Extending a 2017 MacBook Pro to a c. 2010 Cinema Display

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Extending a 2017 MacBook Pro to a c. 2010 Cinema Display

My Cinema Display was purchased a the same time and used in conjunction with my older c. 2010 MacBook Pro (too old to allow updates of the OS version), and they were connected using both an 'adapter-modified' Magsafe II ( power?) and Thunderbolt (data?) cables from the Display. My (newer) 2017 MacBook Pro only has USB-C ports. There is nothing wrong with my Display, but I need a dongle to connect the data and power from the computer to the display. There must be a dongle for this, surely?

For clarity, the 'Magsafe' (power?) connector terminating one of the cables from the display is one of the 'modified' ones, with a magnetic adapter attached to the Magsafe connector, to allow it to then attach to the 2010 computer's power port. But this adapter can be detached. Picture attached shows the terminals of the cables from the display, and what I'm failing to describe.

Can anyone direct me to an Apple (or other) dongle that will allow me to extend my computer desktop to the display once more and, ideally, provide power to the computer via the display, as used to happen?

Thanks for any guidance!

MacBook Pro 13″

Posted on Aug 30, 2024 4:15 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 31, 2024 10:13 PM in response to Dornfield

First make sure that this is not an Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch), model A1407. That display has a "hydra" cable with two heads: Thunderbolt (Mini DisplayPort connector) and MagSafe. It also has a FireWire 800 hub port and a Gigabit Ethernet hub port.

The similar LED Cinema Display (27-inch), model A1316, has a "hydra" cable with two heads: Mini DisplayPort and MagSafe. Cinema Displays that connect via Mini DisplayPort do not have FireWire 800 hub ports, so that's another way of telling them apart from the Thunderbolt Display.

If this is a Cinema Display, you need a USB-C (male) to Mini DisplayPort (female) adapter to connect the video. You can find boatloads of such adapters on Amazon. You may also need to make a USB connection from the display to the Mac to allow the Mac to control the brightness of the display (and to hook up downstream USB Hub ports).

If this is a Thunderbolt Display, you need an Apple Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter.

If you select the wrong adapter for the display, the plugs and sockets may physically fit, but the adapter will not be transmitting the right type of signal, and the display will remain blank.

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