Skip to main content


So folks, don't forget to check if your Ikea chair is compatible with your screen. I'm not kidding. A thread 🧵.

I've had the problem with my new screen for several weeks now, that every now and then the screen goes black for a few seconds.

Today I had enough and wanted to investigate the problem. So I started changing all the cables, plugging the screen into a different socket, and and and. Nothing helped.

#ikea #chair #hardware #weird
This entry was edited (1 year ago)
The only correlation I could find was that the screen only goes off when my Ikea office chair is somehow involved.

So I suspected a loose contact somewhere. But no. No matter how much I wiggled the table/cables, everything was fine.

The problem was only there when I sat down or stood up, although the chair didn't even touch the table.
That was the moment I had my doubts. So I got another chair and tested it with it. No problem, screen stays on.

Took the Ikea "MARKUS" chair again, sat down - screen went off again.

HUH?! My chair has a feature that automatically turns screens on/off? I guess nice privacy feature?
I started to lose faith and couldn't find a logical explanation. So I searched the internet for "ikea markus chair screen problems" 🤦‍♂️

WAIT! I am not the only one with this problem!? Found the following (German) forum post:

https://www.computerbase.de/forum/threads/hauptmonitor-wird-sporadisch-kurz-schwarz.2060771/
It turns out that the fabric seat cover, and/or the gas suspension creates such a strong electrostatic discharge (ESD) that my screen shuts off for a short time.

The solution? No idea yet, but it seems that insulating the chair with copper foil and connecting it to a socket (ground) might help. 🤦‍♂️

Welcome to 2023 - Your Ikea "MARKUS" chair is not compatible with your screen 👏

(Not my chair, the picture is from the forum post)

#ikea #chair #hardware #weird
An image showing a Ikea "MARKUS" chair with copper foil, and a attached wire (which goes to ground).

Source: https://www.computerbase.de/forum/threads/hauptmonitor-wird-sporadisch-kurz-schwarz.2060771/
This entry was edited (1 year ago)