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EyeTack

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 27, 2010
58
133
MA / USA
Crew,

I've had a couple very interesting things happen to peripherals connected to my 2017 rMBP (MacBookPro14,3) in the last 24 hours. I have this machine from my workplace.

I was booted into an OS on an external SSD which stopped working in the middle of the day. I presumed that it overheated and that it cooked itself.

This morning I went over to Staples to get a small external drive so I could get back and running on my non-work image, and it didn't seem to excited to start, so I waited a couple minutes. After that time, the drive was especially hot and smelled like it got burned.

A couple weeks ago, I also had a USB-C GigE destroyed, and a downstream USB to serial adaptor (through a Belkin USB-C to USB-A) fried as well.

I find this particularly odd, and a touch troublesome. Has anyone else out there seen this? I have no idea what information to gather, but I'm going to have to go back and exchange the drive for one that isn't bus powered.
 
Putting a note in here so I can keep this all in once place.

USB-C power adapter in the upper left TB3 port. USB-C GigE (Kanex) plugged into upper right port. Popped and fried immediately upon connecting. Possible correlation.

Appointment w/ Apple Store this coming Monday (scheduling limitations on my part).
[doublepost=1517968568][/doublepost]Subsequent test w/ disposable thumb drive on the upper right TB3 connector via Apple USB-C to USB-A converter also rendered the drive permanently inoperable.
 
doubt it's a Mac issue, it's most likely an issue with your electricity. Call an electrician immediately.
 
Definitely a problem somewhere. You could try resetting the SMC but I'd wager it's a hardware fault.
If the laptop is cooking electronics, then resetting the SMC will have zero affects, its a short somewhere along in the logic board which is sending power to the USB port that it shouldn't.
 
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