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Old 03-06-2021, 10:49 AM   #13
douglasdd
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douglasdd began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 1
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Join Date: Mar 2021
Device: Kobo Aura H20 edition 2
Arrow Which USB port can matter! AND use a USB 2.0 hub!

I've had the similar problem of my Kobo failing to mount on my Mac

Setup
  • Kobo Aura H20 edition 2 (s/w ver 4.26.16704)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
  • Mac OS X 10.14.6 (Mojave)

Symptoms

When plugged in with any USB cable (old style rectangular USB-A to micro-USB),

The Kobo would quickly prompt: "Computer detected ... (Cancel) (Connect)",

Then report: "Connected & Charging ..."

BUT,
on the Mac there was no sign of the device appearing in any of:
  • left panel of Finder windows,
  • ${YourComputerName} folder in the Finder
    (the one that usually contains Network, MacintoshHD, Remote Disk)
  • output from the `mount` Terminal command
  • "USB" section of the System Information.app report (**)
    (from Apple Menu: About this Mac: System Report)
  • Also note that when I unplugged it the Mac did *not* complain that I should have unmounted it first

Tried different cables,
Tried different USB ports,
Tried with & without the Mac connected to power,
Tried with & without the Mac connected to other devices.

(**) Sometimes (maybe 1 time in 8), System Information.app would report:
Code:
eReader-4.26.16704:
    Product ID:	0x4227
    Vendor ID:	0x2237
    Version:	1.10
    Serial Number:	N867760082034
    Speed:	Up to 480 Mb/sec
    Manufacturer:	Kobo
    Location ID:	0x14200000 / 18
    Current Available (mA):	500
    Current Required (mA):	2
    Extra Operating Current (mA):	0
below the normal secions "Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad", and "Bluetooth USB Host Controller".

...BUT, it still didn't mount or become visible anywhere on the Mac.

...Also notice that in the report there was NO subtending section "Media:"

[U]Solution[U]

((NOTE: it typically takes fully 3-to-10 seconds for the disk / volume to show up in the Mac Finder after the Kobo reported "Connected and charging".))

Part 1: LEFT port only!

Believe it or not which USB port you use from your Mac *can* matter (depending on your mac model)!

It's hard to find infomation online, but different USB ports can have different power-delivery characteristics.

For my machine only the LEFT side USB port worked, not the right.
I checked more than 5 times on each side, and the results were consistent!

For any issue this subtle / finicky, you should also be sure that:[LIST=1][*]No other peripherals are connected,[*]your mac is plugged in to power,[*]use the *correct* power adapter, (for me this was an 85W MagSafe-2 brick, not the newer 60W bricks that are more common)

Part 2: Connect via an exernal USB 2.0 hub!

What finally worked for me was connecting through a old USB 2.0 HUB that I found in the bottom of the disused cables, connectors, & chargers drawer:

Targus brand travel USB hub, model ACH112US

I connected the HUB only to the Mac & the Kobo, not to it's own external power brick -- that was lost long ago

System Information.app report from when it finally worked:
Code:
USB 3.0 Bus:

Host Controller Driver:	AppleUSBXHCILPTH
PCI Device ID:	0x8c31
PCI Revision ID:	0x0005
PCI Vendor ID:	0x8086

    Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad:
        Product ID:	0x0274
        Vendor ID:	0x05ac (Apple Inc.)
        Version:	6.24
        Serial Number:	D3H62563891GHMFA86FS
        Speed:	Up to 12 Mb/sec
        Manufacturer:	Apple Inc.
        Location ID:	0x14400000 / 3
        Current Available (mA):	500
        Current Required (mA):	500
        Extra Operating Current (mA):	0
        Built-In:	Yes

    Bluetooth USB Host Controller:
        Product ID:	0x8290
        Vendor ID:	0x05ac (Apple Inc.)
        Version:	1.68
        Manufacturer:	Broadcom Corp.
        Location ID:	0x14300000

    USB2.0 Hub:
        Product ID:	0x0608
        Vendor ID:	0x05e3  (Genesys Logic, Inc.)
        Version:	77.60
        Speed:	Up to 480 Mb/sec
        Location ID:	0x14100000 / 19
        Current Available (mA):	500
        Current Required (mA):	100
        Extra Operating Current (mA):	0

            eReader-4.26.16704:
                Product ID:	0x4227
                Vendor ID:	0x2237
                Version:	1.10
                Serial Number:	N867760082034
                Speed:	Up to 480 Mb/sec
                Manufacturer:	Kobo
                Location ID:	0x14140000 / 20
                Current Available (mA):	500
                Current Required (mA):	2
                Extra Operating Current (mA):	0
                Media:
                    eReader-4.26.167:
                        Capacity:	7.24 GB (7,239,367,168 bytes)
                        Removable Media:	Yes
                        BSD Name:	disk2
                        Logical Unit:	0
                        Partition Map Type:	Unknown
                        USB Interface:	0
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