30" cinema display for new Mac mini 2018

Hello,

I have the new (2018) Mac Mini now, with the USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adapter plugged into a USB-C port and connected to my 30” Apple Cinema Display. It doesn’t work. I talked to Apple today (11/12) and they said they’d talk to their engineers to see of this display is compatible with the new Mac Mini, and he’s going to get back to me on Wednesday morning (11/14) with a definitive answer on this (but from what he was able to tell me, it didn’t sound hopeful). I’ve also tried the HDMI port with the DVI to HDMI adapter, and that gave only scrolling verticle bands on the screen. When I hear back from Apple on Wednesday (11/14), I’ll come back here to post his answer.

Update: Connecting 30” Cinema Display to new (2018) Mac Mini, using Apple’s HDMI to DVI adapter.

Talked to Apple today (11/14); the steps the guy had me go through on start-up didn’t work. He said he would take his notes back to the engineers and call me back on Saturday (11/17) with some different options. I’ll come back here to update at that time.

Hey Wildetommy,

Thanks for your feedback.

It is a shame that the Mac Mini HDMI Output can't drive our beautiful ACD 30" !

HDMI 2.0 is able to handle a resolution up to 3840 × 2160 at 60 Hz !

Hope Apple will release a firmware update for the Mac Mini or the DisplayPort to DVI Dual Link adaptator !

Regards

Kara

Hi, Kara~

I was surprised that when I spoke with Apple Support about using the 30" Cinema Display, they could not give me a straightforward yes/no answer to my yes/no question: Does the 2018 Mac Mini support the Apple 30" Cinema Display? And these community support answers give conflicting info on this yes/no question; i.e., nowhere (yet) have I seen a simple "Yes, it works" or "No, it doesn't work" in any of this. Or why is it so difficult to find a clear yes/no answer? Presently I am waiting for the Apple Support guy to call me back on 11/14/18 with some info. I'll come back to post with an update later that day.

Thank you, Beamengine, for posting this photo 🙂, but could you please also post a close-up photo showing the adapter plugged into the back of your Mac Mini and the mini Display cable plugged into the adapter. Like Mario, I was also told by Apple Support that plugging it into a C-port (Thunderbolt 3) wouldn’t work, and it didn’t work for me. But perhaps my adapter is wrong/bad? It’s a j5create USB Type-C to 4K Mini DisplayPort adapter. Could you post the link to the exact adapter you have there? Many thanks!

So VERY glad to see this! I'm setting up my 30" Cinema display and Mac Mini now and will follow your lead. Next challenge will be two Cinema displays (not sure if they are 23" or 27" and try and connect them to my other new Mac Mini. Please post any other details or developments as they occur. There are grateful readers watching and using your info.

Please, please. There are several TOPELEK adapters on Amazon. Which exact connector worked for your 30" display? Do you think it will work for two 23" or 27" Cinema displays also? Thanks! Can't wait to connect!

. . . and here, I think, is part of the problem we’re having over here in America, where TopElek doesn’t show up on our Amazon. The adapters that do show up on Amazon and other places come with this warning note: “This [brand] adapter outputs a single-mode Mini DisplayPort signal and will not work with additional video adapters such as Mini DisplayPort to HDMI, Mini DisplayPort to VGA or Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapters.” And that last part there might be the problem because, like you, I also need the old Apple adapter that takes the Cinema Display’s DVI-D Dual-Link and reduces it down to the Mini Display cable end (to go into my older Mac Mini). Apparently, your TopElek adapter does not come with that warning? Thanks again for your help with this~

Many, many thanks for all your here, Beamengine. (You’ve been more helpful and clearer with this information than the Apple Support people I’ve spoken with; I guess they’re probably learning as they go from you and others who’ve posted on this specific issue.) Cheers! ~T

Hey Folks,

Thanks Beamengine for your succesfull feedback !

I understand that your ACD is configured as a second monitor.

This is not my case. Can you test for me a startup with only one monitor, the ACD 30" ?

Regards,

Kara

Wow! Wow! Wonderful! Thanks to you both for bringing us this info! We have two 30" Cinema displays and have been battling to get them up and running with monitors! We so VERY much appreciate the details and your willingness to communicate your efforts and successes! BTW, we waited until after Nov 14 to buy our Mac Mini's from Apple because their Holiday Return Policy gives us until Jan 8 to return them if we need to. Glad we got the extra long time now! Again, please know that your friendship and help will be used and appreciated!

Best,

Rachael and Richard Heller

Hello Klaus,

Thank you for your feedback, this sounds really good !

I definitely don't understand Apple willing regarding its product base line, and way to communicate with its PRO clients.

Those who spent the uge amount of money to buy this great Cinema Display 30" should have been considered with better respect !

Without the MacOS and iOS eco-system, I would have left the Apple product line a long time ago !

Regards,

Kara

Hi,

From the pic you showed on this comment it seems to me that you only need the topelek adapter (usb-c) connect to the mini-display port to Dual-link DVI from the 30 ACD and it works, but there is a normal USB-A from the ACD dual-link dvi cable and it seems you don’t need to connect to the 2018 Mac-mini? Is that only the USB-C+mini display alone will drive the display properly or you need both the USB-C (adpator) and USB-A (dual-link DVI cable) to do so? Many thanks for your answer. I ask so because in the old days I use my MacBook Air 2012 to drive the 30 ACD with both the mini-display port and USB-A connected so as to drive the display properly so I was quite surprised if the USB-C alone on a 2018 Mac-mini can already do the same job with a USB 3.0 port saved up.

Hi Klaus-Hermann Otto, please let me know if the "UPTab USB-C (Type C) to Mini DisplayPort Adapter 4K@60Hz" worked i have the same setup and i am thinking of getting the new Mac Mini but i want to be sure it works with my 30" Cinema Display

Thanks & Regards

Philip Ziadie

3_16@bellsouth.net