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Macbook Air electric shocks and tingles

xpisnotforme said:
I went to the Apple store and tried out their three floor models and all three had the creepy prickle/tingle. I pulled over an associate when he asked if he could help me and I just asked him to rest his hands on the keyboard and type. I asked if he felt anything and he was like, "No.......wait...it's like a tickly electric feeling on my palms when I type...he then pulled someone else over and they thought we were both crazy.

Conclusion:

The current Macbook Airs definitely leak/pass electricity into the user similar to old MBP's. Some people may not be sensitive enough to feel it, but some will be tortured by it.

I picked up the refreshed entry-level Macbook, as I can also use the firewire port for my favorite Logic interface for micing jams underneath a bridge by my house:) oh yeah and I don't get shocked!!!
Click to expand...
my new 2.4MBP did the same thing
 
I am not sure you can say definitely until you put a multimeter on it and takes some measurements.

 
I have a similar feelin but only when plugged for a long time... then I can feel the power.... of electricity.. but is very light and I like it.. it feels like i'm dealing with a super tech device!!!
 
It occurs with the way the Apple PSU is configured in relation to the AC supply in a certain situation. I forget the exact details, but it's similar to some Sony and some Dell supplies, which is why you get it on some Sony's with metal skin-contact points, Dell XPS's and all aluminium Apples.

Of course, this probably won't get a mention on the Apple-fawning tech news sites and will be dismissed as static. When Dell or Sony gets it, a furore occurs when the tech press hypes it up. There are some advantages to having an obsessed user baase I guess. Either way it's not a big deal.

I have the 'tingling' with the Air in some situations while I have one hand resting on the notebook. To avoid tingling, rest both hands on the Air - because it's unlikely you'll get a fix.
 
My macbook pro has done this since day one. It's really annoying. I took it apart to replace a knackered keyboard (11 month old little boy :rolleyes: )
and since I've put it back together it appears to be ok.

not that I'd recommend you do this to your brand new air :D

It did it for around a year before I "fixed" it, never caused a problem, so don't worry about it too much, but if you're fussy (not meant as an insult...if I'd bought it brand new I'd want it to be right) then I'd probably get it exchanged.
 
xpisnotforme said:
Hi,

I just picked up a MBA to replace an aged white Macbook that I had since I am constantly carrying my laptop in a triangle of death between home, school, and work by foot in Boston and the MBA seriously fits the bill for my needs BUT....

I get a tingle when in contact with the computer and its not euphoria from having a new computer or because the air is so sexy or something. It seems mild but it is definitely irritatingly present and prickles seemingly at the points where hair touches skin especially up to my wrist. My hands then hurt after use in a creepy way. I tried showing a friend and he didn't notice it, but nor did I for at least an hour. This happens plugged in with the 3-prong/2-prong AND unplugged.

I read about similar things happening in the past to peoples' Macbook Pro's and I personally went through 3 Vaio Sz's that had this issue but at least 3 times stronger/more painful due to the aluminum alloy palmrest and grounding issues.

Have you had this experience?

I'm considering trying to exchange at the apple store, but if this is just the way they are all made I guess I need to consider another computer?
Click to expand...

You went through 3 prior computers because of a strange sensation in your hands that no one else experienced....?

The problem, my friend, is in your hands.

Google carpal tunnel syndrome; see a neurologist; get surgery; enjoy your MBA.
 
dahcheet said:
I must be thick skinned because I haven't felt anything on mine in the past 3 weeks.
Click to expand...

yeh my Air hasn't shocked me yet. It fears me ever since I joked about turning it into a frisbee if I didn't like it. :)

I hope it's not an issue with the MagSafe adapter. I love that thing.
 
Shocks

I'm getting the same problem, bascially it feels the same as the problem I had with the old Macbook (white case), which was only livable because the case was plastic with only the screws carrying the shock, and my older G4 Aluminium, which I could not use with the charger plugged in.

I was hoping that Apple would have fixed this problem by now. My house is grounded adequately, I had it checked out by an electrician only last week.

I measured the Macbook voltage at 70V with a DMM. Will do the same with the MBA in the next day or so.

The only fix I have found in the past is simply not to use the laptop with the charger plugged in. Fine till you forget to charge it one day.
 
LizKat said:
yeh my Air hasn't shocked me yet. It fears me ever since I joked about turning it into a frisbee if I didn't like it. :)

I hope it's not an issue with the MagSafe adapter. I love that thing.
Click to expand...

I doubt it. My Titanium PowerBook used to shock me now and again. It's still running strong but doesn't have the energy to shock anymore.
 
i read this entire post not really understanding what you were talking about until i thought about when i used to use my old powerbook [12'' g4 1.5ghz] (its a wireless printer server currently) and i would get those tingly feelings a few times a week and i thought they felt awesome. haha. :rolleyes:
 
Okay. First post in this forum. But trust me: I'm really happy to have found this thread. :)

I have been to two different Mac dealers here in Sweden where I live, and in both stores I have experienced a tingling sensation when touching, or rather when moving my hand across, the MacBook Air.

In the second store I visited, after first having had the salespeople telling me it was probably just me (huh?) and then that it was vibrations from the hard drive (okaay?), they tried it out themselves and finally admitted that it felt like an electricity leak.

Here's how to do it, our way:

1. With the power cord attached, stroke the computer lightly to the left of the touch pad, using the side of your (left) hand. When the hand is in motion, the tingling sensation can be felt quite clearly.
If instead stroking the computer just left of the keyboard, i.e right above the where the power cord connects, the tingling is even more obvious.

2. If, while stroking the computer, you touch the computer with your other hand, the tingling sensation ceases.
(Our theory was that the still hand grounds the computer more effectively than the moving one, which makes the electricity travel through the steady hand instead.)

3. If disconnecting the power cord, the tingling disappears.

As far as I can tell from this, the MBA is probably constantly leaking electricity, but for whatever the reason (I guess some electro-physics-savvy person can fill us in here?:)) the electricity will only be felt when the hand is in motion.
(Still, that kind of worries me. Isn't that how most people work, constantly moving the hand back and forth between keyboard and mouse pad...?)

The big question is of course whether this is a problem with all units, and that some users just haven't noticed it yet, or if it is a problem with some units only. And, if so, if they would replace a unit because of this problem.

Another question is if perhaps this could be a problem within the power adapter rather than the computer, and if replacing adapters would solve it.


As one who is considering switching from PC to Mac, this admittedly gets in the way.
Has anyone heard official thoughts on this? Can one make a poll in this forum to tell how many users can feel the tingling if following the description?

This really is an interesting one, IMO. :)

/Latte.
 
Many metal-skinned notebooks do this. Some Sony's do, the Dell XPS's do, and all Macs do. It depends on the configuration of your PSU and your electricity supply. It's just that the 'shocking' parts are easily reachable on both Apples and the XPS's.

The easiest way to not get the shock is to put both hands on the metal palmrest area.
 
I thought it was just me until I found this thread. Yep, my MBA gives me a slight electric shock and if I stroke my fingers on the case beside the touchpad I can feel it vibrate. Annoying as sometimes I'll lift the cover and put my hands on touchpad and my wrist will get an annoying electric prick.

Only happens with charger in wall, not on battery power.
 
Interesting... I've had the same experience with my old 12" powerbook...

also with the aluminum case, but it was never strong enough to bother me and it was always on one side (my the battery). It happened if it was plugged in or not, but never consistently. I never could link it to low humidity, surface, battery charge, etc, so I figured it was just me. I guess not.

I've had a new MB Air for about 3 weeks now and haven't noticed anything similar.
 
Slight update: I just tried out my friend's MBA, which is the SSD version, and it does not have this problem.
I know that both the MBA:s I've tried in stores have been HDD versions.

Could it be that this only happens to HDD computers?

Just a thought.

/Latte.
 
Problem with SSD as well

I just got my SSD MBA home and same problem. I'll be taking it back tomorrow...
 
Mine shocks me.

I get a little bit more than a static shock from mine, Has anyone returned theres to the store? Will they swap it out for me?? It is 11/2 old?
 
Problem Solved - Wall Outlets were grounding through me

I have this shock issue too. I get it when I touch my Apple keyboard and my MacBook Air. But, I have found the solution. This is a ground issue with the outlet in your wall, I have resolved this issue by properly grounding my wall outlets.

I just moved into a 1950s oil heated house, old everything. All the outlets are 2 prong and aren't grounded anywhere. I have to buy the 3 prong to 2 prong converter plugs, however, these are special because they come with an external ground leg. Well, I was too lazy to make any use of it...ha, until I shocked my leg lounging at my computer desk watching youtube and almost broke my 1080p hd tv :p. Feels like someone is poking you with a pin.

Since I have baseboard heating with lots of metal, I took speaker wire and wrapped it around the adapter plug ground port and jammed it into my metal baseboards... and to my surprise the ground light shows up on my battery backup, actually signifying that it's properly grounded, heh.

I also decided to have some fun with this, and started to shock myself on purpose, and the ground light shows up on my battery backup every time I get shocked.

Guess I've been the ground this whole time :D.

If you are wondering what I am using: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104010
 
I had the same thing on a MBP however it was not the wiring, I think it was the MB..
My SSD has never had the problem at all
 
My macbook air has that..

I just got my macbook air..

When I put my hands on trackpad i feel something and it make light electric

noise. Same thing with keyboard..

:mad:
 
I have been on the receiving end of an occasional static zap from time to time, but nothing that was painful.
 
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