utilizing Thunderbolt 2 ports on late 2014 Mini

[Mr. Merriweather]

I have a late 2014 3ghz i7 mini and id like to utilize the thunderbolt 2 ports. I have numerous usb devices such as 2 backup hdd, a scanner, keyboard and superdrive and I'd like to leave 1 port free for a jump drive or whatever. Are there any adaptors that will work? I know I could get a hub of some kind but seems like a waste of 2 perfectly good ports. Newbie..... so pardon me if there's a blatantly obvious solution I'm missing.

 

[joevt]

Get a Thunderbolt 3 dock and connect it using an Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.

 

[Mr. Merriweather]

thanks for the input ... pun in tended.

 

[chrfr]

thanks for the input ... pun in tended.

The thunderbolt dock will cost several hundred dollars. A USB hub might be $20-50.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

You can likely get a used Thunderbolt 1/2 dock from Craigslist/FB marketplace for a fraction of MSRP. A TB 3 dock will certainly have a second TB 3 connector that will likely require a second 3-2 adaptor to be useful.

 

[Fishrrman]

Agreed with Mr. Brightside.
For a 2014 Mini, don't buy a new tbolt3 dock.
Ebay probably has many used ones available, in good shape, for not much money.

There -used to be- a tbolt-to-USB adapter (from Kanex), but it was expensive and is no longer available new...

 

[joevt]

Thunderbolt 3 Dock is useful for 10 Gbps USB.
The Mac mini 2014 has two Thunderbolt 2 ports so you can use one for Thunderbolt 2 devices and the other for Thunderbolt 3.

There -used to be- a tbolt-to-USB adapter (from Kanex), but it was expensive and is no longer available new...

Do you mean a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter? Apple's adapter has always been the least expensive. And only the Apple Adapter works in the reverse direction so that you can connect Thunderbolt 3 devices to Thunderbolt 1/2 hosts.

 

[chrfr]

Do you mean a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter? Apple's adapter has always been the least expensive. And only the Apple Adapter works in the reverse direction so that you can connect Thunderbolt 3 devices to Thunderbolt 1/2 hosts.

No, Kanex used to sell a thunderbolt to eSATA and USB 3 adapter which cost a bunch of money. I am not sure if it's still available or not: Kanex Thunderbolt to eSATA + USB 3.0 Adapter

 

[joevt]

No, Kanex used to sell a thunderbolt to eSATA and USB 3 adapter which cost a bunch of money. I am not sure if it's still available or not: Kanex Thunderbolt to eSATA + USB 3.0 Adapter

eSata (≈540 MB/s) and USB 3.0 (≈460 MB/s) are slower than USB 3.1 gen 2 (≈1060 MB/s).

 

[chrfr]

eSata (≈540 MB/s) and USB 3.0 (≈460 MB/s) are slower than USB 3.1 gen 2 (≈1060 MB/s).

Yes, but it wasn't my suggestion to the OP. Still, for the list of what the OP uses, a USB hub would be more than adequate, and far less expensive than any thunderbolt option.

 

[SL06]

Does someone have tried a USB-C dock with external power, connected to the TB2 => 3 adaptor work? I have not been yet sucessesfull with that. Since the adaptor is called Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) , I was hoiping that it would work.

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[joevt]

Does someone have tried a USB-C dock with external power, connected to the TB2 => 3 adaptor work? I have not been yet sucessesfull with that. Since the adaptor is called Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) , I was hoiping that it would work.

The Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter is only for Thunderbolt devices. It is not for DisplayPort or USB devices.

You can connect a DisplayPort device directly to a Thunderbolt 2 port.

You can connect a USB device to a USB type A port.

A USB-C dock usually has USB and DisplayPort signals. If you connect a USB-C dock to a USB type A port, then you'll lose the DisplayPort signals.

If you really want to connect a USB-C dock to a Thunderbolt 1 or Thunderbolt 2 Mac, then you need to connect it to a Thunderbolt 3 dock which is connected to the Mac using a Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.

 

[SL06]

The Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter is only for Thunderbolt devices. It is not for DisplayPort or USB devices.

You can connect a DisplayPort device directly to a Thunderbolt 2 port.

You can connect a USB device to a USB type A port.

A USB-C dock usually has USB and DisplayPort signals. If you connect a USB-C dock to a USB type A port, then you'll lose the DisplayPort signals.

If you really want to connect a USB-C dock to a Thunderbolt 1 or Thunderbolt 2 Mac, then you need to connect it to a Thunderbolt 3 dock which is connected to the Mac using a Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.

Thanks for this detail answer. It confirm what I tough. Apple calling the device a Thunderbolt 3(USB-C) adaptor is misleading. Regards.