Strange Issue With PC/PS2 Setup

WaggishOhio383 · June 4, 2020

I recently decided to start a new project using my PS2. I thought it would be cool to be able to hook the PS2 up to my PC monitor, and be able to switch between using my PC and PS2 at my desk. My monitor (An Acer SB220q) has two ports - an HDMI and a VGA. Since the HDMI port is used by my computer, my initial instinct was to find an adapter that would convert the RCA output from the PS2 to VGA. However, after a bit of research, I found that it is very difficult to convert RCA to VGA, and would require a special active adapter that costs around $100. Instead, I managed to find this adapter (see link) which plugs directly into the PS2 and converts it to HDMI and AUX out. Since I already had a displayport to VGA adapter and a VGA cable lying around, I figured I could plug my PC into the VGA port, and the PS2 into the HDMI port. However, I discovered that plugging my PC into the VGA port greatly decreased the image quality, and caused this strange wavy effect (I'm not sure what to call it). As a last resort, I decided to buy an HDMI switcher, which would allow me to use both devices on the monitor through HDMI. While this setup does work, the HDMI switcher seems to have caused an unforeseen problem.

It seems as though power is able to travel through the switcher between the PC and the PS2's HDMI adapter. The PS2's adapter is an active adapter, and requires being plugged into a USB port. Strangely, when my PC is off and the adapter is receiving power (which happens when the PS2 is on since the adapter is powered by the PS2's USB port) the case fans on my PC begin to spin at a low speed. This even happens when my PC's power supply is turned off. As soon as I unplug the HDMI cable from my PC, or turn off the PS2, the fans stop spinning. While it is somewhat annoying, this isn't a huge deal to me. What's more concerning is what happens when the PC is on while the PS2 is off. If the PS2 is off, and I turn on my PC, something begins to make a high-pitched, almost inaudible squealing noise. I can't tell if it's coming from the adapter or the PS2 itself. In addition to this, the lights on the wireless controller adapter for the PS2 turn on, even though the PS2 is off. It seems as though the PC is sending power to the adapter through the HDMI port, which is then sending power into the USB port on the PS2, and causing it to malfunction. If I simply unplug the USB cable from the PS2, the issues go away.

My current solution to the problem is to simply keep the adapter unplugged while the PS2 is off. This prevents the PS2 from going haywire when the PC is turned on. However, it is somewhat annoying having to plug in and unplug the USB every time I use the PS2. It seems as though the best solution is to eliminate the need for the HDMI splitter somehow, as it seems to be the cause of all the problems. There are three possible solutions I've thought up, and I would appreciate any input on the viability of these options.

Perhaps its possible that the VGA input from my PC looked so bad because either the adapter was bad, or the VGA cable itself was so old. If I got a new cable and/or adapter, or even a displayport to VGA cable like this one here, is it possible that the PC display would look better using the VGA input on the monitor?
Maybe the HDMI splitter I got is somehow faulty. Is power supposed to be able to travel between the devices the way it is? Maybe if I got a new or better splitter it would fix the issue.
The most likely solution to work is unfortunately the one where I wait it out. I know I'm going to want to upgrade my monitor at some point and use my old monitor for a dual-monitor setup. When I get my new monitor, I can just make sure that it has either two HDMI ports, or an HDMI and displayport input.

Any input on whether any of these options would work would be appreciated. If there's another solution you can think of, I'd love to hear it as well.

WaggishOhio383 · June 4, 2020

After some further troubleshooting I found that replacing the HDMI splitter solved the problem. I'm unsure how to delete this post though so just ignore it.