Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
nMP - question about TB2 sockets reliability
- Thread starter 2128506
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Just saw a nMP today at the Apple store for the first time. It was hooked up to a TB display. Turned the tube to see the I/O and the tb cable was tweaked enough to cause the screen to go dark. Happened again not five minutes later when another patron was looking at the tube while i used FCP. Not encouraging. 
Just saw a nMP today at the Apple store for the first time. It was hooked up to a TB display. Turned the tube to see the I/O and the tb cable was tweaked enough to cause the screen to go dark. Happened again not five minutes later when another patron was looking at the tube while i used FCP. Not encouraging.
The screen flicking off isn't a big deal - but if your RAID array is disconnected....
How could Apple/Intel have adopted a non-latching connector for T-Bolt? Did the designers leave their brains in the cloakroom?
Ive used TB many times with drives with zero problems. I cant speak for tb 2 outside of todays experience and yes - if it were and drive and not a screen thatd be super bad of course.
Perhaps equally unsettling was the constant illumination of the I/O i wonder if its destined to be yet another bit of light pollution in an otherwise dark room. Im personally super picky about stray leds and lights sometimes. Ymmv.
Perhaps equally unsettling was the constant illumination of the I/O i wonder if its destined to be yet another bit of light pollution in an otherwise dark room. Im personally super picky about stray leds and lights sometimes. Ymmv.
Yes! why cant they have a spring lock design, it'll probably cost more to produce but heck, the Thunderbolt port is pushed for professional use!
----------
Where did you hear about constant illumination of the I/O? From my understanding, it only lights up when it senses the nMP moves/vibrates
You mean this one?
This looks like to be attached to the EchoExpress3 right?
I wonder how they are going to make a similar lock to attach to the nMP
I know Apple is not gonna make something like that, but someone could make a pretty penny inventing that.
I use a TB connection for connecting an external monitor to my MBA, and it falls off all the time. I know I move the laptop around, disconnect and reconnect the cable constantly, but it should at least stay in place most of the time. I think most of what people are complaining about is nonsense, but this is very legitimate.
I use a TB connection for connecting an external monitor to my MBA, and it falls off all the time. I know I move the laptop around, disconnect and reconnect the cable constantly, but it should at least stay in place most of the time. I think most of what people are complaining about is nonsense, but this is very legitimate.
Hmm, I'll look into it once my nMP arrives in February.
So the problem that people are having, is it the cable come off too easily or a slight twitch on the cable and it'll disconnect?
I'm guessing the reason why some people doesn't have problem while some do probably has to do with the manufacturing tolerances on the port/cable. Nonetheless since this cable is aimed at pro use, they should at least created it with some sort of locking solution. Zzzzz
What I saw at the Apple store yesterday was when I spun the machine to look at I/O The display shut off. At first I thought it some sort of feature - perhaps similar to how the nMP doesnt run with the case off. A few minutes later while I was diddling around in FCP, another gent came up to examine the pro and spun it to look at I/O - monitor went off. Perhaps it is a feature, or the Apple stores cabling was tight or something but I remembered this thread and decided to comment on my experience.
From my experience seeing a nMP in person at the Apple store yesterday. I by no means am saying it definitively didn't or doesnt ever turn off but I didnt see it turn off the entire time and i kept looking. Craning my head around the machine as it sat there to see if it was on still. It was. Probably just a minor kink to be worker out if anything at all.
Remember the TB connectors are rather small, and not very deep. Hence, they can come off rather easily - we all have the experience from our laptops with Mini DisplayPort.
However, one thing is a display connection coming loose/off, another entirely is a storage array connection... that can lead to some devastating effects.
I don't know what the hell the Apple engineers were thinking, or should I say the IBM ones. They didn't think about this however, and now we are left with a challenge.
However, one thing is a display connection coming loose/off, another entirely is a storage array connection... that can lead to some devastating effects.
I don't know what the hell the Apple engineers were thinking, or should I say the IBM ones. They didn't think about this however, and now we are left with a challenge.
I can tell you this: when I was testing a store display recently, another guy moved the new MP or twisted it slightly at least three times. Every single time he did that, the screen went blank and the cable had to be pushed back in. Frustrating to say the least when I was running benchmarks trying to make a purchase decision.
I wonder how they are going to make a similar lock to attach to the nMP
Place a split metal washer on the cable, then cross 2 rubber bands over the Pro. (Looks beautiful... are we cool yet?)
There we go again.
Really, one would hope Apple would be sane enough to use some sort of locking connectors for TB2 ports, which are basically PCI-E slots in terms of importance.
There is a market niche here though for TB cable lock - a male-female adapter thingie, which anchors its male part (like, ahem, dog males do
) and locks female part (like, ahem, startled lady can do ).Only if people whine enough about it
Like how people say that the Macs needs to have Kensington Lock for education facilities and etc etc.
Oh, so it's an easy fix and the solution is from the cable instead of the plug. That's good news! So these locking cables will probably cost an extra $10 or $20, but worth it when they come out.
Like the others who examined a nMP at the Apple Store I turned the nMP and the TB cable came right out. Then I re-attached it, pulled on it, simulated something hitting the cable etc. Very easy to pull out with very little tension in the TB outlet. Something hitting the cable, e.g. a person walking into it, would definitely loosen the connection, and the cable may fall out. The TB outlet is quite shallow and combined that with loose tension, very easy to lose the connection.
Like the others who examined a nMP at the Apple Store I turned the nMP and the TB cable came right out. Then I re-attached it, pulled on it, simulated something hitting the cable etc. Very easy to pull out with very little tension in the TB outlet. Something hitting the cable, e.g. a person walking into it, would definitely loosen the connection, and the cable may fall out. The TB outlet is quite shallow and combined that with loose tension, very easy to lose the connection.
Not right now, on MP6,1. But it wouldn't take much to fit locks if you were Apple...
Last edited:
I still don't understand why you don't just crimp the cable end just a tad bit. I had a thunderbolt cable in my laptop bag that got inadvertently smashed a little on the end, and it fits nice and snug (about as tight a a snug USB cable). Of course, I have another that is in good condition and it fits nice too.
I can see, apparently, that the nMP might have a slightly larger TB port than my 2012 MBP, because this has been a common complaint. I know that I will be squeezing my TB cable ends just a bit when my nMP arrives (if I have this problem).....
I can see, apparently, that the nMP might have a slightly larger TB port than my 2012 MBP, because this has been a common complaint. I know that I will be squeezing my TB cable ends just a bit when my nMP arrives (if I have this problem).....
I'm sorry to hear about the troubles, but I took a certain amount of grief a few weeks ago when I suggested that rotation with non-locking cables was a bad idea. Not many posters agreed with me.
I have some of those giant, über-fat blue rubber bands from buying broccoli that was bundled together. Guess I'll save them for any of my peers that buy a nMP.