This is a big issue and something people forget.. like in the other thread where people were curious why I was worried when there is warranty. But I'd still agree with @Quackers about speaking to Apple first.
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M1 MacBook Air won’t power on
- Thread starter wittgenstein
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Cool thanks for the advice, I’ve generally had good experiences with support so I’m not too worried but will def keep records. I wish it happened a few weeks earlier I would have just returned it to Best Buy haha.
Yea it sucks, I’m fortunate enough to not rely on this machine as a main device but seems like this could be a big problem overall, I assume most people usin the m1 MacBook Air would use a hub. I’m curious if anyone has experienced this issue using an official Apple pd hub/dock
That's concerning that it's happening with Aukey which is a respected third party brand since people have been saying that it's only happening with no name hubs. More proof that the issue will very likely require new hardware revision or rework to fix. Hopefully when the time comes Apple will offer a new replacement rather than someone tinkering with my otherwise defect free unit or refurb.
This is the hub I have if anyone cares.
Its worked great for like 3 months, I’m pretty sure I’ve unplugged the power the same way before too so not sure what exactly triggered the crash today
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I have been using the Apple a2119 hub for 1.5 months now - no unexpected glitches or issues.
I guess Apple would have tested throughly with their own hubs but only time will tell.
Out of curiosity , were you on 11.1 or 11.2 when this happened?
Just be careful unplugging the power cable from the hub while the its still connected to the laptop in I guess. I was on 11.2
1st post here and you can add me to the growing list...
purchased a custom MBP and received it January 27th. Was running under battery power, BenQ monitor connected via hdmi through Chargen dongle. Used for 7 minutes to check and reply to one email. Unplugged everything and powered down MBP. (Not sleeping) That’s the last time it would turn on. Took to Apple store where they could not get it to turn on. It’s now off to Apple for repair.
It had at least 90% battery when I turned it off. It was only ever charged via included charger and cable.
purchased a custom MBP and received it January 27th. Was running under battery power, BenQ monitor connected via hdmi through Chargen dongle. Used for 7 minutes to check and reply to one email. Unplugged everything and powered down MBP. (Not sleeping) That’s the last time it would turn on. Took to Apple store where they could not get it to turn on. It’s now off to Apple for repair.
It had at least 90% battery when I turned it off. It was only ever charged via included charger and cable.
I am waiting for my new m1 air the upcoming days and watching this thread has made me skeptical. I will sure have to use a hub at least and a question i have is, if there is a kind of safe sequence for turning it off. Do you turn it off first and then unplug whatever you have to or it doesn’t matter?
Unplugging the power cable from my hub while leaving the hub connected to the MacBook is what did it for me.
I think the safe thing to do for now would be to use a hub without pass-through power, but that doesn’t seem like an option for people using external monitors that charge the MacBook.
It failed while on battery power? That seems like a completely different problem. I don’t think I’ve heard of an M1 MacBook dying from unplugging an HDMI adapter while on battery power.
The safest thing to do would be to never plug or unplug adapters with the Mac's power on...
My M1 MacBook Air is on it's way to me. BTO which took 10 days to complete and just shipped today. I think I will avoid all 3rd party hubs for now.
Anyone hear of problems with simple 3rd party USB-C chargers?
Anyone hear of problems with simple 3rd party USB-C chargers?
If I remember correctly, I have read 2 posts pertaining to chargers causing a blackout problem.
Like you, I haven't seen any reports on the forum involving OWC or Caldigit. Reports I have seen have been from no name brands.
Interestingly I remember reading in my Caldigit TS3+ blurb that the dock should be powered up before plugging in to the laptop. (I didn't notice anything about when to unplug it though. I'll take another look).
I raised an eyebrow at that as it's not something I would normally do.
The first time I plugged it in (powered on) I winced as I connected the plug
Maybe it's to protect against a power spike (but that's just my own thinking).
I raised an eyebrow at that as it's not something I would normally do.
The first time I plugged it in (powered on) I winced as I connected the plug
Maybe it's to protect against a power spike (but that's just my own thinking).
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t have to coddle the device. They should be able to handle being plugged into any dock. Especially on a device with only 2 ports. Apple better figure this out fast. I‘m holding off purchase until I see how this pans out.
Whatever the cause, the Mac shouldn't be damaged even if the hub delivers accidentally 20v even though only 5v was expected/requested by the Mac.
Overcharge protection is obligatory for USB-c circuits because miscommunication regarding voltages can happen. Most likely Apple designed it's USB chipset sloppily. Powering the Mac through the hub is asking for trouble, imho.
Overcharge protection is obligatory for USB-c circuits because miscommunication regarding voltages can happen. Most likely Apple designed it's USB chipset sloppily. Powering the Mac through the hub is asking for trouble, imho.
you mean either sleep or shut down the mac before plugging/unplugging?
No problems reported with Apple's Multiport adapter either. That's what I am using. Three ports - one HDMI, one charging and one for Time Machine
I have been using a couple of Ikea 30W USB C chargers as well as 18W/45W USB C power banks from Anker and OnePlus.
No issues so far - nor have I heard of any failures related to this.
My best guess at the moment for the hub issue would be that there is possibly some kind of surge at time of unplugging which :
a) Good quality hubs have protection against (and are expected to)
b) Some laptops have additional protection against such surges but not all (search for Asus G14 PD bricking)
For now:
a) I am sticking to the apple hub for pass through charging
b) Avoiding completely no-name USB C chargers/powerbanks - although that is something I have always followed for all USB C devices (although not USB A)
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Interestingly I remember reading in my Caldigit TS3+ blurb that the dock should be powered up before plugging in to the laptop. (I didn't notice anything about when to unplug it though. I'll take another look).
I raised an eyebrow at that as it's not something I would normally do.
The first time I plugged it in (powered on) I winced as I connected the plug
Maybe it's to protect against a power spike (but that's just my own thinking).
Yes!
One up for the OCD people out there 😀
NB:
In my case there was also trial and error
1. My Dell Hub did not like it when I unplugged the work Dell laptop, then straight away plugged in the MBA. The Monitor and also the MBA screen threw an fit etc.
2. The only way for a consistent clean dock, was to turn the hub and monitor off and on completely, turn the MBA on completely - THEN plug the Hub into the MBA.
Hope that helps
Martin