I am trying to help a friend who owns an IMac 21.5, Late 2013 desktop and want to connect the square Thunderbolt 1 receptacle to an HDMI adapter in order to provide an external monitor. Most information I have found refers to Thunderbolt 2, 3, or 4 connectors and I have found no cables with the square, not oblong or rectangular, plug to match the receptacle. Any help would be appreciated.
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IMac 21.5 late 2013 connection to external monitor
- Thread starter Lecheandia
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Thank you, however, all photos of mini display port seem to show plug with dimensions with rectangular but not the small square size dictated by the computer receptacle.
TB1 and TB2 are identical plug types to mini display port.
They just have different capabilities.
I will also add that TB1 and TB2 ports have the capability of being mini display ports, but Mini display ports do not have the capability of being TB.
Thank you again. It seems that I have mis-stated the name as Thunderbt 1. The computer documentation only states "thunderbolt". The 21.5 Late 2013 IMac has two Thunderbolt ports, both being Small square dimensions. I have tried both a mini display port and a USB-C cable, following direction of documentation supposedly for this computer but apparently for the 27 inch system. The plugs of the cables I tried are too large and are not square
The Thunderbolt ports on the 21" Late 2013 iMac are Thunderbolt 1 ports. They are just called "Thunderbolt", but TB1 indicates that they are 10Gbps ports.
Back when the Late 2013 iMac came out, people just called them Thunderbolt ports, but when Thunderbolt 2 came out a few years later on Macs, people commonly state if they are refering to TB1, TB2, or up ports.
The connector on TB1 is the same connector that is on TB2, It is also the same connector on Mini DisplayPort.
IT IS NOT SQUARE!!!! It may look like it is, but it is the same shape as Mini DisplayPort.
USB-C is a different connector, and will not with with Thunderbolt (1 and 2) without additional adapters and equipment. Definitely overkill for what you are trying to accomplish.
Mini DisplayPort has the same exact connect as TB (1 and 2). Neither Mini DisplayPort or TB (1 and 2) are square.
If you have a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable/adapter, it will definitely fit into your iMac (assuming you actually have a Late 2013 iMac). It can only go it one way, and not reversible like USB-C and Lighting connector.
If you have to, turn your iMac all the way around and see the TB port so you know what way to put the Mini DisplayPort connector into it.
The MiniDisplayPort to HDMI adapter shown on the left is the correct one, and it plugs into either of the two Thunderbolt ports on the back of the iMac just fine. The Thunderbolt ports are also MiniDisplayPort outputs. This is called "DisplayPort Passthrough".
As @Amethyst1 said, this is the correct adapter:
Here is a close up on the iMac's TB ports (see, they are not square):
Just make sure you are matching the plug to the port, and it should just plug right in.
Here is a close up on the iMac's TB ports (see, they are not square):
Just make sure you are matching the plug to the port, and it should just plug right in.
Well, I will be ??Ssdfsdf???, you were/ are correct. I was looking at the back and must have seen a parallax view that gave the appearance of the port being square....BECAUSE when I ACTUALLY TRIED IT, the plug FIT.... And everything works...
So, again, thanks for your help.
