I received the preview, all I did was sign up for updates to their products.
I do not work for the press, in the IT industry or anything like that.
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CalDigit Thunderbolt Station Adds to Growing Ranks of Thunderbolt Docks
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I received the preview, all I did was sign up for updates to their products.
I do not work for the press, in the IT industry or anything like that.
It wasn't a dig, but it wasn't sent to the general public either ;-)
By the way, there's nothing wrong with either of those professions. I have made my living at one for a long time.
This was on Facebook/YouTube this morning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEvPv52in_o&sns=em
Between the email (no idea why others didn't receive it) and the video, I am guessing release is fairly imminent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEvPv52in_o&sns=em
Between the email (no idea why others didn't receive it) and the video, I am guessing release is fairly imminent.
I saw on another macrumors thread that preorder's are now available for a Nov 4th release. I put in my preorder a couple of minutes ago.
http://www.caldigit.com/store.asp
http://www.caldigit.com/store.asp
Two Caldigits together?
Has anyone tried two Caldigit stations in a chain with one monitor off each dock?
Thanks
sco
Has anyone tried two Caldigit stations in a chain with one monitor off each dock?
Thanks
sco
I am currently doing a dual monitor setup with a mini-displayport to DVI-I adapter and a displaylink USB3->dvi adapter.
Displayport is buggy and while I keep hoping it will get better, I am always looking for other options.
Plus using my mac as at the desktop requires plugging in:
- Power
- ethernet
- mini-displayport (to one monitor)
- USB hub
- USB displayport (to second monitor)
- headphones
...lot of wear and tear on my macbook pro's connectors every day (every meeting too).
I was hoping the thunderbolt dock could be a solution (only plug in thunderbolt and power). However I would like to ditch the displayport and still keep dual-monitors.
I understand that one thunderbolt controller can only drive one monitor... what if I buy two docks and daisy chain the second to the first...does that get me two fully-functional HDMI ports?
I suppose if that isn't possible, I could always connect displaylink to the thunderbolt dock to reduce wear on my macbook connectors...but would love to ditch displaylink altogether for a better/more-native dual monitor support...even if that means paying for 2 docks.
I know this is an old thread, sorry!
What brand mDP to DVI adapter do you have? You could have a bad adapter.
I'd suggest getting one Thunderbolt dock and make sure it works for you before trying 2. And I suggest you email Caldigit to ask what they think of daisy chaining 2 of their hubs and using the HDMI ports on both.
I have the targus USB3 DVI which is displaylink certified.
Also have used the kensington USB2 DVI which is also displaylink certified.
Have also used a non-certified USB3 DVI displaylink adapter.
With the USB2 adapter it worked okay on Snow Leopard and mountain lion, but you couldn't watch any videos on the monitor...but okay for coding, documentation, etc.
The USB3 adapters can do video but I start getting weird display artifacts (mountain lion and mavericks) after a while that get so bad I can't use the monitor. I have to do a restart because usually un-plugging/re-plugging doesn't solve the issue.
Would love to have a proper HDMI that just works. If displaylink can get there with the stability and performance, then that would be great...but last driver update was in November...so starting to look for other options. High bandwidth dock is appealing because I can reduce the number of things plugged into the mac.
Only missing point is how to get 2 external monitors in the dock scenario. I assume the displaylink adapter will work off the dock USB3 hub...but given the current issues, would love to have 2 hdmi displays coming off the thunderbolt controller without doing the usb/displaylink hack.
Are these docks supported natively by macos (hdmi, ethernet, audio, usb) or do they require special drivers/tweaking to get them going on macos?
Thanks for the advice.
This may be ancient history, but I just saw the quote notification and figured I'd reply.
Two docks chained should work just fine, because you'd then have two Thunderbolt controllers, each of which has a single display output. That seems like it might be the more expensive way to go about it, although probably the most flexible.
The adapters I was referring to were not the USB / DisplayLink variety, but rather the kind that can drive multiple displays from a single DisplayPort signal by presenting several panels as a single large surface to the operating system. For instance, here's one from StarTech. They also make an HDMI variant for the same price. Both use full-size DisplayPort male connectors, so you'd also need a miniDP male to DP female cable as well, but it would still be less than $100 all-in. Your displays would have to run at the same resolution though. And, I'm not sure if it was a typo on your part, but DisplayPort is solid; it's DP adapters that can be flaky.
Incidentally, StarTech also has a Thunderbolt dock out now, which I'm surprised MacRumors hasn't reported on yet (or maybe they did and I missed it).
BTW, I have no affiliation to StarTech and I haven't actually used any of these products in particular, so I wouldn't take this as a ringing endorsement of their gear.
edit: Just came across this little gem from Zotac.
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Yes, typo. I meant DisplayLink is buggy.
Thanks for the tip on the startech adapter. I wasn't aware of that tech and that is quite useful since my 2 external displays are identical 1920x1200 res each and the startech drives that.
I went ahead and got the caldigit dock. Quite happy with it aside from the fact I am still using a displaylink USB adapter.
If I got a second dock I would probably not get a second caldigit but possibly one like the Akitio Thunderbolt Dock which would get me the second thunderbolt controller, second external monitor (without displaylink), and also eSATA and firewire 800 ports. Not a big fan of the port layout though (cables coming out all sides).
Second thunderbolt dock is definitely an expensive way to go so I will probably try the startech route first. Only question I have to figure out is whether the startech option looks like one single display or two individual ones.
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Looks like the startech device makes the two monitors look like one big external monitor. So macos dock and maximized windows will span both displays. That doesn't work for me. It also appears out of stock most places and the amazon.com reviews aren't very good.
Stuck with DisplayLink or buying a second thunderbolt controller of some sort (or a thunderbolt monitor).
Anyone know of a really cheap thunderbolt controller (e.g. 2 port Hard Drive dock or something?) Everything I have found is expensive enough that I might as well just buy a proper dock, but perhaps someone else has seen something.
Thanks.
Looks awfully like a re-branded version of the Caldigit... if so, its rather good value as it is a smidgin cheaper but comes with a TB cable.
I'm tempted... I really want the Sonnet dock but that's now due in 'Summer 2014'.
Is this doable? I'm interested in doing this too
Has anyone found out if this is doable..I'm interested in doing this too.
Has anyone found out if this is doable..I'm interested in doing this too.
By the way, the latest DisplayLink driver (2.2 Beta) for Mac solved some of the more major issues I was having on 10.9. It was released Mar 17, so if you haven't gotten it and are hating on your displaylink, it is worth a try.
Still have major flicker/paint issues on the displaylink display under certain circumstances like when chrome dev tools is open on that display.
Also when I re-dock my windows are in strange places now so every morning I have to re-arrange everything...that is annoying and new since I updated the displaylink driver.
But at least in general the displaylink display is usable.
Finally a TB to USB3 only
Look what arrived at my house today for $80.
I just want a Thunderbolt to USB3 Adapter.
Look what arrived at my house today for $80.
Attachments
Look what arrived at my house today for $80.
Nice. Having looked at the website, you can get a USB3/Gb Ethernet combo or a USB3/eSATA combo right now with a dual USB3 adapter in the offing.
The price of £80 shipped means this is the cheapest way to add an SSD to your 2011 iMacs, beating the native Seagate Thunderbolt adapter.
About time too. It looks as if it needed a particular chip from Intel to be possible at this price point. I wonder if others will jump on the bandwagon and produce similar adapters?
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Happy for the people who have been explicitly asking for this.
At the risk of being a wet blanket, though, I'd point out that this low price comes at the cost of not having a Thunderbolt-through connector or HDMI. That makes it as much use as a chocolate teapot for those of us with Airs, Minis or 2011 MBPs who also want to connect an external monitor.
Minis with Thunderbolt all have at least two monitor options. Typically, TB and HDMI. At a pinch, you can also run a monitor off USB if you don't need much in the way of graphic performance.
You are also going to struggle with MBAs if you need Firewire and USB3.
Received mine today. The attached cable is very short so a hub is a must if you are attaching it to an iMac. Although this came from the US, it was marked as a gift with a declared value of $5 so no additional VAT to pay. How very Dealextreme of Kanex.
[EDIT] Tried the adapter. It works but does not show up in System Profiler except under PCI cards. It also runs quite warm and a USB pen drive inserted into it got uncomfortably hot. R/W speeds a little under par with USB3.
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Yep. I'm definitely looking for a solution that gives me a Thunderbolt to USB3 adapter, with either a TB passthrough for external monitor or a HDMI output.
The rest of the fancy stuff on various docks is nice, but the minimum is TB to USB3 with external display support.
Edit: This is coming from a MBP 15in Late-2011. Sadly all this could have been avoided had Apple used an external USB chip/controller before Intel had one built into the CPUs.
...except the HDMI on the Mini is knobbled with a max resolution of 1080p. USB2-to-video adapters are OK for an auxilliary screen but a joke for a main display. USB3-to-video.... uh... why did you just buy a TB-to-USB3 adapter?
...which would probably be almost as expensive as a Caldigit dock (which only adds Ethernet on top of your list)
I suspect the Kanex adapters are using the same tricks as Apple's Ethernet and FW dongles to keep the price down. Adding the TB passthru would involve lots of extra circuitry and a larger, more expensive TB controller.
Edit: This is coming from a MBP 15in Late-2011. Sadly all this could have been avoided had Apple used an external USB chip/controller before Intel had one built into the CPUs.
Yup - this isn't Kanex's fault. Not putting dual Thunderbolt on the 2011 MBPs was a rotten move by Apple.
...at least I got a 17", so I can put a USB3 or eSATA adapter in the ExpressCard slot.
TB passthrough port is important in my opinion. My Air only got one TB port, thus, using 2 port TB devices are the only way to add additional devices in the chain. So far, my CalDigit Station works very well.
They forgot to mention Elgato, which seems better than the Belkin if only because of the increased power supplied to the ports, however in the end I rejected both of these overly expensive items because of the uselessness of only having 3 usb slots, meaning I'd have still had to use another usb dock.
In a sense, they really provide 4 USB slots, because they do not take one away from the main computer the way a USB dock would.
You know how anal we rMBP owners are, I don't need ethernet I just wanted to have only a single TB cable coming out of my mac and nada else. I have a pair of KRK's plugged into my mic socket and the dock would also enable me to do away with that too. Also because my mac is elevated, I don't want usb cables pulling down on the socket.