Thunderbolt DaisyChain Woes

I have a late 2012 iMac and late 2012 Mac Mini, both with Thunderbolt. I'd like to use the iMac as a display for the Mini, no problem (CMD+F2) when linked directly together via Thunderbolt. The problem here is that I have a bunch of Thunderbolt drives that need to remain connected to the Mini only and the Mini doesn't have two Thunderbolt ports. I could attach the last Thunderbolt drive in the chain to my iMac but I'd assume that this would cause all sorts of issues with the Thunderbolt drives trying to mount to one or both Macs.
Does this make sense? Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might be able to win this battle besides buying a $300+ Thunderbolt dock (which also might have the same issue)?

What USB drive has that capibility?
OWC sells a drive that has a USB 3 connection and a Thunderbolt connection (two ports). However the USB and Thunderbolt can't be used at the same time. The drive is EITHER USB or daisy-chainable Thunderbolt.

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Thunderbolt display image snowy

I have my macbook pro (13-in, mid 2012) connected to a thunderbolt display with a second thunderbolt daisychained to the first. I am running OSX 10.9.
Sometimes when my macbook goes to sleep because I have stepped away and I come back and wake it up, one of the thunderbolt displays has these snowy pixelated segments that appear on the screen. Sometimes unplugging and replugging in the thunderbolt cable will fix it, and sometimes I have to do a complete restart to get it to go away.
Any ideas what may be causing this or what to try to fix it?
Thanks!

Hello Deniz YILMAZ,
The following article can help resolve many issues that you may encounter with your display.
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573
Cheers,
Allen

Multi screen set up

Lets say i want 2 or even 3 external screens link to my laptop ... How am i supposed to link all this in terms of wires/ conections ?

Depends which model you have. Newer Macbook Pros have HDMI outputs as well as thunderbolt outputs. You can use those plus thunderbolt daisychains. Additionally you can get a thunderbolt hub that has multiple video outputs to allow the use multiple monitors. Like LowLuster said just google it.

Can I create a raid 1+0 setup across daisychained thunderbolt harddrives?

I need more storage and need it to be quick and redundant
I'm concidering 2 of either the WD thunderbolt duo 6TB or the LaCie 2Big Thunderbolt 6TB.
I want to set each 2disk unit to RAID 1 and then srtipe them as RAID0 accross thunderbolt to hopefully result in one striped and mirrored 6TB RAID volume
Is this possible?
I'm hoping yes because i've seen 4 of the WB unit daisychained as one huge RAID0 but I'd like the redundancy.
also i want the resultant volume in exFAT as I am constantly jumping between OSX and Win 7

I don't believe so. Apple uses its own approach to the RAID setup and for presenting the volumes to the OS for use, and I dont think Windows has the infrastructure to handle Apple's software RAID. For RAID volumes the system loads the initial RAID handling software from a pre-boot partition similar to the Recovery HD partition for handling FileVault 2, and then mounts the disk and loads the OS from it. When in the OS the system contains the disk utility tools for detecting the attached RAID devices and assembling the RAID when it's present. Windows would need a similar setup to do this.

Problem with two thunderbolt display's daisychained

hey,
i'm having problems with my mac setup. i've got two thunderbolt displays, hooked to a 15" mbp retina laptop.
i've got my iphone hooked to one of the usb ports of the display then i've got a keyboard, a superdrive and a charger for my magic mouse hooked to the displays as well as a firewire hd. two usb 3 hard drives are hooked directly to the mbp.
i also changed the audio midi setup to let the audio pla through both of the displays to get a better sound. the mbp is closed so only those two displays get a video signal.
i have issues when data is transfered along the lines. f.eg my keyboard doesn't work from time to time, my iphone wont be recognized when connected to the dock. not really sure what the problems is a the transfercapacity shouldn't be to it's limit.
could it be a energy problem? that the displays don't get enough power, my power strip has a voltag controller in it, might that be a problem?
greets.

I think Apple should extend the warranty if they have a known manufacturing issue. I won't be investing another $1000 on a display from Apple ever again. I can't afford it. I can by an LG, Viewsonic, Dell, or "fill in the blank" for a fraction of the cost.
I expect a $1000 display to last me more than 20 months.
-md

Hi - How do I connect an HDTV as a second monitor to Thunderbolt display with macbook pro in clamshell mode?

I have a Late 2011 Macbook Pro in clamshell mode connected to a Thunderbolt Display with the built in Thunderbolt cable. I want to then connect an HDTV via the Thunderbolt port at the back of the Thunderbolt display. I already had a cable that I thought would work which turns out to be a MiniDisplay port to HDMI cable and therefore not compatible with Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt (Mini DisplayPort not being the same technology although it uses the same port - although I'm not an expert !!) So far a web search has provided me with the only solution being using a Thunderbolt dock or storage that has multiple Thunderbolt ports and then using that to daisychain inbetween the Thunderbolt Diplay and the HDTV. The cheapest solution I can find for this would be about £250. Surely not ??!!!!
Many thanks for any comments - Nik

You could also use aThunderbolt dock with HDMI, such as:
<http://www.belkin.com/uk/F4U055-Belkin/p/P-F4U055/>
<http://www.caldigit.com/thunderboltstation/>
<http://www.elgato.com/en/thunderbolt/thunderbolt-dock>

How do I connect a Thunderbolt display to a 21UX Cintiq Wacom tablet with a single link DVD-I connector?

I just bought a brand new thunderbolt display along with a 2013 mac pro and I'd like to hook my 2 year old 21UX Cintiq Wacom tablet directly to the display using the thunderbolt port on the display itself. Currently, I have the Cintiq daisychain connected directly to the mac pro using an Apple mini display port -> DVI-D (dual link) adapter, which is then connected to a DVI-D (single link) -> DVI-I (dual link) adapter, which is then finally connected to the Cintiq's DVI-I (single link) connector (this is permanently attached to the Cintiq and can't be traded out). As you can imagine, what has resulted is a lot of color variations between the Cintiq and Thunderbolt displays (that color calibration in system preferences has not been able to remedy) as well as some flickering of both displays at random intervals. I'd like the colors of the displays to match as close as possible and for the flickering to stop, of course, and from what I understand, connecting the displays directly with as few adapters as possible is the best way to do that. Unfortunately, most of my searches have not helped very much. Here is a photo of my daisychained set-up to better assist anyone who thinks they might be able to help:
Lastly, just in case: the mini display port to DVI adapter is not compatible with the Thunderbolt display's port, which is why it is connected to the mac pro, so I imagine a solution might require searching for an adapter from a different manufacturer, if such a thing even exists. If not, what other solutions would anyone suggest to get the colors of the displays to match more closely and the flickering to stop as well as lessen the amount of adapters I am using?
Thank you!

From you picture, you have a Mini DisplayPort to Single-Link DVI-D adapter. (The last in DVI-D is for "Digital", not "Dual-Link".)
You don't need dual link unless the resolution is greater than 1920 x 1200.
Mini DisplayPort devices or adapters won't work plugged directly into a Thunderbolt display. You need a Thunderbolt disk or dock (with two Thunderbolt ports) connected between the Thunderbolt display and the Mini DisplayPort adapter.

Thunderbolt to FireWire adapter

If I purchase a MacBook Air 11" I want to be able to connect my new LG 23" monitor AND to connect my many LaCie and iOmega FireWire 800 Hard drives. With my MacBook Pro 13" (Mid-2010) I can do both simultaneously.
But with the MacBook Air 11" - there are no FW ports, and only 1 Thunderbolt port. So it seems:
I can use the mini-display adapter to go from the MacBook Air 11" Thunderbolt port to the LG Monitor (or??)
In a few months, when the Sonnet Thunderbolt to FW adapter comes out, I can connect my FW800 Hard Drives
(The Allegro™ FW800 Thunderbolt™ Adapter enables users to plug in a FireWire® 800 device, including a bus-powered drive, to any computer with a Thunderbolt port. [Ships Q2, 2012]).
OK BUT: Can I have the external monitor connected AND have the FW800 HD's connected AT THE SAME TIME? I know one can daisychain with Thunderbolt - but how would I do that in this case?
Thanks for any comments, guesses, information or feedback.
Best regards,
Steve Schulte
Tuesday 21 February 2012

You can daisy-chain, PROVIDED the requisite adapters/devices in the chain support it. Not all Tunderbolt devices support daisy-chaining, therefore must be at the end of any "chain". None of the projected Sonnet products seem to support it either. So, unless that other device you plan to use supports it (the monitor), you are unable to use them simultaneously. I suppose it gives some comfort to Apple on the pricing of their Tunderbolt Display.

Stereo Audio settings for dual thunderbolt displays?

I'm Daisychaining 2 x 27 thunderbolt displays off my macbookPro,
How do I get the one display to play the left audio channel, and the other the right channel for stereo audio on my desk?
thanks
walter

Check these
http://www.barefeats.com/quad14.html
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304122
Read the about the Expansion Slot manager in Apple Help.
I have the ATI 1900 XT in slot 4 and 16x, but if barefeats is true slot 3 ans 8x is nearly as fast. It depends a lot on waht other PCI express cards you have installed and how fat you need to run these.
G5 1.8 DP ATI Radeon X800 XT Mac Edition, PB G4 400 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Could my current mac with the Mini DisplayPort use thunderbolt displays? Even any other thunderbolt technology?

i am in the market for a new desktop computer, iMac or new Macpro if coming soon and priced right. i want two displays and I want my current Macbook Pro end 2008 with the Mini DisplayPort to be able to us a hunderbolt display. is this possible?
thanks

John Hammer1 wrote:
It will work, but only as a display – obviously you will not have access to the hub and daisychain functions.
I don't see that would work... Plus, if it were possible, I would think a company would utilize that for marketing leverage to appeal to more users with only the older mDP cpu's. In this case, that's not what is happening. So I don't believe it will work like that. Typically, a company wouldn't make specific statements (ex "attaching to any Thunderbolt enabled device"), if it was Not a requirement to work.
Then... on the technical side of it...
The TB cable / signal is a (new technology) Muxed signal of both PCIe and DP data. Without the TB chipset / hardware on the host machine, it can Not communicate properly down the Thunderbolt cable and to any TB device.
As you can see in the cable cut-away... it's NOT just a matter of adding individual DP lines along with some individual PCIe lines and wrap it up in a single cable.... where you can choose just to use only the DP lines. Nope... this is highly improbable and suggests that using an OLD (non-TB) computer will NOT work at ALL, if connecting to a TB display or any TB device.

13-inch rMBP thunderbolt ports on the same bus?

Hi,
I'm looking to run two Focusrite Saffire Pro 40' s in Dual Unit Mode, with both directly connected to my MBP via Thunderbolt firewire adapters.
Focusrite requires that in Dual Unit Mode, if not daisychained, the two firewire connections share the same bus.
Are the two Thunderbolt connections on the same bus?
Thanks very much!

I don't have a retina MBP at my disposal to check with, but you can pretty easily figure this out if you have the computer in front of you.
Within the System Information program you can select Thunderbolt from the menu on the left and it will detail whether there are one or two busses.
To get to System Information, you can use Spotlight (the looking glass in the top right corner of the screen) or you can use the Apple logo in the top left, then click About this Mac > More Info > System Report.

Looking for a solution to get the most out of my Thunderbolt port. Daisy chain w/ HDMI at end??

Here's the deal.... I have an iMac 21.5" with one Thunderbolt port which I am currently using with a mini display/HDMI adapter to feed sound & picture to my home theatre system. Works well and allows great mirroring!
I'm looking to get a Thunderbolt G-RAID drive to give me more space but I'm unsure if I can daisychain with my current setup.
Would this work:
iMac -to- G-RAID -to- mini-display/HDMI adapter (feeding to the home theatre)?
Or would the whole mini display/HDMI adapter at the end of the chain throw the whole thing into chaos?
Will the mini display/HDMI adapter even be recognized by the thunderbolt G-RAID drive?

Cheers mate. fingers crossed.

27" thunderbolt displays. cord lenght is useless.

Apple really failed on this new fantastic additions to their display lineup. they release 27" thunderbolt displays with a cord lenght just long enough for putting everything on desk.
I had high hopes for using these displays (bought two of them for daisychaining). But now they both must go back to apple.
Message to apple: its fine to nudge users into to newer trends by taking out DVD drives or removing display ports/DVI ports from your macbooks but to attempt an influence how people use your products at home is utter arrogance.

This problem also occured with the 27" mini displayport version of the 27" display. But fortunately there were (are) plenty of mini-displayport display extension cables available.
I've done some google searching for a TB display extension cable (i.e., female to male) and haven't yet found one. Like most things TB there is very little available on the market at the moment. I expect that to ease with time. How much time? I don't know. If not TB is going to be dead in the water. But apple won't let that happen. So licensing restrictions will ease and I assume we'll see all sorts of stuff like the extension cables, adapters, switches, and whatever.
Note, male-male TB extension cables do exist for interconnecting TB devices. Just not male-female, at least as far as my limited google searching has determined up to the point I'm writing this reply.

When in windows 7 can i connect a thunderbolt hard drive and an external monitor

i was wondering if i can daisychain a drive and external display in windows 7 via the thunderbolt port
many thanks
arby

ok guys
i got it all working
bit of a fannying around but heres the info
you need a bit of third partysoftware for window 7 to see the lacie little big disk (thunderbolt)
first up
you need to let it add a few drivers
re boot
let it add a few drivers
reboot
then for some reason my ethernet and wifi adaptors had vanished
so right click, my computer, device manger
click on the 3 drivers that i think were in other devices that were not yet fuctioning
and reinstall drivers for each the devices are
ethernet
wifi
base device (once driver reinstall this is actually THUNDERBOLT)
then jump to
http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive/pro/
this allows you to mount apple raid volumes
quick 69.99 usd later and a reboot and your LACIE THUNDERBOLT LITTLE BIG DRIVE is fully accessable in windows 7
it also allowed the daisychaining of my external display
so alls good in bootcamp land
thought id share as it took me 2 hours or so to find the solution that LACIE says does not exist
laters
arby

FireWire / MacBook Pro / External 7200 rpm Drive / External Power Supply / Daisychaining

I would like to use FireWire from my MacBook Pro to an external 7200 rpm drive (Fantom GreenDrive Quad with FireWire capability) that uses an external power supply. Are there any issues with using the external power supply? I read in an archived Mac forum regarding Thunderbolt that there might be (for Thunderbolt, which I'm not using). The archived info wasn't entirely clear to me as to whether it meant not to power up (turn on or plug in) an external power supply for a daisychained device while the MacBook was on or the daisychain had devices in use, say, or whether it meant don't use (daisychain) any devices that use external power supplies.
Once that question is resolved (about FireWire relative to the external power supply for the external hard drive), my next question is, Can I safely daisychain also? If so, what protocol would I use for that, relative to the power supply for each daisychained hard drive?

I have had no issues using daisychained FireWire 800 external drives with leaving the drives turned on, power supplies on, and restarting my MBP. The MBP starts up and sees the drives and runs fine.

Thunderbolt DaisyChain Woes

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