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MacBook Pro at 220 volts, could feel current through aluminum case
- Thread starter Losenrout
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MacBook Pro at 220 volts, could feel current through aluminum case
Yes this happen to me too when in the philippines. I was doing data entry with a fellow employee and felt this sensation. She felt it too when using my computer. I touch her back when she was using my computer and i could feel the current through her.
very strange.
It bothered me i don't want to mess up this computer.
Yes this happen to me too when in the philippines. I was doing data entry with a fellow employee and felt this sensation. She felt it too when using my computer. I touch her back when she was using my computer and i could feel the current through her.
very strange.It bothered me i don't want to mess up this computer.
I am from a Third World country in Southeast Asia, and yes, we do have Macs...and our escalators work just fine....and i do feel the electric waves whenever i am charging my MBP (13"). Also, i've got shock (not really painful, but super irritating) when my iphone 3GS is connected to the mbp while charging. I tried both at work and home, same tingly feeling.
I think this is a flaw in the design of the MBP, and those guys in Apple did not do thorough tests. None this of ever happened when i am using other laptop and desktop, even with my iphone connected. what a shame, i had loved apple products, and it disappoint me when i decided to switch from desktop to mac....
oh, the apple care center told me to try this:
1. switch off all power supply to your mbp
2. simultaneously, hold down "shift" + "control" + "option" + power button for 2 seconds
3. turn on the power and try
btw, it didnt work for me, hope it can help someone though. i am gonna to try to change to a new set (got it only for 3 days), hopefully all problems solved...pray
I think this is a flaw in the design of the MBP, and those guys in Apple did not do thorough tests. None this of ever happened when i am using other laptop and desktop, even with my iphone connected. what a shame, i had loved apple products, and it disappoint me when i decided to switch from desktop to mac....
oh, the apple care center told me to try this:
1. switch off all power supply to your mbp
2. simultaneously, hold down "shift" + "control" + "option" + power button for 2 seconds
3. turn on the power and try
btw, it didnt work for me, hope it can help someone though. i am gonna to try to change to a new set (got it only for 3 days), hopefully all problems solved...pray
Macbook pro earthing (in UK)
I've got a new Macbook Pro bought and used in the UK. The box came with three items involved in powering it:
- The Brick that has the magnetic lead coming from it to power the computer (use this).
- A mains flex with integrated three prong plug (use this plugged into the brick).
- A little three prong plug designed to slide onto the brick with no flex (don't use this).
The little three prong plug has no earth connection inside (even though it looks like it does from the outside) so if you use this with the brick then you get the tickling sensation as you run your hands over the unit due to the lack of earthing. I wouldn't use this, although it is not dangerous because the mains doesn't get past the brick.
The mains flex that also comes in the box has the earth connection maintained and if I use this there is no tickling.
In terms of electric shocks you should always remember that if you move around on certain carpets using certain shoes then you build up static electricity inside yourself. Touch anything metal, whether it is your macbook pro or not, then you may get a little shock. This is harmless, but various covers and protective trips are available if it is a problem for you.
I've got a new Macbook Pro bought and used in the UK. The box came with three items involved in powering it:
- The Brick that has the magnetic lead coming from it to power the computer (use this).
- A mains flex with integrated three prong plug (use this plugged into the brick).
- A little three prong plug designed to slide onto the brick with no flex (don't use this).
The little three prong plug has no earth connection inside (even though it looks like it does from the outside) so if you use this with the brick then you get the tickling sensation as you run your hands over the unit due to the lack of earthing. I wouldn't use this, although it is not dangerous because the mains doesn't get past the brick.
The mains flex that also comes in the box has the earth connection maintained and if I use this there is no tickling.
In terms of electric shocks you should always remember that if you move around on certain carpets using certain shoes then you build up static electricity inside yourself. Touch anything metal, whether it is your macbook pro or not, then you may get a little shock. This is harmless, but various covers and protective trips are available if it is a problem for you.
Electric Shocks From Mbp
Hi peeps,,, I too have noticed over past few weeks that something did not seem right with my MBP..... i have kept feeling some sort of juddering sort of feeling as i picked up my MBP from floor, while it was plugged in and OFF. When i would put it on the table in front of me and turn it on to use it i would still keep getting this strange and unusual feeling.. At first i thought i was imagining things so just carried on regardless.... Then i had a few instances where i would be sitting on sofa with MBP on coffee table in front of me just pottering about ( as you do ) while watching TV inbetween using MBP.. At first I originally thought that i was catching the hairs on back of fingers somewhere or somehow and this would make me have to pull my hands away quickly....
Then one day it clicked with me that it seem that it was in fact like little burning shocks that were going through just the hairs on back of fingers... So just to be sure I was not imagining things i said to my wife to rub her fingertips over the metal casing to see if she noticed anything strange,,, and knowing me as well as she does she simply just expected me to be up to something .. She did eventually rub it with tips of her fingers nervously , and i simply could not resist shouting BANG...She promptly punched me in the arm calling me names i will not write here lol,,, but anyway she could not even feel what I was talking about. So then I got her to turn her hands over to feel with backs of her fingers...WELL, she nearly jumped out of her skin... it wasn't so much that she got hurt it was more just the fright she got when she did in fact feel the same sort of shocks on backs of her fingers that I had been feeling....
So, NOW I KNOW I AM NOT JUST SIMPLY GOING CUCKOO.....
Now ,, I do not know enough about electricity or computer hardware testing procedures to identify such an issue. BUT what I have realised is that if I have my MBP on my lap I do not get ANY shocks of any kind, BUT as soon as i put it back onto the table i get the shocks / stinging on backs of fingers straight away.....
So I dont think that the problem is dangerous , But then again , like i said I am not that electricity savvy to be sure....will it get worse??? Well I dont know...
Any input on these comments with regards to correcting this issue would be much appreciated....
Hi peeps,,, I too have noticed over past few weeks that something did not seem right with my MBP..... i have kept feeling some sort of juddering sort of feeling as i picked up my MBP from floor, while it was plugged in and OFF. When i would put it on the table in front of me and turn it on to use it i would still keep getting this strange and unusual feeling.. At first i thought i was imagining things so just carried on regardless.... Then i had a few instances where i would be sitting on sofa with MBP on coffee table in front of me just pottering about ( as you do ) while watching TV inbetween using MBP.. At first I originally thought that i was catching the hairs on back of fingers somewhere or somehow and this would make me have to pull my hands away quickly....
Then one day it clicked with me that it seem that it was in fact like little burning shocks that were going through just the hairs on back of fingers... So just to be sure I was not imagining things i said to my wife to rub her fingertips over the metal casing to see if she noticed anything strange,,, and knowing me as well as she does she simply just expected me to be up to something .. She did eventually rub it with tips of her fingers nervously , and i simply could not resist shouting BANG...She promptly punched me in the arm calling me names i will not write here lol,,, but anyway she could not even feel what I was talking about. So then I got her to turn her hands over to feel with backs of her fingers...WELL, she nearly jumped out of her skin... it wasn't so much that she got hurt it was more just the fright she got when she did in fact feel the same sort of shocks on backs
of her fingers that I had been feeling....So, NOW I KNOW I AM NOT JUST SIMPLY GOING CUCKOO.....
Now ,, I do not know enough about electricity or computer hardware testing procedures to identify such an issue. BUT what I have realised is that if I have my MBP on my lap I do not get ANY shocks of any kind, BUT as soon as i put it back onto the table i get the shocks / stinging on backs of fingers straight away.....
So I dont think that the problem is dangerous , But then again , like i said I am not that electricity savvy to be sure....will it get worse??? Well I dont know...
Any input on these comments with regards to correcting this issue would be much appreciated....
Nev your description about snagging hairs is spot-on - I've had the same thought when I've felt that and immediately looked for seams or edges that could be snagging things.
I suspect the reason it goes away while in your lap could be multiple factors. When it's on the table, are your feet touching a conductive floor, or are you leaning against something that conducts?
Does your chair isolate you electrically from ground?
OR - when it's on your lap, the whole chassis distributes the charge across a broader area (making it harder to detect). An easy way to confirm that, would be to prop it up on a dry piece of clothing and then touch it. Conversely, you could place your hand flat on the device, and with the other, try to feel the "tingle" (you should not, in this case)
Anyhow, I've chimed in on this thread eons ago, and I still maintain it's the switching supply / leakage / human capacitance. Since posting this, I've run into countless other switching supply problems, and very few people can actually feel what we can. (which, makes us question our own sanity - and those around us, too for that matter) But when people claim I AM full of BS and/or nuts, I have them "test" me by randomly switching a device on or off while I'm touching it, and my accuracy is always 100% - which leads them to believe I'm a freak, but a freak who's not lying.
Also, I still hate switching supplies.
I suspect the reason it goes away while in your lap could be multiple factors. When it's on the table, are your feet touching a conductive floor, or are you leaning against something that conducts?
Does your chair isolate you electrically from ground?
OR - when it's on your lap, the whole chassis distributes the charge across a broader area (making it harder to detect). An easy way to confirm that, would be to prop it up on a dry piece of clothing and then touch it. Conversely, you could place your hand flat on the device, and with the other, try to feel the "tingle" (you should not, in this case)
Anyhow, I've chimed in on this thread eons ago, and I still maintain it's the switching supply / leakage / human capacitance. Since posting this, I've run into countless other switching supply problems, and very few people can actually feel what we can. (which, makes us question our own sanity - and those around us, too for that matter) But when people claim I AM full of BS and/or nuts, I have them "test" me by randomly switching a device on or off while I'm touching it, and my accuracy is always 100% - which leads them to believe I'm a freak, but a freak who's not lying.
Also, I still hate switching supplies.
Its just the thing vibrating with the friction of your finger running over the case. Mine does it, and I can even get it to make a noise if I manage to do it right
pac
in that case my MBP ought to be like a shock-gun, but its not.
I live and study in europe, and I cut the ground off my charger because we mostly don't have room for it in the wall socket.
I bought my previous MBP in the US, had no problems at all, until the logic board fried...
While it feels like that in some cases - it's not, because once the unit is unplugged, or properly grounded, it stops doing that.
Electrical current "vibration"
I have a 2011 MacBook Pro, I'm using the Apple-supplied three-prong plug with the attached power box in the middle, and I'm using it in Canada. Mine has been vibrating since shortly after I got it 8 months ago.
What I figured out recently through trial and error is that if I have my work laptop (Dell) plugged in at the same time as my Mac (both same and different outlets), it vibrates. If I pull the power cable out of the back of the Dell, the Mac stops vibrating. I made sure they were plugged into different outlets and it still did it. If it's "normal" and harmless I'm okay with that - I can just ensure that my Mac is unplugged from the power source while using my Dell, no biggie. But what I would really like to know is - would ANY Mac do this in my home under the small percentage of Macs (as I see a ton of people online with this problem, but not one of my friends with Mac have ever experienced this) and if so, I would like mine replaced.
What I find interesting is that even though there are queries and concerns and discussion about this issue going back as long as 2002 on this forum, when I called Apple recently about this, they claim they've "never heard of it" and know nothing about it. I find this very odd - wouldn't you think if this many people have the problem, they would educate themselves so they could advise people on how to deal with it?? Or maybe they should simply try reading their own forums.
If anyone has found any answers, I'd love to know since Apple doesn't seem interested in figuring it out.
Thanks!
I have a 2011 MacBook Pro, I'm using the Apple-supplied three-prong plug with the attached power box in the middle, and I'm using it in Canada. Mine has been vibrating since shortly after I got it 8 months ago.
What I figured out recently through trial and error is that if I have my work laptop (Dell) plugged in at the same time as my Mac (both same and different outlets), it vibrates. If I pull the power cable out of the back of the Dell, the Mac stops vibrating. I made sure they were plugged into different outlets and it still did it. If it's "normal" and harmless I'm okay with that - I can just ensure that my Mac is unplugged from the power source while using my Dell, no biggie. But what I would really like to know is - would ANY Mac do this in my home under the small percentage of Macs (as I see a ton of people online with this problem, but not one of my friends with Mac have ever experienced this) and if so, I would like mine replaced.
What I find interesting is that even though there are queries and concerns and discussion about this issue going back as long as 2002 on this forum, when I called Apple recently about this, they claim they've "never heard of it" and know nothing about it. I find this very odd - wouldn't you think if this many people have the problem, they would educate themselves so they could advise people on how to deal with it?? Or maybe they should simply try reading their own forums.
If anyone has found any answers, I'd love to know since Apple doesn't seem interested in figuring it out.
Thanks!
1v can kill if the current is high enough.
No. The current going through us will only be as high as our bodies resistance allows it to be. I=V/R. A dry human body typically has a resistance of 100kΩ. 1v/100,000Ω = .00001 A or .01mA. That's not enough to even cause a tingle.
Even if you're completely drenched in sweat - your resistance drops to 1000Ω. 1v/1000 = .001A or 1mA. Again not enough to cause any real damage (though you would probably feel a tingle at 1mA)
Apparently there was some guy who killed himself though by inserting probes into each thumb from a 9V battery.
*into* each thumb - as in drawing blood. That means the resistance is much lower. At that point even a low voltage can be dangerous. Especially since by sending a current from one arm to another, it will have to pass through the heart.
The other line where you want to avoid any electrical current is the diagonal from the top right of your neck directly towards your heart. Any decent voltage across that line is asking for trouble
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No one is debating that. I'm just pointing out even low voltages like those commonly found in batteries can kill if you're stupid/unlucky enough -- which is a point that I don't think has been discussed in this thread up to this point.
Of course not, because the topic of the thread is:
MacBook Pro at 220 volts, could feel current through aluminum case
He is using adapter that has only 2 legs
so no ground, flip the position of the power charger,
in the USA neutral and the ground prong are shorted in 220VAC you have 220V between the two prongs ground is the 3rd prong normally grounded to the frame
Doesn't mean the Macbook Pro case is at 220V. If it were, he would be dead, instead of making this thread.
what do you mean "turn the plug around"? both my wife and her 2011 mba and my rmbp have this problem here in seoul, south korea. we can sometimes feel it in our iphones as well.