M1 iMac port limitation

To replace my 2011 iMac, I was given a base model iMac (2 ports) and opted for 1TB SSD, ethernet, and 16GB memory. So far I am very satisfied with everything.

The two port limitation is one minor except: I am looking for an adapter to connect a thumb drive + charging cable (for mouse/keyboard) to one port (not to use simultaneously, rather to avoid plugging/unplugging) and keep the second port for my Apple SD card reader. With such modest needs and no external HDMI, etc. After looking at CalDigital products I prefer not to purchase a large, powered hub. I use Lightroom Classic and Apple Photos. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

After offering to buy one of these to replace my my wife's 2009 iMac she was intimidated by the new port layout of mine, so I bought her a refurbished 2019, 16GB, TB, etc which she says feels similiar to her old iMac - both our displays look better. The new Magic Mouse are nice - she prefers to use her old keyboard.

-- Es mejor pescar que ser pescado.

polizonte said:

To replace my 2011 iMac, I was given a base model iMac (2 ports) and opted for 1TB SSD, ethernet, and 16GB memory. So far I am very satisfied with everything.

The two port limitation is one minor except: I am looking for an adapter to connect a thumb drive + charging cable (for mouse/keyboard) to one port (not to use simultaneously, rather to avoid plugging/unplugging) and keep the second port for my Apple SD card reader. With such modest needs and no external HDMI, etc. After looking at CalDigital products I prefer not to purchase a large, powered hub. I use Lightroom Classic and Apple Photos. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

After offering to buy one of these to replace my my wife's 2009 iMac she was intimidated by the new port layout of mine, so I bought her a refurbished 2019, 16GB, TB, etc which she says feels similiar to her old iMac - both our displays look better. The new Magic Mouse are nice - she prefers to use her old keyboard.

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The solution is very simple, you need a Dock for your iMac. There are several available now, personally I prefer OWC products due their high quality, support and well they just work I would recommend that you start at:

OWC Thunderbolt Docks, Docking Stations, and More (macsales.com)

Note: OWC is a US company. If you are not in the USA, please try one of their resellers. To get a list of resellers please click High-Performance Workflow Solutions - OWC Digital

Thanks for the suggestion - I did not think of checking the OWC website. I'm in the US and the old iMac that I just replaced, has OWC memory modules I had installed ten years ago and they worked without a hitch. Those were the days when Apple iMac RAM modules were not "unified".

--
Es mejor pescar que ser pescado.

Your welcome.

I purchased the OWC "Thunderbolt Hub" because my new iMac 24 with 4 ports was a few ports shy of what I needed. I'm keeping the hub even though it doesn't do one thing it is advertised to do and that is power up a Mac super drive from the lone USB 2 port. It claims to output 60 watts. I guess the super drive needs more than that. That same port will power up an external spinning hard drive. Strange. I do have an UPS and even though you can use an UPS without having a USB connection, the connection is offered to talk to the computer so I'm using the hub's USB2 connection to talk to the Mac. The super drive is now connected via USB2 to USBc dongle to one of the Mac's USBc ports which leaves me with a single USBc open port on the iMac. That port will be used once a week to talk to 4 CCC backup drives.

JAW

maccam said:

I purchased the OWC "Thunderbolt Hub" because my new iMac 24 with 4 ports was a few ports shy of what I needed. I'm keeping the hub even though it doesn't do one thing it is advertised to do and that is power up a Mac super drive from the lone USB 2 port. It claims to output 60 watts.

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I'm pretty sure that is the charging power available to the USB-C host computer, using USB Power Delivery – not the power available on the USB-A port. The note on OWC's product description page says:

maccam said:

maccam said:

"Thunderbolt 4 host port provides up to 60W of power to the host computer. Thunderbolt 4 ports for device/drive connection provide up to 15W of power. USB ports provide up to 1.5A of power for bus-powered drives and device charging."

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If the OWC hub provides 1.5 amps of power, at 5 volts, on its USB-A port, that's 7.5 watts. That is consistent with USB Battery Charging, and higher than the capacity of USB 2 and USB 3.

https://www.tripplite.com/products/usb-charging

maccam said:

I guess the super drive needs more than that.

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The SuperDrive needs more than the standard amount of bus power. In 2008, when this one's predecessor came out, it was MacBook-Air-only. MacBook Airs had USB 2 ports, and standard USB 2 peripherals could only count on 2.5 watts of power.

The current SuperDrive probably assumes that "unless the host completes a special handshake with me, I am attached to a USB port that can't provide enough power to support reliable operation." Apple doesn't make this clear in their description of the SuperDrive . They list compatible Macs and adapters, but they don't come right out and say "This drive has special power requirements, and so will only work with these system configurations." They should.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...e-accessory-needs-high-power-usb-port.420281/

maccam said:

That same port will power up an external spinning hard drive.

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A CD/DVD burner has to heat a disc enough to burn dye, or let magnetic fields alter stored data. It needs to do this reliably for the entire length of a burn, or what you'll get is one coaster after another. So it doesn't surprise me that a burner might need more power than a 2.5" hard drive.

There are third-party USB 3.0 CD/DVD burners that will run off standard bus power.