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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.
 

EyeTack

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

kudos212

Suspended
Jan 20, 2018
43
37
doubt it's a Mac issue, it's most likely an issue with your electricity. Call an electrician immediately.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
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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