HDMI to VGA for new technology - ASUS ep121 slates

Discontinued Products UD-160-A
1

I’m looking to buy Asus ep121 slates to replace existing tablets. But I need to be sure I have something that will allow their hdmi output to connect to our existing VGA projectors. Do you have something that will do that? I’m presuming it will have to convert digital to analog.

2

Thanks for posting!

Yes, our USB graphics adapter like the USB-VGA-165 ($44.95) http://plugable.com/products/usb-vga-… or our docking stations like the DC-125 ($64.95) http://plugable.com/products/dc-125/ would be a good match for what you’re trying to do.

Both provide a VGA output via any available USB port, which will be good for use with projectors. They don’t convert the output of the slate’s HDMI port, rather take rendered pixels from the slate’s graphics controller, and route them over USB.

Conceptually, you could buy a graphics adapter for every projector and just leave it plugged in for people to use … they just plug in to the projector now via USB; the latest drivers from http://displaylink.com/ could be preinstalled on each slate, or download just-in-time from Windows Update).

Or you could have a dock on every desk, to also attach to an extra monitor (or two if you then add more USB graphics adapters on top).

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any further questions.

Thank you!
Bernie

3

USB graphics adapter ‘the USB-VGA-165’ is exactly what I bought to connect my Asus eee Slate to the vga projectors. I can not seem to get it to work. The adapter lets me use vga displays but not vga projectors. Plus my main screen on the eee slate goes black the second I connect the adapter. I am very confused.

-pelin

4

Hi Pelin!

Thanks for posting and sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the USB-VGA-165 and your VGA projector!

We’ll get you up and running!

Regarding the main screen going black when you connect the adapter try the following (on Windows 7) :

Hold down your Windows key and press the ‘P’ key. You will get a menu with 4 options: !](https://sslproxy.getsatisfaction.com/sslproxy/SWhAdDNLMG5zdGFuVGlWenmLbJDGd3CABhjZermgcystANA4T6nd0pzV0fSzBRRGOd17A4b8ZLwi6-HESbXI0js8ZsulGVo1B-18AFBEfbVq6SYRQi9cLqucHjAtJaWZobwR5SLpig0AgX-VmXekbA==.png)](http://s3.amazonaws.com/satisfaction-production/s3_images/545642/windows-p_menu.png)

Your system is most likely set to ‘Projector only’ - or in other words ‘use only the second monitor’. Change it to ‘Duplicate’ or ‘Extend’ and let us know if the other monitor works.

Regarding the issue with the VGA projector - Try setting the adapter to a lower resolution-does it help?. Can you also say what is the make/model so we can research it and see if there are any special considerations for it?

Regards,
Lampros

5

Hi

I have a similar question - I have EP121 and I need it to connect to VGA port of projector. I need it for my lectures so that I can write on Powerpoint slides running on EP121 and get it projected on the screen via projector. I have been looking around for some sort of connection between the projector and the tablet but in vain. Is the USB-VGA-165 that you mention here will serve my purpose?

I am wondering if using USB to connect the tablet to projector will reduce the quality of powerpoint slides or pictures on it. Would you kindly be able to answer my queries. If it does not degrade the quality of pictures projected I am very happy to buy this product.

And also would you please confirm if it works with projectors not just the extended screens like Pelin pointed out in earlier post?

6

Thanks for asking ahead.

Yes, we have customers using our products with the EP121 and it works well. Our $44.95 http://plugable.com/products/usb-vga-… in particular is well matched for projectors, as it outputs straight to VGA. You can also combine with a long USB cable if you want to roam with the slate, while you’re still projecting (see http://plugable.com/products/usb2-10m for our longest cable, which works like this).

The image quality in terms of still image pixel resolution and color depth will match the full capability of the projector - no degradation from what you’d see with any PC graphics output.

Where you might see differences is in fast motion (motion video, 3D gaming), as all pixels that are changing go over the USB bus. Many people don’t notice the difference, especially at projector-class resolutions, but we still generally recommend playing back video on your main display.

And the adapter will work in all the projector/extended/mirror modes that Windows 7 itself supports, using Windows’ built-in UI to configure it (including the Windows-P hotkey).

Hope that helps. Let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks for asking ahead,
Bernie

7

Thanks Bernie for a prompt reply. I am going to buy this one. I just desperately need something to connect my EP121 to a projector. I bought miniHDMI to VGA converter from ebay earlier and I later found out that it is just a scam and there is no way it will work. So I was a bit skeptical about the USB-VGA converter as well. But your answer reassured me. Thanks.

Can I directly order from your website or have to go through amazon?

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http://plugable.com/products/usb-vga-… will just give the link to the product on Amazon. Don’t be afraid to contact us if you have any problems - we’re here to help. Thanks!

9

Thanks again Bernie. I tried to order it through Amazon but it says it can’t ship to my address. I am in Queensland, Australia. How can I order it?

10

Has it been confirmed that the SB-VGA-165 works with the Asus ep121 tablet?

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Hi John - we don’t have a Asus EP121 here in the office, but have reports from customers that are good with http://plugable.com/produts/USB-VGA-165/. Also, looking at the EP121 specs (windows Core i5), we wouldn’t expect any problems (the touch software being confused by multiple monitors is the most common issue on tablets, but doesn’t appear to be so here).

A USB graphics adapter like this is a great way to get VGA projector and extra monitor connectivity for tablets that don’t have VGA built in. If anyone has any trouble at all, just let us know - we’ll be able to help.

Thanks!
Bernie

12

thanks bernie. i ordered one and will let you know how it goes.

13

Hi John - Wonderful. Thanks for posting back when you’ve had a chance. We’ll take care of you, in all cases.

14

Hello Bernie,

I’m helping a client with an Asus Eee EP121 running Win 7 Ultimate. I just installed an UD-160-A. I’m trying to use it to drive a Samsung SyncMaster S23A350H, which has two source inputs: VGA and HDMI. The installation seemed to work - although if I’m supposed to see a green LED I don’t. I only see a blue LED (Power). The monitor is plugged into the Plugable (using the DVI/VGA adapter). I get nothing on the monitor at all. Using Windows “Display/Screen Resolution”, I only see 1 display device - which identifies as the SyncMaster - but the only active display is the Asus tablet. The keystroke “Windows Key/P” produces no result at all. Can you help? In case you are wondering, I’m adding the ‘unhappy/anxious’ face.

Thanks,
Joel.

15

Hi Joel,

Thanks for posting to ask!

The green LED (below the blue) shows whether a USB device has been plugged into (and successfully configured) by one of the 4 USB ports. So you should see that if you plug in something (e.g. USB mouse) to the dock.

Then on to the main thing: It’s very odd both that Windows-P doesn’t work, and that you see SyncMaster as the only display (when the SyncMaster is blank, but the tablet screen is on). Something unusual is happening from a software perspective.

I’d recommend a reboot of the tablet, if you haven’t already, given the odd behavior.

Assuming that doesn’t help, if you’re near the client’s machine, can you run DisplayLink’s support tool, and email the resulting zip file it places on your desktop to support@plugable.com? Here’s how: http://plugable.com/support/tools/dis…

That’ll give us an inside look at what’s going on, and we’ll be able to figure out next steps.

Thanks for your patience while we try to figure this out!
Bernie

16

hi people just 1 question, my pc has vga with 1gb, is this plugable /usb vga contains the same memory or higher?

17

DisplayLink devices don’t have or need much memory - just a 16MB framebuffer. They rely on the main CPU and GPU for rendering.