connect 2016 macbook pro to LED Cinema Display

@JMB23 - The Goliton adapter IS NOT working with MacBook 12' - If you want to have a working connection, you can either go with Nonda Hub+ or my setup:

see my answer from Nov 28, 2016 3:32

This setup doesn't look nice but it connects your MacBook 12' OR your MacBook Pro 2016 to the Apple Cinema Display with sound, graphics and USB.

If you want to us this setup instead:

see my answer from Dec 5, 2016 12:18 AM

This is the Goliton adapter which is only working with the MacBook Pro 2016. It provides sound and graphics, for USB you need an additional (but standard) USB-C to USB adapter.

I hope this is now straightforward

Thanks for posting. Do the USB ports on the display work via the adaptor? I'm wondering if the Cinema Display can basically function as a USB hub for my slower devices so that I can avoid extra dongles.

@falling_mountaineering

the USB-port of the Apple Display are working, if the display is connected via USB (that means either by the multi-adapter solution or by a separate USB-C to USB adapter) - in addition you can use the ports for charging even though it is not connected

Got this exact setup working, but extremely unstable. The display keeps dropping out, and I have a hard time "waking it" even though I can see the monitor in display settings.

Just recently the display started working on 1280 res only.

I have ordered this hub from Hyper https://www.hypershop.com/products/hyperdrive-usb-type-c-hub-with-mini-displaypo rt and hope it will get better.

@Finge - could you be more precise? Which setup are you using? What exactly is unstable?

Thx for your help

The connection seems to be very unstable. When I finally get connection the monitor won't wake. And once I do get it working signal drops very often.

@Finge - which Adapter are you using? Which USB-C MacBook (the MacBook Pro Late 2016 or the MacBook 12')? What are you doing, if the monitor isn't waking up? How and when is the signal dropping?

I am using the these adapters

USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter

HDMI to display port adapter

https://www.startech.com/AV/Converters/Video/hdmi-displayport-converter-4k~HD2DP

Display port male to display port female

https://www.cablestogo.com/product/18412/displayport-male-to-mini-displayport-fe male-adapter

I guess the 3 connections make room for a lot of bad connections ;-) Seems like your lates adapter does the trick though.

Hi nanoSK,

I got my MacBook Pro 2016 15” with touchbar yesterday.

My LED Cinema Display from 2011 works great with the new MBP.

To connect it to the new MBP, I use the good old “Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dockingstation” (Series 1, bought in Jan 2014).

The Dockingstation is connected to the Macbook with a "Thunderbolt 3 to 2" adapter.

On the Dockingstation I’ve connected the old LED Cinema display via Displayport plug (like before).

All other plugs work fine as well (Gigabit Ethernet, USB3 Ports, Firewire 800 + Audio Interface).

When the Cinema Display USB cable is connected to the Dock, you can even adjust Brightness of the LED display with an external Keyboard.

The external Keyboard adjusts Brightness of Cinema Display, the Macbook Keyboard Brightness of the Macbook Display.

Hope that helps,

Robert

I had an online chat with a guy from Hyper and he seemed really customer focused and very knowledgeable. He told me about the product you mention and also one that they have on Kickstarter that is for the Thunderbolt Displays. Of course, all you really need for the Thunderbolt Displays is the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, but it might be nice to just plug in 1 thing when docking vs. power and display. Those USB-C plugs are pretty tiny and hard to get right, especially as compared to MagSafe.

By the way, after a few weeks of frustration, I gave up and decided to return my 13" MBP. If you want the details, here's a post I did about it: https://medium.com/@beninato/apple-and-macbooks-and-dongles-oh-my-67df18ab8c7e#. 1aqpyxfae

Just received the USB C hub from Hypershop and it works like a charm. Finally I was able to get a stable solution AND remove my 3-adapter-clutter 🙂

https://www.hypershop.com/collections/usb-type-c/products/hyperdrive-usb-type-c- hub-with-mini-displayport

I found an adapter which allows the USB-C (i.e. Thunderbolt 3) port on my new MacBook Pro 15 inch to drive an older Apple Cinema Display with the Mini-Display port cable. Note that the shape of this cable is identical to a Thunderbolt 2 cable (but it has the MDP icon at the end, not the Thunderbolt icon), and there was initial confusion because the Thunderbolt3 to Thunderbolt 2 adaptor did not succeed in driving the display.

Here is the adapter:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZU1TXHA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UT F8&psc=1

It is only $15 and it took nearly 3 weeks to arrive from China. I needed to power cycle the display, but then it worked perfectly for video and audio. I also tested it on an ASUS display and that works too.

Just want to chime in here, I have the new 2016 macbook pro (15") and using only an Apple Thunderbolt2 to Thunderbolt3 adapter I have connected to my 27" Apple Cinema display (the 2nd generation that had USB and display in a single thunderbolt 2 cable) and get both usb and video.

The previous answers at least with the latest 27" Cinema display are incorrect.

@MetroNinja: please recognize the difference between the Apple Cinema Display (with miniDP) and the Apple Thunderbolt Display (with (for sure) Thunderbolt). From the very beginning there was no doubt how to connect the MacBook Pro 2016 to the Thunderbolt Display via Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter (this is what you are using).

The question in this discussion has been, how to connect the MacBook Pro 2016 to the Apple Cinema Display with miniDP (see title). This question has been perfectly answered and all of the previous posts are correct and true.