Plugged in iPhone 3G and motherboard Fried

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Level 1

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Plugged in iPhone 3G and motherboard Fried

I have 4 cpus and I was using the USB to sync with 1 of them and charge my iPhone on two others. I was working in the basement and tried to plug the USB and iPhone into the front port of the 4th computer and as soon as I did the computer instantly DIED. It will not power up now. The power supply measures voltage out correctly and hard drives power up.. But my computer is now DEAD. So I called our computer guru at work and was expecting him to laugh at me and say that what happend was impossible, only to hear him say the exact same thing happened to him. He plugged his into the front USB port just as I did and his mother board is now fried as well. Has this happend to anyone else and how does warranty cover this one?

Windows |P4X4, Windows Vista

Posted on May 27, 2009 9:20 PM

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Answer 1

colin007

Level 1

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May 28, 2009 3:11 AM in response to ttoddh

Unfortunately has happened to me twice !!! On both accoassions have had to replace the motherboard and start again. On the second occassion, only the USB ports were blown, so able to at least boot.

Apple remains silent....caused by static build-up and not covered by Warranty(according to my responses).

Another hidden effect of using a IPhone.

Feel the pain....

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Answer 2

Tamara

Level 6

13,744 points

May 28, 2009 6:11 AM in response to ttoddh

I think it's a coincidence. The USB port doesn't put out enough current to fry a motherboard.

If you computer has a warranty, you would need to contact whoever made the computer. The iPhone warranty only covers the iPhone.

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Answer 3

Jun 8, 2009 5:11 PM in response to ttoddh

This exact same thing happened to me last night. Plugged the IPhone into the front USB port of what has been my very trustworthy P4 2.4 PC and everything died -- instantly. Big ozone smell.The consensus of computer repair personnel today is that my motherboard is FRIED and of course so am I. This Iphone is quite new to me -- do I have any recourse?

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Answer 4

ttoddh Author

Level 1

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Jun 8, 2009 5:18 PM in response to philobrien99

Well I called Apple and they transferred me through several channels to tell me that I didn't know what I was talking about. I called back and was transferred only once until I talked with a tech who kept me on the phone for almost 2 hours - on hold - talk - put on hold - talk - on hold. Then he said he would call me back....... over a week and have not heard back from him... Thanks I will make a point of calling them back... Do you know what brand of motherboard it was? I am A+ certified and so is my bud at work. Our motherboards were identical and I was just about to call him and see what brand it was.

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Answer 5

Jun 9, 2009 6:41 AM in response to ttoddh

The iPhone does not send any power back to the USB port. It draws power from the USB port. A properly designed USB port, that meets the USB specs, has protective circuitry to prevent damage from a defective USB device, such as one with a short circuit, or drawing too much current. If a USB device damages the motherboard, it's a problem with the motherboard, not the USB device, unless the USB device sends high voltage back to the USB port. This could happen if a powered USB device has a short from its 110 V power line to its USB port, but the iPhone does not have any high voltage inside.

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Answer 6

Jun 9, 2009 7:12 AM in response to philobrien99

philobrien99 wrote:
This exact same thing happened to me last night. Plugged the IPhone into the front USB port of what has been my very trustworthy P4 2.4 PC and everything died -- instantly. Big ozone smell.The consensus of computer repair personnel today is that my motherboard is FRIED and of course so am I. This Iphone is quite new to me -- do I have any recourse?

Do you mean P4 as in Pentium 4? If so, chances are it's going to be quite old - I'd say it was a pure coincidence and your mobo was on the way out anyway.

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