Connect USB 3.0 device to Thunderbolt 2 port on Mac Mini

[bladerunner714]

All four of the USB 3.0 ports on my mac Mini (late 2014) are committed and I would like to connect at least one more USB 3.0 device. An independently powered USB 3.0 hub is NOT the solution. I would like to use one or both of the Thunderbolt 2 ports but I have been unable to find any Thunderbolt 2 adapter that will support USB 3.0. Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[honestone]

What about a bus powered USB 3.9 Hub? Here is an example of one:

https://www.amazon.com/SHARKK-Bus-Powered-Compact-Charger-Transfer/dp/B00H0PLQHO

 

[bladerunner714]

Hi Honestone! My experience with USB hubs, both bus powered and independent, has been that devices sharing a bus connection through a hub tend to interfere with each other. In fact, one of my four USB ports is already committed to a hub which may be used for any of a number of different devices but just one at a time. What I really want is a way to use the two (currently idle) Thunderbolt ports.

 

[Cory Cooper]

The only device that I have seen like that is this: Kanex - Thunderbolt to eSATA + USB 3.0 Adapter, which sells for $79.95 USD.

As for USB devices interfering with each other...can you expand on that a bit? You shouldn't experience that, especially with powered USB hubs, which are recommended over bus-powered hubs.

C

 

[bladerunner714]

The only device that I have seen like that is this: Kanex - Thunderbolt to eSATA + USB 3.0 Adapter, which sells for $79.95 USD.

As for USB devices interfering with each other...can you expand on that a bit? You shouldn't experience that, especially with powered USB hubs, which are recommended over bus-powered hubs.

C

Hi Cory - I saw the Kanex device too; I was hoping to get by a little cheaper. As for USB devices ... A while back I tried connecting a mouse and an external disk to a USB 3.0 powered hub; whenever the disk was working, the mouse got flaky. Go figure.

 

[honestone]

bladerunner74, I had a similar situation with my late 2012 Mac MIni, a USB 2.0 powered Hub, and my Logitech M310 mouse. In my case, however, the little receiver for the mouse was/is plugged into one of the USB 3.0 ports on my Mac Mini. With that setup, and my Canon printer plugged into the hub, the mouse, at times, acted flaky. But after I purchased a USB 3.0 powered Hub, the issue went away. And at times (not too frequently), I'll have my external DVD drive plugged into the hub, and still no issues.

By the way, I had that issue while I was using El Capitan, OS 10.11.5/10.11.6. By the time I moved to Sierra (OS 10.12.1) in November, I had already purchased the USB 3.0 hub.