# Dual (Triple?) monitors with USB



## clee01l (Aug 29, 2009)

My laptop has a 12" screen. While that is fine for portability, it is not very practical for a dual monitor setup. I have a 26" LCD that is my primary monitor while my laptop is not performing mobile duties. I also have a 22" LCD that is surplus and available. My laptop (as is the case with most) only has one video port. What I would like to do is purchase a USB VGA Adapter that will support my auxillary monitor. Has anyone else used this type of connection for a second monitor for Lightroom? How has it worked out? Would it be worth the &lt; $1'' cost to get the USB adapter?


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## sizzlingbadger (Aug 30, 2009)

why can't you plug your external monitor into the single video port ?


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## Kiwigeoff (Aug 30, 2009)

I think he would like to have a total of three monitors.


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## clee01l (Aug 30, 2009)

[quote author=sizzlingbadger link=topic=7675.msg525'2#msg525'2 date=1251612522]
why can't you plug your external monitor into the single video port ?
[/quote]I already have a 26" monitor using that port. I want to add a 22" to it. The built-in 12" laptop is not sufficient to act as a true dual monitor. 

I've ordered the USB adapter. I guess I'll find out soon and report my experiences in a few days.


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## Brad Snyder (Aug 30, 2009)

Cletus, I for one am curious. Haven't tried it myself, but I'm definitely interested in your results.


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## sizzlingbadger (Aug 30, 2009)

sorry I miss-understood the original post. I don't see any immediate reason why it wouldn't work. We have 3 monitors connected to our PC's where I work. We have one connected to the video card on the mother board and the other 2 connected to a PCI dual head card and it works fine. This isn't really any different to what you propose from a hardware perspective.


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## Brad Snyder (Aug 31, 2009)

I think Cletus was curious specifically about experiences with the USB/Video adapter.


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## sizzlingbadger (Aug 31, 2009)

I am too....


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## clee01l (Sep 2, 2009)

[quote author=clee'1l link=topic=7675.msg52512#msg52512 date=125164'479]I've ordered the USB adapter. I guess I'll find out soon and report my experiences in a few days.[/quote]My USB Adapter arrived today. The Adapter is an EVGA brand and the Model is UV Plus+ (UV-16) and is supposed to support up to 16''x12'' My extra monitor is 165'X1'8'. The monitor has both DVI and VGA ports. The Adapter is DVI with a DVI&gt;VGA cable adapter. I had aa bit of difficulty with the first installation. When I plugged in the USB monitor, the mouse would freeze. The Software/drivers did inform me that there was an update but I was hung with the USB monitor attached and without it, I had no access to the driver/software to retrieve the update. I finally, rebooted the machine and un installed the software/drivers. I disabled the laptop screen and reinstalled. It huung again but by unplugging the USB montior I was able to D/L and install the update. When I was able to reboot, I did with the USB attached. The USB monitor is not recognised untill Windows has loaded. This time I had both the Primary screen and the USB showing a cloned view and the USB was displaying a 192'X12'' Screen in the 16''X1'5' space. By going to nVidia's Control panel, I was able to switch to a dual view but nVidia only saw the Primary monitor. In Windows Display settings I was able to properly set up the USB Monitor and even the Laptop monitor Now all three monitors are available and appear to be working properly. The Monitors are designated 1rimary (192'X12''), 2:Laptop (12''X8''), 3;USB (168'X1'5')

Normally When I start LR, It is started on the Primary monitor. When I turned on the second montor in LR, the laptop got the image and there does not appear any way to move it. I have found that if I drag the LR window to the USB monitor, the second display goes to the Primary Monitor. 

In summary, getting the USB monitor working requires some perserverience, pain and diligence. I do not think the casual computer user could get the install to work without some assistance. But for me the end result has been positive and my surplus monitor is no longer surplus but a useful asset to my workflow.


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## Brad Snyder (Sep 2, 2009)

Can you calibrate the USB monitor separately?


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## sizzlingbadger (Sep 2, 2009)

Seeing as it's a separate video card it *should* be possible to have a separate calibration profile but how this will work in reality may well be different depending on how Windows handles the devices.


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## clee01l (Sep 2, 2009)

[quote author=Brad Snyder link=topic=7675.msg52683#msg52683 date=1251859666]
Can you calibrate the USB monitor separately? 
[/quote]My Calibration software/hardware (Huey) can only manage one monitor.


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## Brad Snyder (Sep 2, 2009)

Thanks....


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## clee01l (Sep 2, 2009)

[quote author=Brad Snyder link=topic=7675.msg52716#msg52716 date=12519'4371]
Thanks....
[/quote]A new development. While my version of Huey can only control one monitor at a time, it can calibrate each monitor once and monitor one coninuously. Having an icc file from a fixed point in time, I can in the Windows Color Mangement apply different icc files to each monitor. I had an icc file on my old monitor that was generated when it was being used as the primary monitor. I applied that to the USB monitor. It is possible to drag the Huey calibration application to each monitor and use the sensor to recalibrate. I have not done this yet because my sensor is connected via USB and the cable is not long enough to reach.


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