Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Macbook Pro's USB Type-C burning experience
- Thread starter TinaBelcher
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Before reading, keep in mind I'm coming from a 2013 MacBook Pro, and this is my first upgrade ion 4 years. I have the 15-inch MacBook Pro 2018 (without any external updates).
I've never dealt with these usb type-c ports and sticks before, so I don't know if this is normal or not... But here we go. I purchased the Sandisk Ultra Dual 128gb Flash Drive that has Type-C and the standard in each ends.
1st problem - It feels really rusty to plug-in. I have to literally press it in until it makes a hard clicking sound and it's very hard to pull out again. It makes me paranoid that I'm gonna ruin the ports.
Are all type-C ports/drives on MacBook like this? I'm used to the regular kind that just slides in without any force.
2nd problem - the flash drive started heating up like crazy within a minute. I have not even added anything to it. 10 minutes in and the only thing I did was encrypt it. Is this my MacBook Pro's fault or are type-c flash drives all like this?
You can read about it here:
https://www.sandisk.com/home/mobile-device-storage/ultra-dual-drive-usb-type-c
I have this drive and its predecessor. Sandisk flash drives have gotten hot AF as they used faster flash memory over the past half a decade. It's pretty normal so nothing to be worried about.
The good thing is that they've implemented some sort of heat management. I remember the very first thumbnail sized drives would just dismount abruptly when it became too hot on a Mac.
What you do have to watch out for is that plastic nub at the top that's used to slide the connectors out. Mine fell out after half a year and now it takes a bit more effort to slide the connectors out.
As for the ports, I feel that the ports on my 2018 13" require a lot more force to "snap" a connector in compared to my 2018 15".
Lmfao if this wasn’t an Apple/tech forum it would’ve sound so wrongAs straight as you can. The straighter the better really; wiggling it just creates more friction and wear on the connector, although you probably don't need to worry about wearing it out; it's probably specced for like 10,000 insertion/removal cycles, plus you got four of 'em. Just spread out the love and couple your devices in every orifice, if you're so inclined...
[doublepost=1532678549][/doublepost]
So, am I doing it right by forcing it in place until it makes the click noise? It can connect without pressing it in, but then it will be very loose and can slide out in the middl on transferring files.
Having a bad day?
Been using jumpdrives for last 10-15 years. Easy way for me to protect my company against fire or theft. The laptop is what is used in case of fire or theft so my company keeps going no mater what. It has everything to do with my new laptop.
So are you saying that the USB drive gets hot with the new laptop, but not with the old one?
Ok, sorry, I was confused, because you earlier said
Anyway, if a USB device (a thumb drive or anything else) draws a lot of power, it is probably going to get hot. It doesn't have anything to do with USB-C or the 2018 MBP. A USB with a USB device is just an USB port. And if your device is getting hot, the issue is most likely with the device and not the laptop. Some USB drives just tend to run hot. Nothing inherently wrong about that.
My USB A drives have never got hot, even after hours of use. I am just trying to figure out why the same devices get hot when USB-C.
You might consider that what you have may very well be counterfeit. It's a huge problem with USB drives, especially those sold by Amazon, even those that look legit and appear to be bought from a reputable seller (they may not even realize their stock is counterfeit.)
I'd try another drive bought from a different source.
I'd try another drive bought from a different source.
Yes, this is correct.
That's indeed weird, as the flavor of USB should not matter. Unless the USB-C port is more capable than the USB-A port you previously plugged the drive into, and the faster USB-C port is causing the device to switch to a higher performance mode, thus dissipating more heat for some reason.
It shouldn't get hot at all though, it simply sounds like a badly designed piece of hardware.
Yes, this is correct.
That's indeed weird, as the flavor of USB should not matter. Unless the USB-C port is more capable than the USB-A port you previously plugged the drive into, and the faster USB-C port is causing the device to switch to a higher performance mode, thus dissipating more heat for some reason.
It shouldn't get hot at all though, it simply sounds like a badly designed piece of hardware.
I have not experienced this but if your laptop is on battery and you were to leave this USB-C plugged in, I would think that would be a big hit on the battery. All this heat comes from wasted energy. My USB-A jumpdrive (with doggle) was only connected to my new laptop for a short period of time to move Windows. I will see if it gets hot this weekend and leave it connected longer.
A flashdrive, properly designed, would not draw a lot of power from the USB interface when simply idling, and not get particularly hot. Depending on how fast the drive is, it might pull enough to get warm when working though - certainly, fixed SSDs do get quite hot. But when idling power draw should be minimal, if the device is designed well, so you should absolutely be able to keep it plugged in even when on battery.
Also, Macbook batteries are quite big and flash drives typically don't have a lot of mass or surface area, so even when they get hot they're not really pulling all that much power anyhow, so the battery hit might not be such a big deal in the big scheme.
You might want to check that power save feature of the flashdrive isn't borked too, so that it isn't running hot even when your computer is sleeping. That'd be more of a concern I'd think.
Multiple people are reporting that USB-C flash drives are getting VERY hot, some too hot to touch. I went to Amazon and the USB-C drives are getting feedback that they are also getting very hot. My USB-A jumpdrive when I use with a doggle does not even get warm after hours. Just wanting to know why? Even the Thunderbolt docks are getting quite warm from what I read.
Same reason that made people wary of fridays the 13th, or black cats crossing the street: selection bias.
The USB port or its shape has nothing to do with it; it's the drive itself that causes the heat.
So why does my USB-A jump drive not heat up when plugged into the same laptop Thunderbolt port via an Apple doggle?
It has to do with the amount of power that USB-C ports can use. It is true, I can personally say that if you are actively using, or just finished using a USB-C drive it can get very hot. Especially if it is one of the slim compact designed usb-c drives that dominate the market. I’d suggest finding one that has key ring hole that you can put a lanyard on if you need to remove it and it is still hot to the touch, otherwise let it cool down before removing.
The heat issue isn’t Apple’s fault, it’s the USB flash drive makers not making flash drives with “safe” spots to hold the the drive with.
[doublepost=1532737211][/doublepost]
Because USB-A has no where near the same power draw that USB-C can use. That is also why USB-C flash drives are able to transfer so much data so much faster than USB-A, but it comes at the cost of increased heat production.
I thought about doing that but realized its not going to matter because I'm formatting it ExFAT and with that file system it will never approach USB 3.1 speeds if its life depended on it...
I think you explanations are logical. I in no way think this was Apple’s fault, just how a Thunderbolt works. I do think it is a shame they can get the device to “idle” when not being used. I leave my USB-A plugged into my desk top all day long but would hesitate to do so if it was getting that hot.
Sounds like you need to plug these things in and when done using them unplug if on Thunderbolt.
Last edited:
My USB hub gets fairly hot. Not burning to the touch hot, but its not warm by any stretch. I don't have one of those fancy laser temperature measuring thingies so I don't know how hot it does get, but its uncomfortably hot if I put my hand on it. That USB hub is driving my old Cinema Display and USB ports
ExFAT's claim to fame is cross-compatibility, nothing else. You are correct, it is slower, but I find it to be a good file system for the purposes of a flash drive, which sees itself getting stuck on Mac platform and Windows/ Linux platforms.
hi there. I bought the same drive and I'm experiencing the same thing like you did. I don't feel comfy keep using on it. also, it take more than 5 second to eject it. it's like lagging and the icon froze for few second.