Thunderbolt 2 to USB 3 .1 gen2 via Adaptor

Question

CharPatton1 Author

Level 1

14 points

Thunderbolt 2 to USB 3 .1 gen2 via Adaptor

Hi:

I have an (oldish) iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) with Thunderbolt 2.

I just bought a LaCie d2 professional 10TB external harddrive that has a single USB 3.2 gen 2 connector.

I have an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter:

The drive is externally powered.

Problem: when I connect the iMac to the LaCie via the adapter nothing happens (no blue light when clicking the front button).

Yet when I connect my new M1 MBP to the drive directly with a Thunderbolt 4 cable all works fine.

Does the adapter not work when going from Thunderbolt 2?

Thanks!

Posted on Apr 13, 2022 7:56 AM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,446 points

Apr 13, 2022 8:37 AM in response to CharPatton1

Your iMac has USB ports, connect one of them to your Lacie. There is NO reason to introduce an adapter.

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Answer 2

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,176 points

Apr 14, 2022 11:38 AM in response to CharPatton1

The oldest iMac supported by Apple's TB3<->TB2 cable is a 2017 model. This is shown in the compatibility section for that adapter.

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,446 points

Apr 13, 2022 9:23 AM in response to CharPatton1

Your machine supports USB 3 which is quite fast! You did not state how you intend to use EHD, for most day to day work USB is plenty fast. If you are a video or music professional then yes, Thunderbolt would save you time (which = money) and you should use that. However I am guessing you are not a video or music professional otherwise you would be using more up-to-date hardware.

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Answer 4

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,446 points

Apr 13, 2022 9:40 AM in response to CharPatton1

I have no clue why the adapter solution is not working. I have to be honest, I have never been a fan of LaCie drives. While I am not pointing the finger at the drive, I'm just voicing my own frustration with LaCie hardware.

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