Spark coming out of usb port?

[strelokstk]

Hi, i have this Asus n76vz and when i plug the external hard drive, no matter what port, the port sparks. But still once i plug it it works, except that after i unplugged it, that port stopped working with another hd, and a 64 gb pen drive. But it worked with another pen drive. Then ' rebooted and it worked again as normal, but it still sparks when plugging that hd. I think it something in the external hd, maybe the cable. What do you think?

 

[cl-scott]

Since it happens on multiple ports, I'd be more inclined to think the issue is with the drive's cable. It could also be a static discharge that really isn't the fault of drive or laptop.

At the very least, it would be a relatively easy and inexpensive thing to replace the USB cable for the drive, so that would be a good place to start.

 

[strelokstk]

i will replace it

 

[vizgl]

Same happens on Lenovo. In my case, both devices had to be powered to see the sparks.

To fix it, I fashioned an earth by taking another usb cable, plugged it into an unused port on the hub, cut up the other end and connected the sheath within to earth (note that some cheaper USB cables have only 4 wires and no sheath).

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

I own a laptop repair company...

Yes you are correct, its an earth problem...

We see this a lot.... it can also be a bad earth on the charger cable or anything else plugged in to the laptop and the mains...

It can also give you a small shock if you grip any metal part of the case....

FINALLY and MOST importantly....

IT CAN BLOW THE MOTHERBOARD, CPU AND RAM

All the best Brett