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LaCie 2Big Thunderbolt + Monitor

P

pszilard

macrumors member
Original poster
May 29, 2011
44
4
Sydney, Australia
My setup:

  • 2011 MBP 13" i7 16GB RAM, 480GB SSD
  • TB connected to LaCie 2Big Disk with 4TB storage
  • Daisy chained to Dual Link display adaptor, which feeds into a Samsung SyncMaster XL20 (resolution 1600x1200).
Normally I would use the MBP with the lid closed, an external KBD and mouse. I boot the MBP with the lid open, then close the lid. The MBP is powered via the mains charger.

The problem:
If the MBP TB cable plugs into the UPPER TB connector on the LaCie, and the Dual Link DVI into the lower TB connector on the LaCie, the screen is unusable.

If I reverse the cables on the LaCie, then the screen works, but with regular horizontal "flicks" every few seconds.

If I take the LaCie out of the equation, and plug the Dual Link DVI adaptor into the MBP, then the display is rock solid and beautiful.

Questions:
  1. I thought that the TB connectors should be "symmetric" and not dependant in IN/OUT. Am I right or wrong?
  2. Anyone tried a similar arrangement and can comment?
  3. Is my LaCie likely to be faulty? Note, disk access is perfect.
 
pszilard said:
My setup:

  • 2011 MBP 13" i7 16GB RAM, 480GB SSD
  • TB connected to LaCie 2Big Disk with 4TB storage
  • Daisy chained to Dual Link display adaptor, which feeds into a Samsung SyncMaster XL20 (resolution 1600x1200).
Normally I would use the MBP with the lid closed, an external KBD and mouse. I boot the MBP with the lid open, then close the lid. The MBP is powered via the mains charger.

The problem:
If the MBP TB cable plugs into the UPPER TB connector on the LaCie, and the Dual Link DVI into the lower TB connector on the LaCie, the screen is unusable.

If I reverse the cables on the LaCie, then the screen works, but with regular horizontal "flicks" every few seconds.

If I take the LaCie out of the equation, and plug the Dual Link DVI adaptor into the MBP, then the display is rock solid and beautiful.

Questions:
  1. I thought that the TB connectors should be "symmetric" and not dependant in IN/OUT. Am I right or wrong?
  2. Anyone tried a similar arrangement and can comment?
  3. Is my LaCie likely to be faulty? Note, disk access is perfect.
Click to expand...

I'd be inclined to blame the Lacie, although I don't use one myself. I have a Promise Pegasus R4 and it makes no difference which port I use...an attched display works fine...If there isn't anything on the Lacie site, I'd drop them an email.
 
pszilard said:
My setup:

  • 2011 MBP 13" i7 16GB RAM, 480GB SSD
  • TB connected to LaCie 2Big Disk with 4TB storage
  • Daisy chained to Dual Link display adaptor, which feeds into a Samsung SyncMaster XL20 (resolution 1600x1200).
Normally I would use the MBP with the lid closed, an external KBD and mouse. I boot the MBP with the lid open, then close the lid. The MBP is powered via the mains charger.

The problem:
If the MBP TB cable plugs into the UPPER TB connector on the LaCie, and the Dual Link DVI into the lower TB connector on the LaCie, the screen is unusable.

If I reverse the cables on the LaCie, then the screen works, but with regular horizontal "flicks" every few seconds.

If I take the LaCie out of the equation, and plug the Dual Link DVI adaptor into the MBP, then the display is rock solid and beautiful.

Questions:
  1. I thought that the TB connectors should be "symmetric" and not dependant in IN/OUT. Am I right or wrong?
  2. Anyone tried a similar arrangement and can comment?
  3. Is my LaCie likely to be faulty? Note, disk access is perfect.
Click to expand...


I've a similar setup, except that I don't use an adaptor. The Lacie is plugged into my rMBP and then a 24" ACD is plugged into one of the Lacie's TB ports via the miniDP connector.

It works perfectly whether the Lacie is switched on or off. I've never tried changing which port the display is plugged into to be honest so I've never noticed what you've mentioned, but I could try for a giggle and report back. I am inclined to think that there is some incompatibility with the dual link DVI adaptor and the Lacie. I assume that everything works fine when you plug in the adaptor directly into your MBP? Also is there any particular reason why you're using a dual link DVI adaptor? A normal miniDP --> DVI will work perfectly fine for the resolution you're using and for up to 1920x1200.

----------
Macman45 said:
I'd be inclined to blame the Lacie, although I don't use one myself. I have a Promise Pegasus R4 and it makes no difference which port I use...an attched display works fine...If there isn't anything on the Lacie site, I'd drop them an email.
Click to expand...
I have both. The only thing that I don't like about the Pegasus is that it needs to be switched on or it will not pass the TB signal through, even if it's plugged in. The Lacie can remain plugged in and switched off and still passes the signal through
 
The reason I am using a Dual Link DVI, because I wanted to plug into a Dell 2711 monitor with 2560x1440 res. However at the moment I am trying the 1600x1200 Samsung.

I just tried an ordinary DVI adaptor. If it is plugged straight into the MBP, the display is indeed perfect at 1600x1200.

However if I got via the LaCie, then it is even worse than before: every 2 seconds the screen scrolls to the side, leaving a black display for 2 seconds, then flickers, comes back for 2 secs and this starts again.

I think I will have to buy (borrow) another LaCie for comparison, in case mine is faulty.
 
pszilard said:
The reason I am using a Dual Link DVI, because I wanted to plug into a Dell 2711 monitor with 2560x1440 res. However at the moment I am trying the 1600x1200 Samsung.

I just tried an ordinary DVI adaptor. If it is plugged straight into the MBP, the display is indeed perfect at 1600x1200.

However if I got via the LaCie, then it is even worse than before: every 2 seconds the screen scrolls to the side, leaving a black display for 2 seconds, then flickers, comes back for 2 secs and this starts again.

I think I will have to buy (borrow) another LaCie for comparison, in case mine is faulty.
Click to expand...
That is odd. I've never tried the Lacie 2Big with a miniDP adaptor, but I've tried the Lacie eSATA TB hub with a miniDP to DVI adaptor and it worked perfectly. I would assume that both the eSATA hub and the 2Big use the same TB controllers so I can't see why you're having these issues. I hope that you're able to return it.
 
I'll report back once I got another LaCie. If I buy from Apple, I can return within 14 days, so I just buy one and take it back later.
 
Hi,

Based on the information so far, it seems like there may indeed be an issue with the Thunderbolt pass-through on your 2Big. Unfortunately the occasional defect slips past testing or occurs in transit. If possible, can you get contact with our support team to investigate further? We can be reached at 503.844.4500 (USA) or www.lacie.com/mystuff.

~michael, LaCie
 
LaCie 2Big TB + Samsung monitor

When I daisy chain my monitor and the harddrive the monitor looks washed out (ie the colors are off). It doesn't matter which port I use on the drive.
 
I tried another LaCie, and the results were inconclusive. Sometimes I get problems, other times it was ok. Sometimes restarting the MBP helped.

In the end I bought a TB Cinema Display, and I now go from MBP to Cinema Display to LaCie. This works perfectly all the time. The screen is beautiful, too. However, not a cheap option. :)
 
pszilard said:
I tried another LaCie, and the results were inconclusive. Sometimes I get problems, other times it was ok. Sometimes restarting the MBP helped.

In the end I bought a TB Cinema Display, and I now go from MBP to Cinema Display to LaCie. This works perfectly all the time. The screen is beautiful, too. However, not a cheap option. :)
Click to expand...

Hi, sorry for the delay in replying again.

If you still want to try another hub we can arrange that. I don't think that the order on the chain should have an impact on the performance of any of the devices. I have connected a monitor to a hub without any color or visual issues so I think you should too. However, if you're happy with the arrangement you already have then we can go with that too.

~m, LaCie
 
I would be happy to try an alternative. I am in Sydney, Australia. If LaCie can send me an empty 2Big Disk enclosure I could try my drives in that.

Send me a PM with Australian LaCie contact details.

Cheers,
 
LaCieTech said:
Hi, sorry for the delay in replying again.

If you still want to try another hub we can arrange that. I don't think that the order on the chain should have an impact on the performance of any of the devices. I have connected a monitor to a hub without any color or visual issues so I think you should too. However, if you're happy with the arrangement you already have then we can go with that too.

~m, LaCie
Click to expand...

I just moved to MBPr from the PC world and needed a external HD. I finally decided on the LaCie 2Big 4TB Thunderbolt and have it connected to the ATD port, the ATD connects to the MBPr. I set the LaCie up as a RAID 0, and everything works without any issues. Very pleased with the LaCie, and will be getting another as backup (wish I could find a refurb 2Big and save a few $).

Nice to see LaCie technical support here helping customers...wish other companies would do the same.
 
pszilard said:
I would be happy to try an alternative. I am in Sydney, Australia. If LaCie can send me an empty 2Big Disk enclosure I could try my drives in that.

Send me a PM with Australian LaCie contact details.

Cheers,
Click to expand...

Hi,

Our Australian office is reached only via ticket on our site. WWW.lacie.com/au/mystuff. Hopefully you're able to work out an arrangement or get more information to help.

~mn, LaCie
 
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