External Portable Monitor for Macbook Pro (early 2011)

Question

External Portable Monitor for Macbook Pro (early 2011)

I'm trying to use an external portable monitor with my Macbook pro (early 2011) but can't seem to find the correct cable and am starting to wonder if this is even possible. Here are the details:

Trying to go from thunderbolt 1 (mini display port) on my macbook pro to USB-C (that's the only port on the portable monitor.
Portable monitor does not have power source so it needs to be powered by the same cord from the macbook pro.
I've tried a mini display port to USB-C cord but that didn't work as it seems the only cords available for that connection are designed to only transfer data from the USB-C end to the mini display port

Any recommendations on what might work would be greatly appreciated. Next thing I'm thinking of trying is a USB-A adapter and to that connect a USB-C to USB-C cord. Might this work?

MacBook Pro 13″, OS X 10.10

Posted on Sep 21, 2020 9:00 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Leanne_68

Community Specialist

Oct 5, 2020 2:08 PM in response to MountainMan12

Hi MountainMan12 ,

Thanks for getting back to us with those additional details. We understand wanting to connect Your MacBook Pro with thunderbolt port to a monitor with USB-C port while the monitor doesn't have a power cable. We also, understand that the adapters in the mark only transfer power or data. we'd be happy to get you pointed in the right direction to get some help.

In this particular case, we'd recommend reaching out to the monitor manufacturer for recommendations regarding this issue.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Have a nice day.

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Answer 2

i_rina

Community Specialist

Sep 28, 2020 6:56 AM in response to MountainMan12

Hello MountainMan12,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. We understand your question about connecting your MacBook Pro to an external monitor, and we'd be happy to help.

Please check out these helpful links:

Use external monitors with your Mac

Adapters for the Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C port on your Mac or iPad Pro

Connect a display, TV, or projector to Mac

We hope this information is useful. Kind regards.

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Answer 3

Sep 28, 2020 7:54 AM in response to i_rina

i_rina, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, none of those articles are helpful. I have tried different adapters but none of them seem to work. Mini-port to USB-C adapter only transfers data in the USB-C to mini-port direction. USB-A to USB-C only transfers power but no data.

My Macbook Pro is in perfect condition inside and out but Apple doesn’t seem to make any adapters to allow it to work with more modern accessories. Seems like a case of planned obsolescence to me, unfortunately.

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External Portable Monitor for Macbook Pro (early 2011)

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