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Dual Thunderbolt Displays Flickering | 2015 13" i7 Macbook Pro, Sonoma & Henge Dock

I have just replaced my two 27in Samsung displays with two Apple A1407 27in Thunderbolt displays. They both flicker intermittently. Both screens momentarily go black then come back on. I have played with the resolution settings. I've attempted to update their firmware to v1.2, but it will not install as it's incompatible with Sonoma. I doubt it's a coincidence that both screens are doing it. I never had a problem with my Samsung monitors ever, so it's somewhat ironic this is happening with equipment from apple that is supposedly designed to work together. What else can I try or is there an actual solution for this?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 14.6

Posted on Sep 19, 2024 3:58 AM

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3 replies

Sep 19, 2024 4:04 AM in response to KennyWW

Those Thunderbolt Displays may have somewhat flaky "hydra" cables. It is my understanding that modern versions of macOS are intolerant of display transmission errors - as in, they do not want to see any, and will cut resolution or cut signal when they do.


You could try bypassing the "hydra" cables, using Thunderbolt 1/2 cables plugged into the daisy-chaining ports on the Thunderbolt Displays.

Sep 19, 2024 5:06 AM in response to Servant of Cats

Yeah, I read a lot about the cables being temperamental, however everything works flawlessly when the docking station is removed from the circuit, so that would indicate monitors are working, MacBook working, iOS working, the only variable is when the docking station is introduced, which is odd as it was specifically designed for this set up. I just don’t get it, so something is definitely missing here.

Sep 19, 2024 8:00 AM in response to Servant of Cats

Managed to solve this puzzle. I removed the Henge TB cables that came with the dock that the monitors plug in to. Then ran one Thunderbolt cable from one monitor straight in to the Docking station, so the my Macbook connects directly to a A1407 display. The cable from the other display was a little too short to reach the the Dock, so I just daisy chained the two monitors. Works flawlessly now.

Dual Thunderbolt Displays Flickering | 2015 13" i7 Macbook Pro, Sonoma & Henge Dock

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