Powered USB Hub fried my Mac?

[Tomaz Lemos]

Hi, I'm an usual reader of MacRumor's forums and it's the first time I'm posting here, thank you all in advance for sharing your experiences.

I've just bought a second hand MacBook Pro 2014 two days ago, and until now it had been working perfectly. Today I bought a very cheap powered USB 3.0 hub and connected to the MacBook while the computer was off. The hub itself was on and with a HD connected to it, and the MacBook was connected to the MagSafe charger. When I pressed the power button nothing happened, no chime, no video, no burning smell, no sound, nothing. I disconnected the hub and MagSafe and it won't turn on.

Since then I've tried pretty much everything I could find on the web: disconnecting the battery, pressing the power button for ten seconds, SMC reset, and some other things. The fan spins, sometimes it spins and stops, sometimes it goes on and nothing else happens.

Is it possible that the Hub fried my logic board? What would be the possibilities? The MagSafe wasn't connected do a surge limiter, could that be it? Could the guy have sold me a MacBook with some non apparent problem? I ran apple diagnostics when I got it and it was fine.

Now I know I was way too negligent with the electrical part, but it's my first mac and I'd be very sorry if I broke it so soon.

Thank you!

 

[Atreyu25]

I hope you have apple care!

 

[sinoka56]

maybe this happened

, the usb hub sent power to the usb port.

 

[Tomaz Lemos]

maybe this happened

, the usb hub sent power to the usb port.

Hum, looks like that alright... So it is actually possible for a powered USB device to fry a MacBook :/
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I hope you have apple care!

Really unfortunatelly I don't :/

 

[DeltaMac]

You should consider taking to an Apple store, where you can get a good test. Tech would try a good magsafe adapter, and try to boot into the in-store diagnostics suite, if possible. Or, they may quickly be able to tell you "nope! Logic board is blown." Get ready to spend large $$ to replace the logic board.
Probably just a fuse, but takes knowledge (and the right gear) to find and fix. There are companies that will do on-board repairs.

 

[Altis]

Does the MagSafe light up when you connect it?

I've seen it happen sometimes where MacBook(Pros) suddenly refuse to boot for a bit for no apparent reason.

DeltaMac is right... if you can take it in to an Apple store to see what's wrong, that'd be the best course of action.

I suspect if there's something wrong with it, it was present before you got it.

 

[Tomaz Lemos]

You should consider taking to an Apple store, where you can get a good test. Tech would try a good magsafe adapter, and try to boot into the in-store diagnostics suite, if possible. Or, they may quickly be able to tell you "nope! Logic board is blown." Get ready to spend large $$ to replace the logic board.
Probably just a fuse, but takes knowledge (and the right gear) to find and fix. There are companies that will do on-board repairs.

The only Apple Store in my city is really far away, actually I've never been to a Apple Store. Is it any different from an authorized premium service store? Sure I could go to the store if needed, would I have to make an appointment? I live in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

It would be really nice if it was only a fuse, tough I never really heard of changing fuses in a MacBook
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Does the MagSafe light up when you connect it?

I've seen it happen sometimes where MacBook(Pros) suddenly refuse to boot for a bit for no apparent reason.

DeltaMac is right... if you can take it in to an Apple store to see what's wrong, that'd be the best course of action.

I suspect if there's something wrong with it, it was present before you got it.

Yes, the MagSafe light turns green when connected.

That's part of the point I'm asking, I'd really like to figure out how likely it is for the hub to have fried it, or if the MacBook had pre-existent damage. I bought it so recently, I might even be able to get my money back from the site.

 

[DeltaMac]

A blown fuse does not make the repair easy, it would involve component level repairs, using special gear, and someone with experience at circuit board-level repairs.

If you have an Apple authorized service shop handy, take it there.
It's just that Apple stores usually will test for no charge, and give you a clue if repair is really necessary, and an idea how much it will cost. I would point out that I have no knowledge about an Apple store in Rio, and what they might charge (and how long the checkout may take - so travel time for you might be a big issue.)
Either way, you may probably find out pretty quickly if you want to repair (or the shop might do a reset that you missed - it happens)

 

[Tomaz Lemos]

A blown fuse does not make the repair easy, it would involve component level repairs, using special gear, and someone with experience at circuit board-level repairs.

If you have an Apple authorized service shop handy, take it there.
It's just that Apple stores usually will test for no charge, and give you a clue if repair is really necessary, and an idea how much it will cost. I would point out that I have no knowledge about an Apple store in Rio, and what they might charge (and how long the checkout may take - so travel time for you might be a big issue.)
Either way, you may probably find out pretty quickly if you want to repair (or the shop might do a reset that you missed - it happens)

I know a pro guy who knows about his fuses, I've seen him check an 2012 MacBook Pro logic board with a multimeter and find out where was the problem, and eventually fix it.

Depending on how much the authorized service would charge me, it might be something to consider...