This is why you don't stick metal up your USB Ports, folks.

[DocSwag]

I felt like writing this I don't know why I do but I want to.

So basically I was being my usual idiot self at school, and for whatever reason I decided that I wanted to find out what happens when you put a piece of metal in your computer's port (for reference my laptop is a macbook pro mid 2012 which I outfitted with a 480gb ssd and 16 gb ram).

I don't know why I though it would be cool, but I did.

So I took the part that normally plugs into your wall outlet, and started putting it in my mac's ports.

I stuck it in the Ethernet port-nothing happened.

I stuck it in the USB Port-wallah, my screen went black, computer wouldn't turn on. Even the little battery button thing on the side that normally indicates battery percentage wouldn't turn on. That thing is always on-it still works even when the laptop is shutdown.

I tried plugging it in-nope. The little light on the charger would flicker for 30 seconds then turn off.

I tried pressing the power button a bunch of times-nope.

And there I was thinking that I may have to get a new laptop.

So now you guys are probably thinking "well, I guess you gotta get a new laptop"

Well, I'm a lucky guy. Our school has an IT Department that can help repair your laptop if it's having problems and stuff. And I'll tell you, they know what they are doing.

 

So after school I took it over to them (I didn't tell him about me sticking a piece of metal up the USB Port, only that my computer wasn't working), and how we could try disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, though I didn't think it would work. Well, it turned out it did. After that, it turned right back on!

 

My guess is the reason that happened is because USB 3.0 can supply power, and so when I (idiotically) stuck a piece of metal in the port it shorted the port and so, to save its life, the computer shut itself off to protect itself. Perhaps there was some unit on the motherboard that was designed to detect this. However, when we unplugged the battery, that thing didn't have power anymore and so my computer stopped keeping itself from turning on, so when I plugged the battery back in it worked fine again.

 

So the lesson: Don't stick metal up your computer ports. Oh yeah, don't do stupid things that you know could be disastrous, because chances are they will be.

I hope this wasn't too long. I don't know why I felt like writing this but I do, so deal with it. So yeah. Don't be an idiot.

[Godlygamer23]

Yes, you don't short electrical connections together. Bad things can - and likely will - occur.

[PlayStation 2]

[AHaskin14]

my friends and I used to do that for entertainment to our high schools computers......still funny.

[DocSwag]

Just now, AHaskin14 said:

my friends and I used to do that for entertainment to our high schools computers......still funny.

When I saw you say that:

Does it do the same thing to those computers as it did to mine? Just curious.

[Admiral Naismith]

/r/NoShitSherlock must be leaking again.

[Bhav]

Well the USB port on my Corsair K70 melted with smoke after I plugged my motherboards USB 3.0 driver disk into it.

 

Not been able to update my suport ticket yet because no CPU since Saturday, but I'm getting one tomorrow.

[QueenDemetria]

This is why I use a USB condom: http://int3.cc/products/usbcondoms

 

But seriously, shorting stuff out is bad.

[Dargenfire]

I love how the the title says "up" your USB ports and not "in".

[Ostwind]

Generally speaking when you stick a metal thingy in an electrical whatsakajigger what which ain't meant for that particular metal thingy that you dun went an stuck in it shit in the form of but not limited to fire, explosions, screaming, crying, running and profuse apology usually occurs.

[Bhav]

2 minutes ago, Dargenfire said:

I love how the the title says "up" your USB ports and not "in".

 

 

[Dargenfire]

Just now, Bhav said:

 

 

My first thought when I saw the title was: A guy wrote this.

[Bhav]

Just now, Dargenfire said:

My first thought when I saw the title was: A guy wrote this.

Alternative thread title, by Stacey Cuff - Interparcel:

 

This is why you don't stick computer in your computer's computer ports, computers.

 

[Dargenfire]

1 minute ago, Bhav said:

Alternative thread title, by Stacey Cuff - Interparcel:

 

This is why you don't stick computer in your computer's computer ports, computers.

 

That makes me wonder what would happen if you stuck something like an Intel Compute Stick in a laptop or GPU HDMI port. Would anything happen? Would it short something out? Would (on a laptop) the computer start displaying the Compute Stick's video signal?

[RafaelSoaresP]

17 minutes ago, Dargenfire said:

That makes me wonder what would happen if you stuck something like an Intel Compute Stick in a laptop or GPU HDMI port. Would anything happen? Would it short something out? Would (on a laptop) the computer start displaying the Compute Stick's video signal?

From the HBO series "things we'll never know"

[Bane Killgrind]

1 hour ago, DocSwag said:

I don't know why I though it would be cool, but I did.

So I took the part that normally plugs into your wall outlet, and started putting it in my mac's ports.

I stuck it in the Ethernet port-nothing happened.

I stuck it in the USB Port-wallah, my screen went black, computer wouldn't turn on. Even the little battery button thing on the side that normally indicates battery percentage wouldn't turn on. That thing is always on-it still works even when the laptop is shutdown.

The most important part of the scientific method that you have missed, is Do Background Research. Ask questions like, Has this been done before? Can BAD THINGS HAPPEN? Am I prepared to face the consequences of those bad things?

 

The theory that supported the large hadron collider destroying the world was reviewed, and some scientists said to themselves, "We will carry on despite this."

 

In the face of uncertainty, you did not march forward to illuminate the darkness. You have blundered through it, learning nothing, and will only serve a warning to others by the odour of your electrically sizzled corpse.

Edited March 9, 2016 by Bane Killgrind

[Vivilacqua1]

I did something similar by somehow accidentally shoving a micro USB cable into a USB port. Cmos reset fixed it

[manikyath]

as long as the metal has enough electrical resistance to not overload the usb port is fine.

[Bhav]

3 hours ago, Vivilacqua1 said:

I did something similar by somehow accidentally shoving a micro USB cable into a USB port. Cmos reset fixed it

Now the USB 3 drive I used had one of those new universal plug into any USB bport any way around connectors.

 

But it only melted my keyboards USB slot, and none of the ones on my motherboard (I plugged it into any normal USB slot on the PC and it worked without melting it).

 

Now I just need to wait for my replacement CPU today to update my ticket, as Corsairs ticket service site doesn't work on my tablet browser.

[Duskie]

People at my school use it to piss off the IT technicians when they lock your screen, just jam your key into the USB extension and it'll restart the PC. 

[LordLeewee]

its voila, not wallah. its french.

[Sharkyx1]

17 hours ago, DocSwag said:

-wallah, 

I'm sorry for your loss, but a side note, I've seen you write this before, the word you are looking for is voilà

 

Pronounced like vwä-ˈlä

 

Continue on with your daily life now 

[ThomasD]

Voila.  Not wallah.

 

But look on the bright side.

 

Now you know two things you didn't know yesterday.