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thunderbolt port in display input as well as output?

I posted the question below to the "older displays and monitors" topic pages, but it seems almost no-one reads it and I have not got a response to what seems to me to be a very simple question. My question basically is: can I input video from my MacBook M1 into the Thunderbolt port on the back of my old Thunderbolt 2 27" display (from about 2014), or is it an output port only? I need an alternative way of inputting video into the the display because the display's built in input thunderbolt cable is faulty.

Here is the full post to the "older displays and monitors" topic, to which I have received no reply:


Quick question about my 27" Thunderbolt 2 display, model no. A1407, circa 2014.

This has the standard Apple octopus Thunderbolt 2 input cable combined with a magsafe power connector.

I am connecting it to my 2021 MacBook Pro M1 via a Thunderbolt 2 to USB-C adaptor.

The Display has 3 USB-2 ports, one Thunderbolt 2 port, 1 firewire 800 port and one gigabit ethernet port.

Problem is, the built-in Thunderbolt input cable has become loose or frayed at the output end, and very unreliable. It only has to be lightly touched or jiggled at the output end (near the Macbook) for the screen to go black and then you have to wait for a while for the video to come back, and the computer password has to be entered again.

Someone suggested to me that I could just bypass the display's input cable and run a cable out of my MBP with a Thunderbolt 2 jack at the other end plugged into the back of the display -- using the Thunderbolt port on the display as a video input port.

So -- my question is whether the Thunderbolt 2 port on the back of my display (or any other ports) can be used as a video input port, or is it just an output port?


Thanks

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on May 9, 2023 3:26 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 9, 2023 6:49 PM

Yes, you can use the Thunderbolt port on the back of the display for input. You will need a Thunderbolt cable from the back of the display to the Thunderbolt adapter on the MacBook Pro.

Apple Thunderbolt Cable (0.5 m) - White - Apple


You can also power the computer from the display with a MagSafe adapter.

https://elecjet.com/products/anywatt-magsafe

Similar questions

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 9, 2023 6:49 PM in response to Tomdbl

Yes, you can use the Thunderbolt port on the back of the display for input. You will need a Thunderbolt cable from the back of the display to the Thunderbolt adapter on the MacBook Pro.

Apple Thunderbolt Cable (0.5 m) - White - Apple


You can also power the computer from the display with a MagSafe adapter.

https://elecjet.com/products/anywatt-magsafe

Oct 25, 2023 11:27 PM in response to Tomdbl

I had low expectations I could get this Thunderbolt (1?) display working after it suddenly stopped turning on, with my MacBookPro M1Pro. I doubted the ports on the back could be inputs and didn't want to fry my $4k laptop, but i found a thunderbolt 1/2 cable and plugged it into the thunderbolt 1/2 to 3 adapter...it works! So i guess the built in cable is the culprit — it's frayed from the former owner and maybe got yanked one too many times, or something.

Oct 31, 2023 10:11 AM in response to Ben Furstenberg

I have had zero issues using my thunderbolt display c. 2012? (original owner) using it with my 13" m1 macbook pro, but since connecting to my M2 14" I have had issues. intermittent loss of screen, and once it only dropped the audio to display speakers and lost all ports but not the display! weird. Anyway, I want to sing the praises of this ~12 year old display, it has been rock solid.

One piece of advice, these displays have a lot of circuitry and a power supply inside them and use fans to cool them. It would be a good idea to have it serviced or take it apart yourself and clean it out. I have not done this! And I started to get some heat damage on the very bottom of the screen. And it can feel quite hot to the touch sometimes. Definitely want to clean these things out!

thunderbolt port in display input as well as output?

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