How to connect 12" MacBook (2015) to a 24" or 27" Apple Cinema Display AND Charge!

Thanks for the updates, especially on your original post. I was just about to buy the StarTech USB to Displayport adapter and read you latest post. Very disappointing!!

I have done a ton of research and it appears that there is nothing available for purchase today that will allow the use of the Apple Display and charge the laptop at the same time......very sad!!!

The only 2 viable options that I've found are both "Pre-Order" only.

Option 1: HydraDock http://www.hydradock.com/

This dock has both Mini Displayport and HDMI

Option 2: Caldigit USB-C Dock http://www.caldigit.com/usb-c/

This dock has a full size Displayport (requires female MDP to male DP adapter) and HDMI.

The advantage of this port is that it has its own power supply, so only one of the USB-C ports (labeled "computer") has to be used. The other USB-C port is a full data port and can be used for other accessories, including the AllSmartLife MDP video adapter!

Unfortunately, both are still listed on their websites as Pre-Order and state that they will ship in June, but no commitments to the available date.

Here is the latest from update KickShark on the HydraDock, I preordered it last month:

This past week was spent heavily testing a dozen sample PC boards of the revised design, plugging them into dozens of monitors, many of which create known problems with the earlier HydraDock circuitry. The new boards have worked with 100% reliability, so we are releasing the project for mass production.

A note about timing. Previously, we were going to complete and ship an initial 1500 piece HydraDock run that covered essentially the pre-orders through December 2015 placed through Kickstarter and on BackerKit. Then, we were going to do a second production run of 2,000 units to fill all pre-orders since January (from the Celery order system on the HydraDock web site.) Now, because of having to install a new PC board in all of the existing enclosures, we are combining everything into one 4,000 unit production run.

We have also received and tested an updated Roadie PC board that has proven 100% reliable. So, we are moving to a 2,500 unit production run of the Roadie.

The production runs for both the HydraDock and the Roadie will happen the first week of July, with products shipping from our Honk Kong fulfillment center as they are received there from the factory. Production could begin the last week of June, but we are adding a week to be safe.

All products will ship in the order they were pre-ordered, earliest pre-orders first. Understand that it will take up to a week to get all of these products manufactured, processed, and actually shipped out.

So, It's been a long process for them but finally starting to sound promising.

Apple's USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter for the MacBook and Kanex XD HDMI to Minidisplay Port Converter solve the problem.

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-USB-C-Digital-Multiport-Adapter/dp/B00VU2K10G/ref=s r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=14688768…

https://www.amazon.com/Kanex-HDMI-Mini-Displayport-Converter/dp/B003LGOWNQ

Other USB-C to HDMI adapters will work in place of Apples'; I have a new KickStarter KADi Port which works fine as well.

It should be noted, however, that Kanex XD converts HDMI to Apple's LED Cinema Display 27" with resolution 720p, and we may need to set the resolution for MDP adapters for HDMI.

An apple support page “Using a Retina display” tells us how to manage the resolution.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202471

——

"Get more resolutions for your external display"

You can see more resolution options for your external display by holding down the Option key while clicking the Scaled button.

——

Additional resolution options appear, and we can choose 720p.

Thus, we can use the Cinema Display with miniDisplay port as the 2nd display of Retina Macbook through HDMI Adapters and Kanex XD.

Any dock or adapter (like the StarTech I think) that uses DisplayLink technology uses video compression to transfer to the USB adapter which then converts it to the necessary video output (DisplayPort in this case), it doesn't pass the native DisplayPort video signal. Compression is done on the host system not the dock. You will get some lag and increased cpu usage compared to a native solution.

It maybe a good interim solution whilst something better comes out. Not sure why it is taking so long for good dock to appear.

Btw, the Dell WD15 dock does not support HDCP so no watching copy-protected video!

There seem to be lots of kickstarter/indiegogo based docks upcoming...

The KADI Port has a free USB C port. Did you test the AllSmartLife USB 3.1 Type C to Mini DisplayPort Adapter mentioned in the original post with the KADI Port? To my understanding this should work - would like to have this confirmed...

Have not yet test the AllSmartLife adapter with the KADi port.

I'm not sure it works.

A combination of

• USB-C 3.1 to Displayport (not USB3.0 to DP) Adapter (about $40), and
• DP(male) to miniDP(female) converter (about $10)

works fine for the MacBook 2015.

The first adapter is an alternative to the StarTech.com USB 3.0 to DisplayPort mentioned in the original post, and available from

http://direct.sanwa.co.jp/ItemPage/500-KC017CDP

in Japan. No device drivers are required.

Unfortunately, the above combination with the KADi port does not work!

Supposedly, the adapter of USB-C to DP should be based on the implementation of “DisplayPort Alternate Mode over USB-C” of the MacBook's USB-C. But the USB-C data port of the KADi port is designed not to “pass-through” the MacBook’s USB-C with no DP signal conveyed.

Sorry, I will not test any more with other adapters.

IOGear has finally starting selling their USB-C Docking Station https://www.iogear.com/product/GUD3C01/

It has a DisplayPort output, which can easily be adapted to MDP. Wondering if anyone has tested it out yet. Their website shows it working with 27" Apple Cinema Display

startech.com has started selling a USB-C dock with power delivery and a full-sized DisplayPort port on it. Looks like the DisplayPort port may only be DP1.2, but that should be plenty for an ACD.

Available for $185 at Amazon and seems to get decent reviews.

The CalDigit appears to actually be available now, as well.