be used (which DOES NOT work, with multiple logic boards).

Like the old saying goes:
"Why do you like banging your head against the wall?
Because it feels so good when I stop..."

Those are my observations, and I'm stickin' to 'em.

What if this is the only connection scheme available? And why would I go buying equipment (monitor/adapter) if it is supposed to work? This is not a 100$ device that we shouldn't have any expectations from. They claim that "it just works" and it isn't. It's a matter of quality of service, no matter how easy it would be to "just use a different connection scheme".

 

[tstimper]

Apple support is working on this issue.
If you see this kind of problems with HDMI with your Mac mini 2018, please call Apple support, point them to this thread and let them collect diagnostic data. The more data apple gets the easier it is to find out what the cause of the problem is.

 

[Colstan]

View attachment 940002

This is exactly what my 2018 Mac mini looks like with my 16:10 Dell monitor running Mojave. The only difference is that the inch-long black bar is on the left side of the screen and the red line is between the empty space and the lit pixels. It doesn't matter whether I'm using FileVault or not. The "fix" is relatively easy, just unplug the HDMI-to-DVI adapter and it resets to normal. It's just a pain that a computer that "just works" acts like something you'd get second hand. Everything was fine before the later Mojave updates. This thread is the reason that I never updated to Catalina, because at least right now, I'm able to view something.

A few days ago I had the opportunity to test an egpu on my Mac mini. It connects through the USB-C ports. The HDMI-to-DVI adapter then went into the egpu. Sure enough, no more black bar and everything is fine. So, it definitely has something to do with using the HDMI port on the mini, but beyond that, I have no clue. This isn't much help, but the egpu test was interesting, regardless.

Colstan

 

[tstimper]

I was able to take a test with a Eizo FlexScan L367, connected with Apple HDMI to DVI adaper and DVI cable to the Mac mini 2018. This Monitor has 1024*768 resolution and 4:3 ratio.

Behavior is nearly the same as with other monitors:

FileVault enabled:

No picture at FileVault login screen, need to use voiceover to type in username and password and after booting macOS i need to disconnect/reconnect the monitor to get a picture at the monitor.

FileVault disabled:

No picture after booting to macOS, need to disconnect/nreconnect the monitor to get a picture at the monitor.

 

[jdmc]

OK, I only just now discovered this lengthy thread, and I've read the first and last pages of posts. FYI, I'm also a Mac mini 2018 owner. In my case, I run the latest update of Catalina (v10.15.6/19G73) and a triple–4K display setup, with no eGPU.

I gather that the display devices that the OP and others are reporting problems with all seem to be models released FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, lacking both DisplayPort and HDMI inputs. They also seem to be small by present standards, both in terms of physical screen size (21") and resolution (1680x1050).

This brings me to two fundamental questions that I'd like to address to the OP and others similarly situated:

(1) It appears that you're squandering a truly absurd amount of your time and energy chasing down this rat-hole, and all for the apparent purpose of using a really crappy, obsolete display. Wouldn't you be much better off on both of those fronts if you simply replace that piece of junk with a less-than-five-years-old 24" 1080p60 [1920x1080] display with DP and/or HDMI inputs?! You can buy a new one for about 100 euro, and you can probably ask around and find someone who's got one collecting dust in their closet who might just give it to you for free. Not only would that eliminate your vexatious problem, it would also leave you in a substantially better operating condition than you would be if the ancient DVI display worked as you intended. (Incidentally, you could get a brand-new 24" 1440p60 [2560x1440] display for nearly the same cost as a 24" 1080p.)

(2) If, contrary to all common sense, you insist on continuing to use such a hopelessly outdated display device, then why do you keep smashing your head against the brick wall of the HDMI port and HDMI-to-DVI adapter, when for less than 30 euro you could simply buy a USBC-to-DVI cable and use that to connect the old display directly to one of your Mac mini's four TB3/USBC ports, bypassing HDMI entirely?!

=jdmc=

 

[minitastic]

(2) If, contrary to all common sense, you insist on continuing to use such a hopelessly outdated display device, then why do you keep smashing your head against the brick wall of the HDMI port and HDMI-to-DVI adapter, when for less than 30 euro you could simply buy a USBC-to-DVI cable and use that to connect the old display directly to one of your Mac mini's four TB3/USBC ports, bypassing HDMI entirely?!

I really don't get you point. For example, the Cinema HD Display meets the requirements of today's monitors. 23" and a resolution of 1920 x 1200.

Your philosophy of just throwing it away even though it's fully functional is a huge problem of the society we live in.

To connect these monitors to newer connectors, which are subject to great fluctuation, Apple has released an adapter.

In the product description of this adapter it says. "Use the HDMI to DVI Adapter to connect a single-link DVI digital monitor, such as the 20-inch or 23-inch Apple Cinema Display, that includes a DVI connector." Compatibility "Mac mini (2018 and later)".

But that doesn't work, probably due to software, so yes, I'm complaining.

I'm not juding you for throwing things away rather than reusing them, but what I really don't understand is why you are juding us when we demand that a product should function according to its description.

 

[minitastic]

To now contribute to the disscusion:

I have a new mac mini 2018 with Catalina 10.15.6 and a Cinema HD Display connected with the apple HDMI to DVI adapter with fw 2.19.

Power on the Mac mini 2018, purple line on he left side of the monitor

<img src="https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/005-png.940001/" data-url="" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" alt="005.png" style="width: 495px" />

I have exactly the same picture after a cold start. In addition to the purple line on the left, I have a stripe in the middle of the screen.

After I have disconnected and reconnected the adapter while the mac is running everything is back to normal. Even after I put the mac in sleep mode. Only after a cold start the problems occur. There seems to be a reproducible problem.

 

[tstimper]

I have exactly the same picture after a cold start. In addition to the purple line on the left, I have a stripe in the middle of the screen.

After I have disconnected and reconnected the adapter while the mac is running everything is back to normal. Even after I put the mac in sleep mode. Only after a cold start the problems occur. There seems to be a reproducible problem.

Would you be able to call Apple support, point them to this thread and request direct escalation of your case.
I have already given Apple support a lot of system diagnose files and videos of tests with monitors. They are actively working on this case an the more data they get the earlier they are able to fix this.

We did already test different graphics driver, but that did not help.
But as far as i can see the problem goes away it macOS is booted and HDMI to DVI adapter is disconnected and reconnected.
So the bug is most likely in the HDMI graphics adapter firmware of the Mac mini 2018.
But only starting with firmware 2.0a or 2.19.

Does anybody have a brand new Mac mini 2018 without any updates?
If yes, could you please tell us:
Which macOS version is installed?
Which graphics adapter firmware is installed?
Check : Go to Apple menu > About this Mac > System Report > Graphics/Display and check the Adapter Firmware Version.
Which CPU is in your Mac mini 2018? 3,6GHz Quad-Core i3 (8100B), 3,0 GHz 6-Core i5 (8500B) or 3,2 GHz 6-Core i7 (8700B)?

My Mac mini 2018 has a 3,2 GHz 6-Core i7.

 

[Jason Andre Henderson]

Came across this discussion a few weeks ago. I had a MBP 13" laptop that I used with an external monitor (music, photography and video editing). At some point, the ext. monitor started acting erratically cutting out randomly. I thought my old 32" LCD 720p monitor was going so I purchased a new VIZIO 40" Smart TV/1080p monitor. That worked for a while and then I had monitor issues. I figured the motherboard was going, and it would not have been cost effective to repair.

So I opted for the Mac Mini since other than the ext. monitor, the laptop was working BEAUTIFULLY. Brand new everything (Mac Mini 2018 3 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i5, 16 Gb RAM), I hook up the monitor and I am enjoying the crystal clear 1080p screen, faster processor, more RAM etc...

...and almost any of you can write the rest of the story, post Catalina 10.5.x update, which coincides with when I started having monitor issue with my MBP back in October 2019. That includes shut off sequences, trying other monitors with BOTH computers, USB C-to-HDMI dongles, etc.

Same story.
Same issues.

I am ANGRY at Apple for releasing an iOS that has issues, well documented and well known issues. Since my MM is new, I did not hesitate to call AppleCare+ support and with what I was saying, instead of sending me through their normal customer service script, they escalated me up to Engineering. I've had two remote sessions with them so far. The technician on the other side even was notified when my monitor shutoff DURING OUR SESSION.

So THEY KNOW and I encourage everyone to call Apple and get on their radar. They have no excuse selling a computer that NEEDS a monitor with a HDMI issue caused bye THEIR Catalina iOS software up.

I will answer any questions on this topic for my experiences as desired. I'm just happy that I am not alone with the HDMI issue.

Jason