TECH HELP: I Can’t Connect to the Projector!

By Eduardo Lopez III

Has this ever happened to you? You arrive at your scheduled conference; you can’t wait to share your amazing presentation with all the great information you’ve worked on for the past few weeks. You’ve worked on it really hard, getting those amazing transitions on your slides, added video and/or sound clips, the perfect (funny) pictures, it’s just an amazing presentation! You are confident, caffeinated, and ready to roll… and when it’s your moment to shine, you can’t connect to the projector. Then you struggle for the next few minutes trying to find the right adapter or cable (that you know you have in your bag) and you treat the audience to several minutes of fiddling around in your bag talking to yourself and asking your invisible assistant, “where is that cable?”. Luckily, the IT guy comes to the rescue! He tells you, “Oh! You have a Mac laptop, the projector only has VGA input so you need a USB-C to VGA adapter”, which neither you or him have on hand. You desperately make a phone call trying to see if one of your colleagues has the adapter, but they are not answering. You turn around and the IT guy is nowhere to be seen. It’s already fifteen minutes past the scheduled beginning of your session, pop quiz hot shot, what do you do?

You are not alone. Every presenter has probably been in that awkward and frustrating situation. Don’t you wish that someone could help you avoid those connection conundrums? We got you covered. We’re going to share several tips that will prepare you to tackle any tech obstacle that stands in the way of you sharing your amazing presentation. This article will cover the easiest ways to connect your computer, Mac or Windows, to a projector using a cable, an adapter (or both), and what settings you’ll need to adjust.

The Hardware

First, let’s get familiar with your laptop. Depending on the ports available on your laptop, you may or may not need any adapters. Just one cable, and that’s it! We’ll get to that shortly. The best way you can help yourself and quickly solve any technical difficulties, is to know and understand your laptop’s capabilities.

It’s highly recommended for you to know your equipment specifications.x In this case, take a look at your laptop, see what kind of video output ports it has. Depending on your budget, or your company’s budget, you could be using a laptop that has multiple video ports or just the bare essentials. Example 1 above shows the most common types of video/ data ports a laptop is likely to have.

As mentioned before, try to get familiar with your equipment specifications. Example 2 above is an example of a Windows computer.

If you use a Mac laptop (Example 3), you will notice that the video output ports vary from model to model. If your Mac laptop is a few years old, you may be in luck and have an HDMI port. Newer models have adopted the USB-C/Thunderbolt port. Remember! Don’t assume that all laptops are the same just because they are Windows or Mac. Specifications and components change very frequently.

Second, know your opponent, the projector (Example 4). Depending on the type of projector available, it can be a tricky process connecting it to your computer, especially if you don’t know what cable or adapter to use. A projector supports quite a few different types of connections, but to make our lives easier, let’s focus on the two most common connection types that most projectors have, VGA and HDMI.

The HDMI connection is currently the most common. Nearly all modern monitors and projectors feature HDMI ports. Most laptop computers support HDMI, and it’s becoming more prevalent on desktop computers. If your Windows laptop has an HDMI port, you can connect directly to the projector using only an HDMI cable. If you are using a Mac laptop on the other hand, you will likely need an USB-C or Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter. The same is true if the projector has a VGA input and your computer has a VGA port. In most other cases, you will need an adapter. Bear with us! It’s a lot less complicated than what it sounds.

Connecting to a Projector

Now let’s get to the main reason why we’re here, connecting the projector. The projectors available at most venues support VGA and/or HDMI. The adapter and cables you’ll need will depend on YOUR laptop. First, identify the connection ports on your laptop and the projector. Once you identify the ports it will be easier for you to know if you will need just a cable, an adapter, or both.

See Example 5 above.

Both the Windows computer and the projector have an HDMI port. The connection can be done using only an HDMI cable.

Older models of projectors will only have a VGA Port. To successfully connect your computer, you will need an adapter. See Example 6 above.

The setup for a Mac laptop is similar depending on the model. Some Mac laptops feature that HDMI port. Let’s see an example of a Mac laptop with an HDMI port setup see Example 7 above.

You probably noticed that the setup is exactly the same for both Windows and Mac when the laptop and projector have an HDMI port. All that is needed is just one cable.

Newer Mac laptops (Air Models) don’t have an HDMI port. Instead, they use a USB-C/Thunderbolt port. For this setup, you will need a USB-C/Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter. See Example 8 above.

When you’re dealing with an older model of projector, you will have a VGA port only. For this type of connection, you will need a VGA adapter. See Example 9 above.

That wasn’t that complicated, right? Think of it this way, you will need one of two types of cables, an HDMI or VGA cable. Depending on your laptop you might need an adapter. Overall, there’s only 3 components that you should always account for, your laptop, your adapter and your HDMI or VGA cable. A great idea is for you to create your own travel kit with all the components you will use. Adapters and cables are very affordable, so having a couple of each is highly recommended. Just in case a colleague calls you at the last minute asking you for an adapter…

On the right are the recommended adapters and cables that you should have on your travel kit.

Troubleshooting Tips -

Even when you know you’re prepared to deal with every cable conundrum, other things can go wrong. No worries, we got that covered too. It may sound trivial and somewhat comical, but typically the most common issues with projectors are the simplest to fix. The following are some of the most frequent issues that create havoc when trying to connect your laptop to a projector. Following these tips and tricks will ensure that your presentation gets back on track quickly and easily.

• Check for loose cables. This is the most common reason why things don’t work!

• Check that the projector is connected to a power source.

• Check that the projector doesn’t have the lens cap on! (You’ll be surprised how many times this is the issue).

• Check that the cables are connected on the correct port.

• Check that the correct input is selected on the projector - most projectors have multiple inputs for VGA, HDMI, HDMI2, Computer 1, Computer 2, etc. Make sure that the selected input is the one connected to your computer.

• Try a different cable or adapter (this is where having two of everything really comes in handy).

• As a last resort, power cycle your equipment. A simple restart of your computer will work wonders.

Having had the opportunity to be involved in the world of festivals and events for the past 22 years, I can sincerely say that I have probably seen every type of technical issue known to presenters. Trying to keep up with the ever-evolving technology trends and innovations has always been challenging but extremely fun. When attending a conference, whether as a presenter or attendee, I always keep my tech travel kit with me. It has saved the day for several colleagues and the best part is it has given me the opportunity to meet amazing people.

Eduardo Lopez III, is the Lark Branch Manager at the City of McAllen / McAllen Public Library in McAllen, TX. He can be reached at: elopez@mcallen.net.

www.kaliff.com