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I have a late 2013 27" iMac to which are connected two external drives, a MyPassport Pro 1GB and a LaCie 500MB SSD. These connect to the iMac via the iMac's Thunderbolt ports (I believe Thunderbolt 2). The drives also have no external power supplies, they receive power through the ThunderBolt cables.

I don't know how long my iMac will last and I'd like to connect these drives to my Mac Mini M1's USB-C/Thunderbolt ports. I tried the T2/T3 adapter cable Apple sells but had to return it because it does not transmit power.

Is there any way I can connect the drives to the Mini?

Thank you in advance for any info.

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  • LaCie 500MB SSD? This seems to be rather small in capacity. How about adding a model number to your question?
    – David Anderson
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 20:21
  • David, I'd love to but I have the original box and there is no apparent Model#. It's called a "Lacie Rugged Thunderbolt", "Professional Bus-Powered All-Terrain Storage Thunderbolt | USB 3.0". SPECIFICATIONS INTERFACES (bus-powered): Thunderbolt | USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 and UAS compatible). That's all I have. :) Thanks for the post.
    – user167131
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 20:45
  • Ok. Can I assume you meant 500 GB and not 500 MB as posted in your question?
    – David Anderson
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 20:49
  • Yes, sorry. 500 GB. I'm kind of old so the idea of a 500GB hard disk is still rather startling to me.
    – user167131
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 20:51

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This answers assumes the OP's drives can not be daisy chained.

Apple's Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter overview states the following.

The Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter lets you connect Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 devices — such as external hard drives and Thunderbolt docks — to any of the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) / USB 4 ports on your Mac.

I suppose this means you would also need a powered dock such as the Belkin Thunderbolt 2 Express HD Dock with 1-Meter Thunderbolt Data Transfer Cable, Mac and PC Compatible (F4U085tt)

Belkin front jacks Belkin back jacks

This dock is has two Thunderbolt 2 ports. You would plug one drive into one of the ports and connect Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter through a Thunderbolt 2 cable to the remaining port. This would mean you would need to purchase a dock for each drive.

The alternative would be to find a dock with more than 2 Thunderbolt 2 ports.

References

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  • The adapter cable is the one I tried, but it doesn't pass power so the drives wouldn't spin. I have powered docks of the Belkin sort (CalDigit, for example) but if I have to use that cable then the power from the dock will never get to the drive. My hope was that someone made a TB3 to TB2 adapter that DOES pass power. Again, I appreciate you trying to help me out.
    – user167131
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 21:07
  • Maybe my answer is not clear enough. The drive is to be connected to the self powered dock and the dock therefore supplies power to the drive. Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter is to go between the self powered dock and the Mac.
    – David Anderson
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 21:12
  • Oh, yes, I see the TB2 jacks in the picture you posted of the back of the dock. My apologies, again I type faster than I think. That SHOULD work (of course famous last words) and was essentially what I was looking for. Thanks much and I'll look at the link you posted.
    – user167131
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 21:16
  • I see, I would plug the Apple Adapter cable into the Mac Mini, then need a male-male TB2 cable to go from Adapter to dock, then plug (one) drive into dock. Since dock is self-powered it should then power the drive(s). I realize to get two drives online I would need to daisy-chain (I don't think they can) or get two hubs. Well, as I say, this is in theory the only way, so thanks and I will mark your response as the answer.
    – user167131
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 21:36
  • I believe the Thunderbolt 2 cable is included with the Belkin dock.
    – David Anderson
    Commented Feb 10, 2023 at 21:40

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