dynamo123

Q: MacPro is Damaging USB Keyboards or Poor Build Quality?

I've had 2 Apple wired extended USB keyboards suddenly stop working properly, both lasted approximately 4 months before becoming defective. I'm now onto my 3rd replacement which currently in transit.


Initially I tried reseting SMC, PRAM, swapping USB ports etc. to no avail.


I run a dual-boot Bootcamp system and the issue occurs in MS Windows as well. I have an Apple Wireless Keyboard for another device and this works fine with the MacPro. Given the above and the replacement keyboard worked perfectly (albeit for a limited amount of time) it clearly indicates that there is a recurring hardware fault.

 

3 Primary Scenarios

1. MacPro doesn't recognise keyboard on boot, so I can't enter a password. Multiple reboots sometimes resolves this.

 

2. Incorrect and random keys are output. E.g. pressing 'i' may not display anything, yet pressed repeatedly it could print '8Iiop_IUOP{log' verified via on-screen keyboard.

 

3. Random characters appear on the screen without any HCI. Sometimes the help menu pops up repeatedly.

 

Is it possible that the MacPro USB port is somehow damaging USB keyboards? Apple Support staff claim keyboard problems are extremely rare, yet I'm onto my 3rd in under 6 months. Has anyone else experienced an issue with MacPro USB devices?

 

Hardware

  Model Name: Mac Pro

  Model Identifier: MacPro6,1

  Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5

  Processor Speed: 3.7 GHz

  Number of Processors: 1

  Total Number of Cores: 4

  L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

  L3 Cache: 10 MB

  Memory: 16 GB

  Boot ROM Version: MP61.0116.B15

  SMC Version (system): 2.20f18

  Illumination Version: 1.4a6

Mac Pro (Late 2013), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Sep 20, 2015 5:26 AM

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Q: MacPro is Damaging USB Keyboards or Poor Build Quality?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Sep 20, 2015 6:30 AM in response to dynamo123
    Level 10 (188,994 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 20, 2015 6:30 AM in response to dynamo123

    Could you be rough with the cable? like pulling on it?

    Is it in a dirty environment when stuff can get into the KB from the space around the keys?

    I have the USB extended KB which cam with the 2009 Mac Pro that I purchased used in February and have no problems

  • by dynamo123,

    dynamo123 dynamo123 Sep 20, 2015 6:45 AM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Sep 20, 2015 6:45 AM in response to lllaass

    Keyboard is kept stationery in a dust free office environment. I'm not a gamer so the keys aren't even getting heavy use. The cable has never been stretched. I have owned multiple keyboards, laptops (Mac and others) over the years and never had a keyboard fail. I even have an Amstrad CPC 464 from the early 1980's and that keyboard still works fine!

     

    It's a pity Apple Support don't have follow up on returned products, it would help close the loop as to what the root cause is. Apparently all they can see on their screen is that the original keyboard I returned was 'repaired'. Really hoping it's not a fault caused by the MacPro itself.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Sep 20, 2015 8:04 AM in response to dynamo123
    Level 9 (60,971 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 20, 2015 8:04 AM in response to dynamo123

    Your problem is very unusual, and Posters are not reporting more than an occasional isolated failure -- nothing that indicates any sort of systemic failure of  keyboards. Apple does study the volumes of what comes back, looking for festering problems. When some component is seeing far too many repairs, they put a team on it to analyze why.

     

    Your best path forward is to treat this as a sample defect -- a problem that only happens on the one Mac and one keyboard you have, and pursue all of your options to get this resolved for yourself. We have no mechanism for steering Apple to look at a single problem.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Sep 20, 2015 8:04 AM in response to dynamo123
    Level 9 (60,971 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 20, 2015 8:04 AM in response to dynamo123

    I have encountered one "problem" that caused my keyboard to malfunction. I connected a self-powered USB device to one of the USB ports on the keyboard. That drew enough power to cause the keyboard to send the wrong characters for certain keys.

     

    It turns out the two USB ports on the keyboard itself are ONLY for a single Apple low-power mouse, and any other use threatens to cause a power drop that can make the keyboard send the wrong keys. The ports appear on both sides of the keyboard only as a convenience for either right to left handed positioning of the mouse.

     

    Apple provides about a 3 foot keyboard extension cable with some Macs. These are deliberately keyed to preclude using more than one of these cords. This makes it appear that the use of a longer USB "extension cord" is also likely to cause keyboard malfunction.

     

    If none of the above is an issue, it may be that there is a problem with the USB ports on your Mac Pro. Have you been moving the keyboard, trying different USB ports? Is it possible you are overdrawing the total USB power of your Mac Pro?

  • by dynamo123,

    dynamo123 dynamo123 Sep 20, 2015 8:26 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Sep 20, 2015 8:26 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    My current configuration is 1 wired USB keyboard and 1 wired mouse directly connected into separate MacPro USB ports. I'm not daisy chaining any other devices from the keyboard. I've tried the keyboard in all MacPro USB ports but get the same problem. The wired mouse works fine in all ports.


    I initially thought it could be a fault in the USB port, but it doesn't explain why the replacement keyboard worked fine for about 4 months only to exhibit the same issues as it's predecessor for no apparent reason, unless the charge coming from the USB ports is blowing out the keyboards possibly damaging the interrupts in some way.

     

    Based on the responses here and what Apple have told me, it appears I've just been unlucky and this situation is likely unique to my MacPro.

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Sep 20, 2015 10:17 AM in response to dynamo123
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Sep 20, 2015 10:17 AM in response to dynamo123

    Apple kb's have firmware and sounds'iethat and an NVRAM issue.Pickup a cheap nice MS $9 keyboard handy, even when you want to "zap nvram."

     

    Doesn't answer why or what or maybe the place and kb you bought from.

  • by Malcolm J. Rayfield,Helpful

    Malcolm J. Rayfield Malcolm J. Rayfield Sep 20, 2015 5:03 PM in response to dynamo123
    Level 5 (7,945 points)
    Sep 20, 2015 5:03 PM in response to dynamo123

    It's unlikely that the computer USB port is causing the damage, but some of those keyboards can fail after a few months.  Once you get a good one, it will last for years.

     

    Mine started failing after two months.  It would not work on computer startup.  Initially, unplugging for a few seconds, or removing the USB extension cable would fix it.  After a few weeks, nothing would make it work.  Apple replaced it, and it has been working fine, with a 10 foot USB extension cable, for over six years.  (And I use one of the keyboard's USB ports to sync and charge my iPhone.)

     

    The Apple USB keyboard extension cable is very thin, so they use the special keyed connector to prevent use of more than one, which could cause excessive voltage drop.  A standard long USB cable uses thicker wire.

     

    A normal USB port can provide 500 ma at 5V.  When the keyboard is use with a normal USB port, the keyboard's USB port can provide only 100 ma each.  For the last several years, Mac can provide extra USB power on a port that has a keyboard connected so the keyboard has enough power to provide 500 ma on one of its ports.  You can look in the USB section of the System Information app (Utilities folder) to see the current available to each USB device, including those connected to the keyboard.

  • by bigdb1,

    bigdb1 bigdb1 Sep 13, 2016 4:20 PM in response to dynamo123
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Sep 13, 2016 4:20 PM in response to dynamo123

    I am glad to see your problem. For the last month, I have had one USB extended aluminum keyboard fail. The letter "A" quit working. Tried to change USB port with no luck. Then the "a" quit. This is in a dust free office. I am not a good typist and dictate a lot so there is no chance that damage occurred. I did get the message to unplug the USB device that was drawing too much power which would only be the keyboard. Shut down the computer and rebooted before plugging in the KB.

    A BlueTooth keyboard enters fine.

    Bought second aluminum KB. It worked for 2 weeks, then the "S" key quit working. The "A and a" keys also work.

    Tried plugging in another extended keyboard and it works, but am afraid to leave it plugged in.

    This is not coincidence.

    Anyone else with such similar stories?

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Sep 13, 2016 6:45 PM in response to bigdb1
    Level 9 (60,971 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 13, 2016 6:45 PM in response to bigdb1

    This is not coincidence.

     

    Nor is it your Mac damaging those keyboards.

    But it may be a manufacturing issue.

  • by bigdb1,

    bigdb1 bigdb1 Sep 13, 2016 7:34 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Sep 13, 2016 7:34 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    WOw!  Thanks for a quick reply. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe try a non-Apple KB? Keep using the BlueTooth with much less functionality. I hate to keep blowing $50 on a KB that I am suspicious won't last. I would be interested to hear if Apple has received more than a few failures and if it is related to the USBs on the MacPro 2013.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Sep 13, 2016 8:07 PM in response to bigdb1
    Level 9 (60,971 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 13, 2016 8:07 PM in response to bigdb1

    Apple keyboards come with a warranty. Return the defective one(s) for a refund or a different one.

     

    There have been no pervasive reports of keyboard failures on any particular Mac, but occasionally a bad keyboard makes it all the way into users hands.