Are the MacBook Pro's properly grounded?

[B...]

I seem to remember my teacher telling me that AC and DC were competing for win and despite DC being the better (safer) system, the guy in the AC corner was better at marketing. Isn't it always the way?!


EDIT:



So AC did have a real world advantage then? Every day's a school day!

It was Thomas Edison vs Tesla and Westinghouse. Edison's was safer at the time but Edison used the unsafe technology to do the first death sentence by electric chair. It was a sort of "botched" killing, which Edison wanted it to be to show the world that AC was not safe, but instead people just heard that Edison did it...and stayed clear of him.

That's what I got from The Men who Built America on the History Channel.

 

[F1 Fan]

It was Thomas Edison vs Tesla and Westinghouse. Edison's was safer at the time but Edison used the unsafe technology to do the first death sentence by electric chair. It was a sort of "botched" killing, which Edison wanted it to be to show the world that AC was not safe, but instead people just heard that Edison did it...and stayed clear of him.

That's what I got from The Men who Built America on the History Channel.

PR fail! I love shows like that 🙂

 

[kong85]

I can't speak for earlier models, but I just bought a MacBook Pro 2013 and have a 'solution'. FYI I live in Singapore which has the UK 3 pin plugs (neutral, live, ground) but I believe it will be the same in any plugs with grounding.

Together with the Magsafe power adaptor, I received a number of attachments - 3 pin for UK, 2 pin for US, and a 3 pin long power cord (essentially an extension). See image of the 2 pin version of the cord: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/picge.jpg

I noticed that the power cord is the only attachment that makes use of the metal stud on the MagSafe adaptor. I use that now and no more buzz in my fingers.

Hope this helps!

 

[james010101]

I am an electrical engineer and comments like this should be removed because it is complete nonsense.

The common wire is/should be Zero volts, In my country the Electricity provider will connect the common wire to the earth/grounding wire when it enters the meter, they to this to equalise it with the ground, the common wire is also connected at the power plant and or distribution stations.
Only the live wire has a voltage in normal cases, yes, if you cut the common wire and touch the one coming from the load it will have the same voltage as the live wire, but this is then faulty.
The 110/240 volts AC means Amplitude Current and what the live wire does is it goes +110V/240V positive against the common wire and the same negative.

------

Now, for those having the issue the OP started this thread with, it is "normal" to feel this depending on how well the 0 Volts common wire is Zero, if your common wire is connected to the grounding as in my country you will feel nothing or very little.
It also depends on if you wear shoes, bare feet and what surface you stand on,if it's bare feet on a tile floor you will feel it more, lift your feet from the ground if you are sitting and it's gone.

NO need to bring it to Apple, it's not their fault, well sort of, if they make them of plastic the issue wouldn't be there, it's your wiring.
You shouldn't be afraid though, it's a minor annoyance, nothing more and it won't kill you.

Always thought AC is an abbreviation for alternating current..

 

[justperry]

Always thought AC is an abbreviation for alternating current..

😱 , indeed it is.

Not only that, the negative 110/240 volts is also not completely true, but I wrote that just to make a point.


It's already 9 months or so ago when I wrote that 😛

 

[jose.gomez]

I am an electrical engineer and comments like this should be removed because it is complete nonsense.

The common wire is/should be Zero volts, In my country the Electricity provider will connect the common wire to the earth/grounding wire when it enters the meter, they to this to equalise it with the ground, the common wire is also connected at the power plant and or distribution stations.
Only the live wire has a voltage in normal cases, yes, if you cut the common wire and touch the one coming from the load it will have the same voltage as the live wire, but this is then faulty.
The 110/240 volts AC means Amplitude Current and what the live wire does is it goes +110V/240V positive against the common wire and the same negative.

------

Now, for those having the issue the OP started this thread with, it is "normal" to feel this depending on how well the 0 Volts common wire is Zero, if your common wire is connected to the grounding as in my country you will feel nothing or very little.
It also depends on if you wear shoes, bare feet and what surface you stand on,if it's bare feet on a tile floor you will feel it more, lift your feet from the ground if you are sitting and it's gone.

NO need to bring it to Apple, it's not their fault, well sort of, if they make them of plastic the issue wouldn't be there, it's your wiring.
You shouldn't be afraid though, it's a minor annoyance, nothing more and it won't kill you.

----

Hi,

I am engineer as well but I believe the comment was right, at least in europe, you cannot ground using the neutral because you don't know which pin is the neutral, the fact is, in single phase installations, large appliances are required to use 3-pin plugs to be grounded.

Since in 2-phase installations phase is not relevant, the pins of the plug can be connected to neutral/phase or phase/neutral and it makes no difference, but the appliance case could not be grounded using the neutral because you don't know which pin is going to neutral and which pin will go to the live.

Please correct me if I am missing something... but it's the first time I hear that 2-pin plug can provide ground, if this was true there would be no need of 3-pin plugs.

Regards

 

[ENHering]

Hi. Let me add a few comments.

In the NE of Brazil, line is 220V + Neutral + Ground, in a 3 wire plug.
My Macbook Pro feels electrically charged too. Even more when I have my feet on the ground.
I've been playing with arduino, externally powered by a PSU that is grounded.
Sometimes, when I energise the Arduino, my second monitor (LCD) turns off and on.
On worst times, the FTDI connection is just not recognised any more and I have to reboot. Removing the USB cable and plugging it back again does not solve the problem.

I believe this is a ground problem. Maybe the line ground is fluctuating from the line neutral and when this voltage gets bigger it messes with the MacBookPro brain.

I'd like to ground the MBP, but do not know how to do it well.

 

[ha1o2surfer]

that is a pretty good description lol, this is also fun to do.. Have someone touch the top part of your year and have them close their eyes. Now ask them when they feel a tingling in your ear and touch your macbook lol It's a weird vibrating affect

 

[Spudlicious]

This thread has somehow progressed from a guy thinking he feels a tingle to the Edison/Tesla battle of more than a century ago. Excellent. Just to stay off-topic, I have often seen characters in US TV shows apparently getting a lively jolt from the 110V supply, and I wonder how they even notice such a feeble voltage.