Major problems with Thunderbolt display & MB Air

I called apple support (or more correctly set up a time for them to call me, worked really well, no wait time), and have somewhat of a solution.

Turns out counter to what I would assume for years of using laptops, the TB cords should be connected to the MBA when it is awake and open. If the TB is connected when it's asleep, the display works, but none of the peripherals (USB, Facetime camera, etc) work for me. Has worked every time for me now.

This does seem counter to Apple's own marketing in my opinion as a docking station, since when I return to my desk with the laptop closed to "dock" it I would assume I would just plug in the cords and wake it up, but that is exactly what doesn't work.

According to the tech, when the laptop wakes up, it doesn't go through the all checks it would when a TB is plugged in when it's awake. Can't speak to the technical details, but experience does seem to support the method.

Hope this helps someone else.

Il problema lo abbiamo anche qui in italia monitor thunderbolt da 1000 euro non funzionanti lampeggiano nero e non vengono sostituiti nonostante abbia 15 gg di vita credo non sia una buona politica di apple e si fa presto a perdere un buon cliente ,grazie apple

Hi,

just briefly „my TBD-story“:

• First TBD with sporadically dropouts of LAN- and USB-ports after waking up of MBA (closed display); ofcourse with latest firmware and updates
• two calls with Apple Support Line (SMC-reset and so on): without success
• try to repair at Apple Service Center (changing power supply AND Logic board): without success
• further call with Apple Support Line: after telling „my TBD-history“ I was directed to an Apple Manager: result: TBD will be changed into a new one
• Second TBD: runs as expected from the beginning without any errors (since two days) :-)))

Hope this can help somebody of you...

CU

Fred

Hi, could you confirm in a few days that everything is still working for you?

Some people have seen this problem reappearing after a couple of days.

They also gave me the option to replace the screen but I wanted to be sure their new TBD production would actually fix that problem before going to the Apple store.

Hi,

yes I can give a short report of the situation after 1 week, 2 weeks and so on, if you´re interested.

Hope to have the same good situation for the next years ;-)

If I remember right I´ve had the problems with the first TBD from the very first days.

CU

Fred

Thanks, I've had the situation when it was ok for a couple of days and then it got out of control again until I rebooted the Air.

Also would you mind to tell us when was your new TBD manufactured by looking at the serial number?

Don´t know how to identify the manufacturing date from the serial-number.

CU

Fred

Your serial number indicates a production date on week 6 2012. It could be that apple fixed the problem in the latest batch. I'm gonna try to have mine replaced too. What's the firmware version of your screen ?

How can you decode the production date from the serial? I'm about to buy one of these displays and would like to check this before the purchase. Thanks

To be complete ;-))

Herstellername: Apple, Inc.

Gerätename: Thunderbolt Display

Hersteller-ID: 0x1

Geräte-ID: 0x8002

Geräterevision: 0x1

UID: 0x00010001003AAD30

Firmware-Version: 22,2

Port:

Status: Angeschlossen

Verbindungsstatus: 2

Port-Mikrocontroller-Firmware-Version: 0.0.21

Kabel-Mikrocontroller-Firmware-Version: 0.1.18

Port:

Status: Keine Geräte angeschlossen

Verbindungsstatus: 7

Super Port Micro-Firmwareversion: 0.0.21

I usually use this website:

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html/

I has always been reliable.

My TBD behaved more or less ok until it stopped working 5 weeks after purchase. I brought it to an apple service center. It was the first TBD monitor in their hands, so they have some delays getting it to work. Some 6 weeks later (late january) I got it back.

Two weeks ago my MBA stopped working. The technician changed logic and io boards, and I got a working MBA yesterday.

For 20-30 minutes the MBA worked well with the TBD, but when I put it into sleep mode I felt a "short circuit" noise and, near the MBA, a weak ozone smell (typical on an electrostatic discharge). Now both the MBA and the TBD are back in the shop.

I have worked on and used electronic hardware for over 30 years. Based on my own problems and those described in this forum, the TBD is the worse piece of equipment I have seen in the market. The problems people are describing here may be normal on an early beta development version of a product, but are simply not acceptable in a final version.

Status report: second TBD since 1 week: everything (USB & ethernet ports at TBD-back) is fine :-)))

does it mean you can simply plug the computer back *lid closed* and everything has been working fine?

Fred,

I'd also be interested in your Thunderbolt Display Firmware Version...

Utilities > System Information > Thunderbolt

For reference, mine looks like....

Vendor Name: Apple, Inc.

Device Name: Thunderbolt Display

Vendor ID: 0x1

Device ID: 0x8002

Device Revision: 0x1

UID: 0x000100010012D730

Route String: 1

Firmware Version: 22.2

UPDATE: Nevermind, I see your post above. Same 22.2

Message was edited by: Grant Griffith