USB port power management issue on apple aluminium wired keyboard after upgrade to 10.8.5

Feedback

I guess you can't use to the bug reporter because you are not an registered developper by apple?

No, I registerd as a user. It just doesn't work. Pointless as it may be, might as well try that Feedback link.

I provided feedback as well.

I also went to Apple store and they told me the ports are supposed to be to connect a mouse only. But Apple does not have wired mice and you usually only need one (there are 2 on keyboard). So that explanation makes no sense. I still say you should be able to connect something and just not draw power to charge, like my iPad did before 10.8.5 and iTunes 11.1

Hopefully the multiple feedbacks will get their attention.

I also went to Apple store and they told me the ports are supposed to be to connect a mouse only. But Apple does not have wired mice and you usually only need one (there are 2 on keyboard). So that explanation makes no sense. I still say you should be able to connect something and just not draw power to charge, like my iPad did before 10.8.5 and iTunes 11.1

Though Apple does have wired mice (you can still buy the Mighty Mouse) it's not the only reason for having USB ports on the keyboard. While having more than one port makes sense in that scenario as a left handed person would likely want the mouse on the left hand side and a right handed person would want it on the right hand side the info you were given at the store was incorrect. No matter how you set up a wired mouse it would still leave one port open and it's meant to be used, simply for it's ease of access. I connect iPods, USB thumb drives and even MIDI controllers to it. All were able to be powered through the port until the 10.8.5 update. That alone tells you the guy in the store has no idea what he's talking about.

In it's current–let's call it non-funcional form–the empty port on my keyboard will still work with some of my USB thumb drives that don't draw any power. Though I have one thumb drive that has an LED that lights up to show activity and that one does not work. The amount of power it has to draw to iluminate the LED has to be infantesimale but it still doesn't work. This blunder on Apple and the 10.8.5 update.

Well, a couple of steps to try is a smc reset and pram reset. These steps may or may not work, but if they do, all the better.

Tommy197944 wrote:

Well, a couple of steps to try is a smc reset and pram reset. These steps may or may not work, but if they do, all the better.

I would say it's extremely unlikely that doing either one of those is going to change a thing. I've been at it long enough to know that in situations like this, all that button pressing and restarting usually amounts to nothing but wasted time. And might even cause more problems then they solve.

This issue happend to multiple people running all different kinds of Macs, built at different times immediately after they installed the 10.8.5 update. Some bit of accidental or conflicting code in the 10.8.5 update is causing this to happen. All the SMC or PRAM/NVRAM resets in the world isn't going to change it.

Having the same issue after updating to 10.8.5

So frustrating. The other day I started having the issue with the ports on the back of the machine too! After a reboot, they worked again, but this is super frustrating.

Has anyone installed Mavericks yet? If so, has it solved this issue?

yep - I've installed Mavericks - but the problem is the same. I've unplugged the superdrive, and that helps. I can plug in one USB stick - but not two. grrrrr. Will call apple care tomorrow to grump a bit.

Thank you, this worked.

If I unplug my superdrive, which is plugged into a separate port on back of computer, the ports on keybord suddenly work.

From: apple/about this mac/more info/system report/hardware/usb

With the superdrive still plugged in:

DataTraveler 2.0:

...

Current Available (mA): 100

Current Desired (mA): 200

Then without the superdrive:

Current Available (mA): 500

Current Required (mA): 200

Extra Operating Current (mA) 400

Really annoying seeing as it USE TO WORK.

My problem is that my wired keyboard now only works in one of the USB sockets on my MBA (2012). It doesn't work in the other oscket and doesn't work plugged into my Thunderbolt monitor either.

The USB sockets are otherwise fine, certainly I can plug other devises into them and they work.

So there's no obvoius problem with any one bit of kit, but it doesn't work in certain combinations. Weird.