Adding another display to my Macbook Pro/Thunderbolt display setup

[jonahgabriel]

Hey guys...I am trying to add another monitor to my 17" MacBook Pro (non-retina) and my 27" Thunderbolt display. I have tried to hook up a monitor using a VGA to MiniDisplay adapter to the back of my Thunderbolt monitor, but got no signal.

Everything I have found online seems to say you can't chain a non TB display to a TB monitor, but most of the links I have found are from around December 2012...is this still the case?

Thanks!

 

[FreakinEurekan]

You can't directly connect a mDP display to the back of a TBD. However if you plug in an interim Thunderbolt device (e.g. a Thunderbolt hard drive), you can plug the mDP display into the Thunderbolt output of that device. So it'd go Macbook -> TBD -> TB Hard Drive -> mDP Monitor.

 

[brand]

Hey guys...I am trying to add another monitor to my 17" MacBook Pro (non-retina) and my 27" Thunderbolt display. I have tried to hook up a monitor using a VGA to MiniDisplay adapter to the back of my Thunderbolt monitor, but got no signal.

Everything I have found online seems to say you can't chain a non TB display to a TB monitor, but most of the links I have found are from around December 2012...is this still the case?

Thanks!

Since it is a hardware issue with the version/implementation of ThunderBolt you have I would not expect time to change it. The only way it will change is with different hardware.

FWIW I am also not able to do what you are trying to do using my MBPr, a ThunderBolt Display, and a Dell 24" UltraSharp monitor. Fortunately the MBPr has two ThunderBolt ports so I can just connect the two monitors directly to the MBPr.