Thunderbolt Display & Wacom question

[Acorn]

I was thinking if you had to have the second display off the thunderbolt display you could use a usb to hdmi diplay port adapter if you have a 13hd or use a usb to dvi display port adapter if you had a 12wx. they run about 50 bucks.

the usb monitors dont perform the best but if your using it on a 12 or 13 inch screen it may be ok just for the wacom. if your desperate it may be worth a try.

 

[seysearles]

I've been reading this thread trying to understand why this wasn't the recommended approach as well.

Standard two monitor setup on a Mini is one from the Thunderbolt port, one from the HDMI. Pretty straightforward and works just fine.

Im trying to plug into a Thunderbolt display.... no HDMI port.

Yes my MBP has an HDMI port but that defeats the purpose of what im trying to do which is use my Thunderbolt Display as a hub and not have to connect/disconnect cables every time i leave my desk.

 

[CH12671]

Im trying to plug into a Thunderbolt display.... no HDMI port.

Yes my MBP has an HDMI port but that defeats the purpose of what im trying to do which is use my Thunderbolt Display as a hub and not have to connect/disconnect cables every time i leave my desk.

Your thunderbolt display is a thunderbolt hub, not a display port hub. Like it or not, that's how Apple designed it. Could they have just as easily allowed DP protocol to pass through and daisy chain? Probably, but I guess they felt like they wanted to sell more TB monitors..... IDK

 

[fig]

Im trying to plug into a Thunderbolt display.... no HDMI port.

Yes my MBP has an HDMI port but that defeats the purpose of what im trying to do which is use my Thunderbolt Display as a hub and not have to connect/disconnect cables every time i leave my desk.

That's a great idea, but as has been said multiple times it doesn't appear that it works. So plugging into the computer's HDMI port is most likely your best option.

 

[seysearles]

Your thunderbolt display is a thunderbolt hub, not a display port hub. Like it or not, that's how Apple designed it. Could they have just as easily allowed DP protocol to pass through and daisy chain? Probably, but I guess they felt like they wanted to sell more TB monitors..... IDK

So in theory if there was an HDMI to thunderbolt adapter this could work? Or is this definitively not the case?

 

[CH12671]

Won't work. Although it is sometimes referred to as TB>HDMI, it is actually MDP>HDMI. So when you plug the adapter in, which looks just like a TB adapter, the COMPUTER recognizes it as a MDP adapter, and sends a DP signal out. The Thunderbolt Display does not pass through DP to it's TB port.

Oddly enough, if you plugged in most run-of-the-mill TB devices...like, say an external TB hard drive that has two TB ports on it, you can plug one TB port into the computer and the other TB port into a MDP>HDMI adapter and the TB external enclosure will pass the DP protocol between the computer and display. However, Apple has decided not to do this with their Thunderbolt monitor. It will daisy chain to another ATD.

Now, you can try this if you have all of the stuff already (it has been rumored to work, IDK for sure). Plug your Thunderbolt monitor into your computer. Then plug a TB external enclosure into the extra port on the thunderbolt monitor. Now, plug your MDP>HDMI adapter into the second port on that TB enclosure and it may pass the signal on.

Again, I don't know if this works, I've just read others have tried it. I still think the ATD may be the end of the line for the DP protocol....but if you already have the equipment, it won't hurt to try!

Otherwise, you are stuck with the HDMI out as the second monitor