Wired aluminum keyboard not working with 2010 iMac

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Wired aluminum keyboard not working with 2010 iMac

Hello all,

So I bought an iMac on dec, 2010 it came with snow leopard and a wired aluminum keyboard, everything was good until dec, 2011 when my keyboard suddenly stopped working, I took it to an apple store and they replaced it, everything was fine until last month when my new keyboard stopped working again.

I have an old macbook (1st gen of intel-based macbooks) and if I connect the keyboard to that macbook it works just fine, I have checked and all the USB ports on my iMac and they work but when I connect the keyboard it just doesn't recognizes it as a keyboard (or as anything because it doesnt show on system profiler). I have connected another keyboard I own (a logitech wireless one) and the imac recognizes it, I don't know what to do.

Anyone knows how to fix this?

Btw, if I disconnect the keyboard for a day or two it works again when I connect it to the iMac, also If I use the USB ports attached to the keyboard I get an error that the USB is taking too much power and it shuts down (and then the keyboard stops working again on the iMac)

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on May 27, 2012 1:58 AM

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Answer 1

baltwo

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May 27, 2012 12:22 PM in response to hasesan

I don't know what to do.

Return the broken keyboard to the Apple Store and get it replaced.

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Answer 2

RRFS

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May 27, 2012 12:32 PM in response to hasesan

The USB ports on the keyboard are not meant for any real power draw. A mouse is ok, some smaller thumbdrives are ok but not much more than that.

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Answer 3

hasesan Author

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May 27, 2012 12:39 PM in response to RRFS

Thank you for your answer.
I was using a small thumbdrive, nothing too fancy.

I will take the keyboard to an apple store, but like I said before, the keyboard is not broken (it works when I plug it on another mac I own, I can even use the usb ports and everything!) the problem seems to manifest only with the iMac.

Also I'm asking just in case someone knows how to fix this issue. I just don't want to replace the keyboard only for the problem to manifest again

Message was edited by: hasesan

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Answer 4

baltwo

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May 27, 2012 12:55 PM in response to RRFS

RRFS wrote:

The USB ports on the keyboard are not meant for any real power draw. A mouse is ok, some smaller thumbdrives are ok but not much more than that.

Shouldn't be an issue with an iMac, but I don't use thumbdrives. I have a wired mighty mouse connected to my aluminum keyboard on two iMacs and that's never been an issue. For the OP, I suspect failing keyboard if you get the errors with only a mouse. Mine have worked for years w/o any problems.

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Answer 5

BDAqua

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May 27, 2012 12:57 PM in response to hasesan

Does the KB work reliably if you don't plug anything into it's ports?

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Answer 6

hasesan Author

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May 27, 2012 1:09 PM in response to BDAqua

Yes. Usually the keyboard works fine. and this had happen before, I just used to plug it onto my macbook then back to the imac and that did the trick until today when it won't work with the iMac (but works fine on the macbook, so the keyboard is not broken)

All the usb ports of the iMac work (checked them all) so it seems to be a software issue (its like the iMac doesnt recognize the keyboard), I upgraded to Lion today (hoping that would resolve the issue) but it didn't.

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Answer 7

BDAqua

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May 27, 2012 1:23 PM in response to hasesan

It couldn't be the USB cord if twisted just so works or doesn't work could it?

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Answer 8

RRFS

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May 27, 2012 1:42 PM in response to baltwo

That's funny, my keyboard won't even powerup my 32GB thumbdrive. Works fine in the iMac ports.

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Answer 9

jonas.p

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Feb 20, 2013 5:06 PM in response to hasesan

I actually have exactly the same problem. Keyboard stopped working with the iMac, works with the Macbook. Waiting a couple of days fixed it. Then it stopped again. Did you ever figure out the problem or got it fixed?

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Answer 10

hasesan Author

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Feb 21, 2013 1:29 AM in response to jonas.p

No, the problem persisted even when I replaced the keyboard for a new one (changed it at an apple store) So I just bought a 20$ logitech keyboard and it works all the time.

I don't know what's going on with apple and their drivers but this makes me not want to buy another iMac or apple product anymore.

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Answer 11

Focoso

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Feb 18, 2014 9:23 AM in response to hasesan

I have precisly the same problem of a keyboard not being recognized every other week or so. Sometimes I don't have the problem for a month, sometime I cannot get the keyboard working an entire week. I use a Macbook air with a 27" cinema screen. Unplugging the keyboard from the external screen and plugging it direct into the macbook air doesn't help. Usually after some time in between of one hour and 2 days the keyboard works again. Any other keyboard works perfectly. The problem wasn't resolved by changing the keyboard. I am also changing my Macbook air every year to the latest generation, it didn't help. Last autumn I set up MacOS from scratch, so I can excluded a software mistake carried thru backups.

I have been an IT professional for many years, but I never experienced such a random and strange problem. Any clues?

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