Fix Your Stuff

Right to Repair

Store

Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter Teardown

Written By: Yuxiang Zhang (and one other contributor)
Published: June 6, 2019
  • Comments: 3
  • Favorites: 0
  • Views: 1.7k

Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter Teardown

Written By: Yuxiang Zhang (and one other contributor)
Published: June 6, 2019
  • Comments: 3
  • Favorites: 0
  • Views: 1.7k

Teardown

This teardown is not a repair guide. To repair your Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter, use our service manual.

  1. Open the plastic case from mini-DP side. Open the plastic case from mini-DP side.

    • Open the plastic case from mini-DP side.

    Edit

  3. Both sides of the PCB are covered by thermal adhesive. Both sides of the PCB are covered by thermal adhesive.

    • Both sides of the PCB are covered by thermal adhesive.

    Edit

  4. MPQ2314: High Efficiency 2A, 24V, 500kHz Synchronous Step Down Converter LTC3115-1: 40V, 2A Synchronous Buck-Boost DC/DC Converter Texas Instruments CD3211 A1

    • MPQ2314: High Efficiency 2A, 24V, 500kHz Synchronous Step Down Converter

    • LTC3115-1: 40V, 2A Synchronous Buck-Boost DC/DC Converter

    • Texas Instruments CD3211 A1

    • 8N705 DE44AU (DFN-8)

    • Texas Instruments CD3215B03

    • Fairchild FDMC 0223S

    • MP3428: 17A, 600kHz, 20V Wide Input Range, Synchronous Boost Converter

    Edit

Author

with 1 other contributor

Yuxiang Zhang

Member since: 10/31/2016

381 Reputation

3 Guides authored

Badges: 2

3 Comments

Add a comment

Do you think it is possible to connect the Thunderbolt Display’s Mag-safe power line to this adapter within the display internally?

So I can use my Thunderbolt Display with my newer Type-C ported Macbooks with just one single cable just like LG’s Ultrafine Monitor using external display while charging my mac laptops?

Or is it a bad idea modifying it like that? (catch fire or something?)

Thanks.

Zonny - Reply

Since the Thunderbolt 3 spec is not publicly available, we can’t know about the negotiated voltage and power capability on the type-c side of this adapter. Even if the power input meets the requirement of Thunderbolt Display, it’s quite hard to apply any hardware modification, as you can see the complexity of the circuit and density of components on board.

Yuxiang Zhang -

Thanks for your kind answer Yuxiang.

I was hoping as if I could (1)buy thunderbolt type-c cable from amazon, (2)cut both cables open(adapter’s cable & amazon’s cable), (3)grab mag-safe wires from the display and solder them into the amazon’s extra wires that must be lacking in the above adapter(assuming because it doesn’t support charging), (4)connect the amazon’s cable to my macbook, then BOOM, it magically works.

Thanks for saving my macbook and my TBD.

Zonny -

Add Comment

View Statistics:

Past 24 Hours: 4

Past 7 Days: 23

Past 30 Days: 101

All Time: 1,738