I have a Late 2012 Macbook Pro. Both USB ports have failed, the cost of repair is not worth it. I plan to replace the entire Macbook at the end of the year. So I am looking for a cheap work around that will give at least one working and reliable USB port.
Anyway this is what is working:
Firewire port
Thunderbolt 2 port
Ethernet port
Also USB3 is working on both USB ports.
I have tried using a powered hub but this does not work. It seems that for USB1 & USB2 the ports are providing power but comms is intermittent then fails completely.
I need to try and get this up and running in a day or two using the ports that do work so I can connect USB1 & USB2 devices.
I have looked for a Firewire to USB adaptor but I think that is a no go.
There are plenty of thunderbolt 3 options but somewhat limited to expensive thunderbolt 2 docks even secondhand these are more than I would like to spend.
So any suggestions gratefully received…. Thank You!
Best Answer
The Late 2012 MacBook Pro doesn't have Thunderbolt 2, so your port listing can't be completely right.
It does however have Thunderbolt, and you can get a Thunderbolt to USB3 adapter such as this one from Kanex:
https://www.kanex.com/thunderbolt-gigabit-ethernet
Or this one from Delock:
https://www.delock.com/produkte/1095_Thunderbolt/62634/merkmale.html
Whether or not that is "cheap" for you is subjective, but it is an easy way to add a USB port to the computer.