Mac Mini won't connect to LCD Monitor

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Mac Mini won't connect to LCD Monitor

I bought a Mac Mini in 2013 and have been using my television as my computer screen using HDMI, however recently my girlfriend gave me her parents old pc monitor which was made in 2008, however the screen still works as do all the cables because we tested it on their pc before i was given it, I have then bought a thunderbolt to vga and followed the apple instructions of downloading the firmware to do with this, however when i go into it to update the firmware it says the monitor is not recognisable, are the two compatible? do i need a new cable? any advice or answers would be highly appreciated thanks, Dan.

Mac mini, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Jun 1, 2015 2:15 AM

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Answer 1

lllaass

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Jun 1, 2015 2:23 AM in response to DanDDM

Just what adopter did you purchase? Can you provide a link?

There is no 2103 Mac Mini. There is a late 2012 and the next on ws the late 2014 Mini

There is no Thunderbolt to VGA adopter. A Thunderbolt port supports a min displayport plug for video and there are mini displayport to VGA adopter. My experience is that some non-Apple adopter just do not work.

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Answer 2

DanDDM Author

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Jun 1, 2015 2:42 AM in response to lllaass

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D3IP0S8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_de tailpage_o00_s00

My GF bought me this one, the white one. i would have bought the late 2012 one as i said "I bought a mac mini IN 2013"

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Answer 3

lllaass

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Jun 1, 2015 2:58 AM in response to DanDDM

I suspect a bad adopter if the monitor work with another VGA input.

Since the adopter is likely not an Apple adopter the firmware update would not seem to be applicable.

Looking at the reviews on the link you provided indicates that many see m to be bad. The last review on the page includes:

This is a false economy. I thought it looked great at the price so I bought 23 of them for use with Raspberry Pi's. 10 out of 23 did not work. They either produced a blurred screen, green colouration, or no signal at all. I therefore do not trust the ones that do work to keep on working. I will be sending the lot back for a refund and buying a more expensive, reliable (and presumably properly tested) model.

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Answer 4

DanDDM Author

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Jun 1, 2015 3:07 AM in response to lllaass

Yeah i might pop into town and buy another one, i will ask them if it does not work can i bring it back so i don't lose money, thanks for the advice, one other thing, i have a HDMI to DVI that came with my mac mini. if i was to get a DVI to VGA converter instead and connect that to my pc with the converter then the VGA wire to my pc screen, would that work?

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Answer 5

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Jun 1, 2015 9:45 AM in response to DanDDM

The HDMI>DVI with a DVI t>VGA adopter will not work since HDMI is digital while VGA is analogue. They do make HDMI to VGA converters but those are expensive.

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