Hi, I'm afraif I blew two of my 4 USB ports on my laptop. I was controlling a DC motor using an Arduino, which was connected to a USB port. The control was made though some H-bridges ICs fed with 12VDC. So I connect 1st the 12V line of the motor, and when I connect its other teminal to 0V, bam! My laptop shuts down and takes a few minutes in order for it to turn back on.
Surprise is that the port used by the Arduino wasn't damaged, but the two on the other side of the laptop, which are mounted directly to the motherboard, and none of them work.
I tried re-installing drivers and checking for hardware changes and Windows (8.1) says everything's ok. Laptop runs normally, except for those dead USB ports.
Is there any way for me to fix my computer? I'd be able to replace the corresponding elements on the motherboard if I was able to identify them if that's the case. If not, what's your advice?
My laptop is an Alienware 17 R2.
Surprise is that the port used by the Arduino wasn't damaged, but the two on the other side of the laptop, which are mounted directly to the motherboard, and none of them work.
I tried re-installing drivers and checking for hardware changes and Windows (8.1) says everything's ok. Laptop runs normally, except for those dead USB ports.
Is there any way for me to fix my computer? I'd be able to replace the corresponding elements on the motherboard if I was able to identify them if that's the case. If not, what's your advice?
My laptop is an Alienware 17 R2.
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