There are a lot of potential pitfalls in building a smoothly running PC, but who knew that monitors and computer chairs could fall prey to compatibility issues? German programmer Felix Häcker recently pinpointed the source of his system's intermittent monitor blanking as his IKEA Markus computer chair (h/t Future Zone). Content with his deductive reasoning, Häcker was mildly surprised to find that the IKEA Markus has been previously highlighted as a problematic ESD (Electro Static Discharge) source.
When a monitor intermittently blanks, there are plenty of possible culprits a PC enthusiast or DIYer might ponder over. A natural first few steps could be to check the monitor to computer graphics card cabling, power cabling, then to consider software and drivers.
Häcker tenaciously pursued the issue and eventually confidently pinpointed the root cause of the monitor blanking problem as his chair. The first clue to the chair being an issue was that the screen blacking only occurred when he "sat down or stood up, although the chair didn't even touch the table."
Using a different chair, no screen blanking problems occurred. Switching back to the IKEA Markus, the problem returned. With the chair brand/type firmly in the spotlight, Häcker quickly Googled the ComputerBase thread we linked above.
Investigations reveal that the Markus chair causes strong ESDs in some environments. It could be the fabric material, the gas suspension mechanism/materials, or a combination of these factors. However, with the root cause identified, at least there is now a solution available for Häcker and others. The answer is to ground the chair however is most practical to your workspace. That might mean connecting a part of the chair to an earth/ground source (plug, metal radiator, TV antenna, etc), whatever is most convenient.
As well as causing intermittent monitor blanking, a quick search revealed that some users have previously blamed the "ESD Monster" Markus chair for wiping their HDD, or causing a Radeon RX 6800 XT to stutter.
The IKEA Markus remains a current shipping "top seller" product available in-store and online. In the US it retails for $289.99, but there are no warnings about ESDs on the product pages.
