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Thunderbolt Hub/Splitter?

EricBrian

EricBrian

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 30, 2005
656
7
So I have a MBP with one Thunderbolt port.

The issue is that my Apple 27" monitor (the model that was sold right before the Thunderbolt monitor was released) needs the thunderbolt port. And, my external SSD drive also needs that port.

Is there a splitter or something similar so that I can plug in both devices at the same time?

Or is there a way to have the monitor use a different port than the thunderbolt port with some kind of plug adapter?

Thanks.
 
N

nurivo

macrumors member
Jul 4, 2008
32
1
Simply put, there isn't. And from what I can tell there is nothing in the works.

You will have to either live with switching back and forth or replace either the hard drive or the display with one that has an additional Thunderbolt port.
 
MCAsan

MCAsan

macrumors 601
Jul 9, 2012
4,587
442
Atlanta
Thunderbolt like SCSI and FW are bus topology where devices are either designed to in the middle (two ports) or end (one port). The problem is you have two devices designed to be only at the end of a thunderbolt bus. See about replacing the SSD with one made with two ports.
 
G

gentlefury

macrumors 68030
Jul 21, 2011
2,866
23
Los Angeles, CA
Belkin supposedly has one in the works...it was supposed to come out 4th quarter 2012...but it never did. It was also $400!!! Thunderbolt in concept is amazing...in practice however, is extremely overpriced!

A current model TB HDD is more expensive than an SSD in a USB3 enclosure...and the SSD in USB3 will still be faster than a 7200rpm platter drive!
 
N

nurivo

macrumors member
Jul 4, 2008
32
1
gentlefury said:
Belkin supposedly has one in the works...it was supposed to come out 4th quarter 2012...but it never did. It was also $400!!! Thunderbolt in concept is amazing...in practice however, is extremely overpriced!
Click to expand...

Nope, that still won't solve the problem. It has two Thunderbolt ports, not three.

With just a single port on the MacBook Pro and two single-port devices, the Belkin hub will not allow you to connect both at the same time.
 
simsaladimbamba

simsaladimbamba

Guest
Nov 28, 2010
22,670
30
located
nurivo said:
With just a single port on the MacBook Pro and two single-port devices, the Belkin hub will not allow you to connect both at the same time.
Click to expand...

Why? Does the Belkin hub detect, that those two devices are meant for the end of the chain and does simply not allow such bastard behaviour?
 
G

gentlefury

macrumors 68030
Jul 21, 2011
2,866
23
Los Angeles, CA
simsaladimbamba said:
Why? Does the Belkin hub detect, that those two devices are meant for the end of the chain and does simply not allow such bastard behaviour?
Click to expand...

He means that it wouldn't be physically capable.

Hub > MBP still leaves only one port free on the hub.

I agree, it is a ridiculous design. Not so much a TB hub as it is a USB3 hub.

I was only pointing it out because it is the only TB device I have seen that even connects anything via TB. It has become a pretty useless standard right out of the box. Its a display port and I use it as an ethernet port...so its slightly flexable there...but thats about it.
 
H

hanstheduck

macrumors newbie
Dec 6, 2012
1
0
This is sending me crazy too. On some new Macs there is only one TBolt connection, which isn't enough given the number of legacy (ie nonTB) devices we all have. Compounding it are manufacturers making TB devices without pass thru. Blackmagic have done it with their video breakout box; LaCie as we have seen by above have done it with a drive - so many TB devices are not pass thru. I need a video breakout, and a TB drive with pass thru, and 2 x TB connectors on the computer so that a non TB Cinema screen can be at the end of one chain, and my aFirewire hub at the other.

Apple are making this impossible with single TB connectors (as on my Air). Other thing I have discovered is the TB to FW800 adaptor provides insufficient power to run a pair of daisy chained FW800 portable drives - it will only drive one of them. Why there isn't a proper hub is beyond me - it can't be that hard.

A BIG FAT 'F" to Apple for this shamozzle
 
MCAsan

MCAsan

macrumors 601
Jul 9, 2012
4,587
442
Atlanta
Thunderbolt, like SCSI, FW, PATA, and SATA is a bus topology network....not star/tree topology with hubs like USB.

Note the absence of SCSI, FW, PATA or SATA hubs.
 
SDAVE

SDAVE

macrumors 68040
Jun 16, 2007
3,572
599
Nowhere
kgian said:
Still waiting for practical thunderbolt accessories...
Click to expand...

Hasn't picked up because of USB3.0

TB is nice and can become any of these ports, so it will stay around, unlike FireWire which is pretty much dead (though I still use FW800)

The rMBP's have 2 TB ports, so that's definitely the future.
 
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