Thunderbolt 3 To Usb Adapter For Mac

Mar 08, 2017  Thunderbolt 3. For Mac models with Thunderbolt 3, you can use a use a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter to connect to Thunderbolt devices like displays and external disks. Note that although it uses a Mini DisplayPort connector, the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter doesn't support connections to Mini DisplayPort displays.

Lets break your question into two questions. The first question is 'Can I use the ASUS MB169B+ with a Thunderbolt 1/2 Mac?'

The second question is 'Is there a generic way to connect any arbitrary Thunderbolt 3 or USB Type C peripheral to a Thunderbolt 1/2 Mac?' First let me address your specific example. The ASUS MB169B+ is actually just a regular USB 3.0 device. It uses a technology called DisplayLink which basically is a video card connected over USB (instead of the typical PCIe connection.) Because MB169B+ is a regular USB device, you can simply connect it to one of your MacBook's regular USB ports and it will work just as well as it would connected to a USB Type C port. Now for the second question, can you use a Thunderbolt 3 (or USB Type C) peripheral with a Thunderbolt 2 computer? Theoretically, yes it is possible to create a dongle that accomplishes this. You would have to put a Falcon Ridge controller and an Alpine Ridge controller in to the same dongle and connect them together like so: +--------Thunderbolt 2 to 3 Adapter Box--------+ +--> PCIe --+ MacBook --> Falcon Ridge -- --> Alpine Ridge --> Thunderbolt 3/Type C +--> DP ----+ +----------------------------------------------+ However, no such dongle actually exists.

The you mention does not work in this manner. While the Apple adapter does work as a generic 3 to 2 adapter, it is not a generic 2 to 3 adapter. One narrow exception is they did make this adapter work for connecting a to a Thunderbolt 2 Mac. It won't work with the LG UltraFine 4K Display since it is not a generic adapter.

Time will tell if any company steps up and creates the generic Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter that you are asking for. It would be a very difficult engineering challenge, and would almost certainly require heavily customized Thunderbolt firmware.

I don't think many companies other than Apple and Intel have the expertise necessary. How to combine cells in excel for mac. Such an adapter would probably be very expensive (~$100) and would consume a lot of power.

The market for it is probably too small right now to justify the R & D investment. At time of writing, most Thunderbolt peripherals are Thunderbolt 1/2, Thunderbolt 3 only exists in a few docks and that one LG monitor. If a healthy ecosystem of Thunderbolt 3 peripherals develops, then it might make more sense to build this adapter. Right now, it is effectively a bridge to nowhere. All Mac with thunderbolt 2 are limited since thunderbolt 2 doesn't embed USB C. Even with the thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter, you could physically connect a USB C display like the ASUS MB169B or the LG 4K Display and they won't work.

New Mac with USB C connectors will work and don't need the adapter. Whether you have the MacBook 'one' or the MacBook Pro that combine thunderbolt 3 and USB C in one physical port, they should connect to USB C displays. • LG 5k (thunderbolt) • LG 4k (USB) The only case where a thunderbolt 2 Mac can drive a new connector display with the adapter is if the display supports thunderbolt explicitly as opposed to USB. The LG 5k display is one such new monitor that would work with many thunderbolt 2 Mac. This results in lower resolution, though - 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz.