Apple Cinema Display on PC Using mDP to DP

[ASWprime]

As the title says, I have a mini displayport (female) to displayport (male) adapter and that's not currently working. I'm sure there's a reason that someone can enlighten me with.

[Crunchy Dragon]

The adapter itself might just be dead, honestly. Or picky about working, my DVI male to HDMI female adapter is like that(although DVI is a finicky connection from what I've read).

[ASWprime]

5 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

The adapter itself might just be dead, honestly. Or picky about working, my DVI male to HDMI female adapter is like that(although DVI is a finicky connection from what I've read).

I've actually tried two different ones but still no dice.

[Crunchy Dragon]

2 minutes ago, ASWprime said:

I've actually tried two different ones but still no dice.

Interesting. Might be a problem with the port or cable then.

[DrMacintosh]

Did it ever work?

[ASWprime]

Nah, I haven't been successful as of yet.

[braneopbru]

47 minutes ago, ASWprime said:

Nah, I haven't been successful as of yet.

There are two versions of the Apple Cinema display; one is is the displayport version and the other is the thunderbolt version. The video connector is the same as apple runs thunderbolt through the displayport connector. If the breakout cable from the monitor has magsafe, mini displayport AND USB connectors, you have a displayport version and it SHOULD work with your pc. If the cable has ONLY magsafe and mini displayport, it will NOT work with PC. Unless you have a motherboard that supports a thunderbolt add on card and the add on card supports injecting displayport into thunderbolt. I have three of the older Apple Cinema Displays with the USB plug and they all work perfectly with PCs and Windows. Windows even automatically recognizes and installs generic drivers for the USB hub, the built in speakers and the isight camera.

[ASWprime]

31 minutes ago, braneopbru said:

There are two versions of the Apple Cinema display; one is is the displayport version and the other is the thunderbolt version. The video connector is the same as apple runs thunderbolt through the displayport connector. If the breakout cable from the monitor has magsafe, mini displayport AND USB connectors, you have a displayport version and it SHOULD work with your pc. If the cable has ONLY magsafe and mini displayport, it will NOT work with PC. Unless you have a motherboard that supports a thunderbolt add on card and the add on card supports injecting displayport into thunderbolt. I have three of the older Apple Cinema Displays with the USB plug and they all work perfectly with PCs and Windows. Windows even automatically recognizes and installs generic drivers for the USB hub, the built in speakers and the isight camera.

The version that I have has the USB connector along with the magsafe and mDP so theoretically it should work.

[braneopbru]

1 minute ago, ASWprime said:

The version that I have has the USB connector along with the magsafe and mDP so theoretically it should work.

A lot (most) of these displays were sold to macbook users - as the magsafe port would suggest. If the previous owner was someone that plugged and unplugged their macbook into the display multiple times a day, the actual displayport connector may be faulty. One of my 24" displays has a connector on it's way out - sometimes I have to wiggle the connection to the DP-mDP adapter to get it to turn on.

 

For what it's worth the adapter that I'm using is the Startech adapter from amazon. You can try getting a friend with a macbook to plug in to the display directly. The Original Surface Pro tablet also has a mDP plug and I can confirm that it drives my displays perfectly. I haven't opened up the flaky connector on my screen so I can't give you any further advice on how to possibly repair it.

 

I've seen replacement cables on ebay, but they are about $80 and you have to take apart the entire display to change it.

[ASWprime]

1 hour ago, braneopbru said:

A lot (most) of these displays were sold to macbook users - as the magsafe port would suggest. If the previous owner was someone that plugged and unplugged their macbook into the display multiple times a day, the actual displayport connector may be faulty. One of my 24" displays has a connector on it's way out - sometimes I have to wiggle the connection to the DP-mDP adapter to get it to turn on.

 

For what it's worth the adapter that I'm using is the Startech adapter from amazon. You can try getting a friend with a macbook to plug in to the display directly. The Original Surface Pro tablet also has a mDP plug and I can confirm that it drives my displays perfectly. I haven't opened up the flaky connector on my screen so I can't give you any further advice on how to possibly repair it.

 

I've seen replacement cables on ebay, but they are about $80 and you have to take apart the entire display to change it.

Thanks for your help! With some strategic wiggling and subsequent duct tape its all good to go. Again, thanks.