Apple Cinema display 27' of 2004 to a 14" M3 MacBooK Air

No such thing as a 2004 27" Cinema Display.

In 2004 Apple only had 20", 23" and 30" Cinema Displays.

27" displays only started appearing in 2010

With that said, we would need to know the exact model to offer accurate options. As the 2004 models were available with both DVI and ADC connectors.

Basically you want an adapter or a series of adapters to go from the MacBook Airs thunderbolt ports to the connector type your Display has. And if you want to have the usb ports on the monitor work, a Thunderbolt or USB-C to USB-A adapter for the other connector on the harness.

Also note, 2004 models have limited resolutions, so you will be restricting the MacBook Air to under 2K resolutions which may make things look pixelated or soft.

If you can find the model number that starts with an A, you can use MacTracker or EveryMac.com to identify the Display or just post the model number here and we can try to identify it.

catparis wrote:

But the MacBook Air only has 2 USB C ports and a jack

There is no Thunderbolt...

FYI, USB-C is the style of the connector......that is it. It does not denote anything else. Unfortunately the industry has made this a huge complicated mess as it can be confusing even for technical users who follow these things. You must read the product's documentation to understand what that USB-C cable or port actually supports. Possible options:

• Thunderbolt 3, or 4, or 5
• USB 2, or 3, or 4
• Power/charging only....no data of any kind

Some may support multiple options. For example if it supports Thunderbolt 3, then it also supports USB 3, 2, 1 and Thunderbolt 1 & 2.

If it is a USB3 only cable (shows only USB markings/identification....usually on the connector), then it will only support USB.....what versions of USB depend on the markings/identification mark.

The Apple USB-C charging cables support power and only USB2 protocols....Apple's charging cable has no identifying marks (bad form Apple).

Unfortunately Apple does not put markings next to the USB-C ports so it can be very confusing as to what a particular USB-C supports on a Mac. Generally if the Apple USB-C has no marking, then it is a Thunderbolt 3 port (possibly Thunderbolt 4 on more recent Macs) and if a USB-C port on a Mac is not a Thunderbolt 3+ port, then it will generally have a symbol indicating its function & maximum protocol supported.

It is best to read the products' documentation to understand exactly what each USB-C port is capable & keep that documentation handy as a reference since it is easy to forget the little critical details.

When in doubt assume the lowest option, otherwise it would be marked/advertised as such.....Apple is the exception as markings detract from aesthetics as function is secondary for Apple. And don't believe the advertising hype of a product.....look closely at the product's actual documentation & data sheets to discover the truth....again if it is not explicitly mentioned, then assume the worst since they are embarrassed to post the truth.

catparis wrote:

Thank you ! I will try.

I bought this one, but it didn't work:

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B077G5W12W?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

I'm surprised you even managed to connect your display to that. Your Display requires the larger DVI connector. It doesn't even have the type of connector from the Adapter you linked to. Did you use an additional adapter with it?

The A1082 display has downstream Dual USB 2.0 ports, dual Firewire "400" on the back for additional devices.

The cable harness has the Firewire cable to enable the ports, the USB cable to enable the USB ports and the DVI cable connector for Video.

So your adapter looks different, I imagine it is not the same?

Nope, not the same at all. You connect your display using the large connector on the cable harness to the large plug there in the middle of the adapter.

catparis wrote:

Thank you ! I will try.

I bought this one, but it didn't work:

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B077G5W12W?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

So your adapter looks different, I imagine it is not the same?

That is a USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adapter.

Mini DisplayPort is not the same thing as DVI. (DisplayPort is a more modern standard.). The connectors won't match up with the ones on an old DVI display, let alone be electrically compatible.

It's also not the same thing as ADC, a proprietary Apple connector. The wording "Cinema HD Display" that is on the back of that display makes me fear that you may have a display with an ADC connector. If so, you may have plenty of difficulty finding adapters that can let you split up the ADC connection into DVI and USB ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Display_Connector

According to MacTracker, the Cinema HD Display was a 23" 1920x1200 pixel display with an ADC connector.

Those USB-C ports on the M3 MacBook Air are actually Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Yeah, that one has a DVI connector so:

click here ➜ Startech Thunderbolt (USB-C) to DVI Adapter - Amazon.com

At this point I'm not even sure what display catparis may have. 🤷🏽‍♂️