Screen frequently going on black for 1-2 seconds

Support & Help Requests Hardware
1

I have installed Ubuntu Mate 20-04. The screen goes blank for a 1-2 seconds every few minutes. Sometimes it changes to a different resolution, after which I have to set it back manually. I do not see specific external (third party) drivers which could be installed in the Control Center.

What can be done about this?
Hardware info below.

(base) henk@henk-N24-25BU:~$ hwinfo --short
cpu:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7500U CPU @ 2.70GHz, 3475 MHz
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7500U CPU @ 2.70GHz, 3490 MHz
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7500U CPU @ 2.70GHz, 3480 MHz
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7500U CPU @ 2.70GHz, 3466 MHz
keyboard:
/dev/input/event11 [Maxxter] USB OPTICAL MOUSE
/dev/input/event7 Cypress Keyboard/Hub
/dev/input/event4 AT Translated Set 2 keyboard
mouse:
/dev/input/event9 Cypress Keyboard/Hub
/dev/input/mice [Maxxter] USB OPTICAL MOUSE
/dev/input/mice SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad
monitor:
LG Display LCD Monitor
IIYAMA PL2710HD(D)
graphics card:
Intel HD Graphics 620
sound:
Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio
AudioQuest DragonFly Black v1.5
storage:
Intel Sunrise Point-LP SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
Intel SSD 600P Series
network:
wlp2s0 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
enp3s0f1 Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
network interface:
wlp2s0 Ethernet network interface
lo Loopback network interface
enp3s0f1 Ethernet network interface
disk:
/dev/nvme0n1 Intel SSD 600P Series
partition:
/dev/nvme0n1p1 Partition
/dev/nvme0n1p2 Partition
usb controller:
ASMedia ASM1142 USB 3.1 Host Controller
Intel Sunrise Point-LP USB 3.0 xHCI Controller
bios:
BIOS
bridge:
Intel Sunrise Point-LP PCI Express Root Port #1
Intel Sunrise Point-LP LPC Controller
Intel Sunrise Point-LP PCI Express Root Port #6
Intel Xeon E3-1200 v6/7th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers
Intel Sunrise Point-LP PCI Express Root Port #9
Intel Sunrise Point-LP PCI Express Root Port #3
hub:
Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Genesys Logic Hub
Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
memory:
Main Memory
bluetooth:
Intel Bluetooth Device
unknown:
FPU
DMA controller
PIC
Keyboard controller
Realtek RTL8411B PCI Express Card Reader
Intel Sunrise Point-LP PMC
Intel Xeon E3-1200 v5/v6 / E3-1500 v5 / 6th/7th Gen Core Processor Gaussian Mixture Model
Intel Sunrise Point-LP CSME HECI #1
Intel Sunrise Point-LP Thermal subsystem
Intel Sunrise Point-LP SMBus
/dev/input/event13 Chicony Electronics Chicony USB2.0 Camera
Lenovo IdeaTab S6000
AudioQuest DragonFly Black v1.5

2

If I would have to bet my paycheck on it then I would say that something related to video hardware is failing, either monitor, monitor video plug(vga?), video cable or video card itself...

I would also suspect things in that order.

Also, does your monitor has more than 1x input such as VGA & HDMI? If so, does it behave the same using both/all(?) inputs?

Lastly, would you have a fresh new video cable that you could use?

Good luck,

:wink:

PS: Does it also behave the same way when booting off a live ISO and running a live MATE session?

1 Like
3

Agreed, sounds like a cable with a broken wire - I'd go that route first.

4

Thanks! The problem was the VGA cable. No need for the paycheck.

1 Like