Vibrating iPads

[ct2k7]

You said you were feeling oscillations?

You said that they only happened when your hand was passing over the metallic part of the device at a certain speed, but not velocity.

The iPad was on charge at the time.

Were your hands completely dry?

I've experienced the same with my MacBook Air. Same conditions.

So what I did was to get my multimeter out, and sure, it found some very harmless voltages and amps going across the MacBook Air. Our skin, though, is sensitive enough to feel it. The potential difference is fine.

The voltages are not harmful. I can't remember what it was exactly, but it was obviously under 60 mA - in the first quadrant, and no enough to cause fibrillation of the heart (may lead to cardiac arrest).

 

[george6000]

I have the same issue too this is due to their being no earth connection in the charger. So their is a different voltage potential between earth and the iPad, your body will pick it up as what you call vibrations as the circuit is being completed via your body.

I have taken my multi meater to the iPad (back) and the earth of the house and I have found a voltage difference of 53.4volts AC. I thought this would be a fault with the charger so I have tried it with 3 other apple USB chargers and I am getting a similar reading.

In the uk their cannot be a touch voltage greater than 50volts (bs7671) so this cannot be allowed to operate in the uk.

Seriously apple how can you introduce this charger without testing it extensively!
This needs to be reviewed by apple and I would recommend every one to have a way of earthing the USB wall adapter.

 

[ct2k7]

I have the same issue too this is due to their being no earth connection in the charger. So their is a different voltage potential between earth and the iPad, your body will pick it up as what you call vibrations as the circuit is being completed via your body.

I have taken my multi meater to the iPad (back) and the earth of the house and I have found a voltage difference of 53.4volts AC. I thought this would be a fault with the charger so I have tried it with 3 other apple USB chargers and I am getting a similar reading.

In the uk their cannot be a touch voltage greater than 50volts (bs7671) so this cannot be allowed to operate in the uk.

Seriously apple how can you introduce this charger without testing it extensively!
This needs to be reviewed by apple and I would recommend every one to have a way of earthing the USB wall adapter.

I will check again, but 50V is excessive ... that's nearly enough to give you an electrical shock, to cause a dysrhythmia.

 

[Fliesen]

That is due to an earthing problem, it's not normal for the iPad to do that while charging.

If you can feel it then either the charger is faulty or your electrics have a bad earth.

You'll probably find that if you touch it with both hands the 'buzzing' is reduced.

Also if you insulate yourself from earth then it wont happen as what you are effectively doing is earthing the iPad.

happens on my granpa's iPad too
gives me a slight (SERIOUSLY MINIMAL, but perceivable, still) shock when i pick it up. He doesn't notice ... because he's old

 

[george6000]

I will check again, but 50V is excessive ... that's nearly enough to give you an electrical shock, to cause a dysrhythmia.

I checked between the little bit of the dock cable which touches the apple aluminium case and the earth (direct on Wall plug)
You only feel a small tingle/vibrate due to their being such a low amount of amps

 

[ct2k7]

I checked between the little bit of the dock cable which touches the apple aluminium case and the earth (direct on Wall plug)
You only feel a small tingle/vibrate due to their being such a low amount of amps

It has to be below 60mA, I'll check that when I find my multimeter.

 

[george6000]

Just got my multimeter out again and I recorded 143volts AC and then with amps that is not even showing up on my multimeter (so low) on the iPad official charger.

Then I tried again with the iPhone 4 official charger and recorded 31 voltsAC

This was between the earth on wall plug and dock connecter on iPad/iPhone. This is just strange and worringly safe?

High voltage+low amps=slight tingle(vibration as you may call it)


Edit. This is in the uk with 230volts RMS 50hz

 

[ct2k7]

Just got my multimeter out again and I recorded 143volts AC and then with amps that is not even showing up on my multimeter (so low) on the iPad official charger.

Then I tried again with the iPhone 4 official charger and recorded 31 voltsAC

This was between the earth on wall plug and dock connecter on iPad/iPhone. This is just strange and worringly safe?

High voltage+low amps=slight tingle(vibration as you may call it)


Edit. This is in the uk with 230volts RMS 50hz

Can you take a picture of this, with the setup complete, for me please?

 

[george6000]

Can you take a picture of this, with the setup complete, for me please?

I'll do it in the morning. It's midnight and I'm going to bed. I'll do it first thing in the morning for you

 

[ct2k7]

I'll do it in the morning. It's midnight and I'm going to bed. I'll do it first thing in the morning for you

Thank you very much

 

[george6000]

Thank you very much

recording 150volts+ ac between ipad dock connector and earth on wall heres the picture @ct2k7

 

[superk]

Happens to my ipad and ipod...though you can only feel the vibration when you touch it.

 

[jaded-mandarin]

Sorry to bump but did anyone ever get to the bottom of this?

I'm on a 3rd gen iPad now and it is vibrating like mad when I stroke the back. Perhaps vibrate isn't the right term, but anyone who has experienced the sensation will know exactly what I mean.

A couple of points:

It definitely seems a UK thing, so must be something to do with our amp/voltage/watts (nearly 10 years since a physics lesson) My mate has an iPad 2 and he speaks of the same thing. We've both been into an Apple store and noticed it.

It's when the peripheral is on charge.

It happens when resting on lap or on something. Held up it doesn't seem to happen.

All the water/finger friction malarkey is not what it is. Like I said apologies if it's been solved but this is definitely a regional issue when the device is charging.

I'm not arsed about it but would be interesting to know the explanation.

 

[Nevzorus]

Everyone thought i was crazy when i made a thread about the same thing.
Yep, i can feel it in some iPads, you're not alone.

Edit: Wooow, this thread was old

 

[Binarymix]

GROUND! IT'S CALLED GROUND!

Over here in N.America that is

Calling it earth sounds silly.

I can feel it on my iMacs casing. I'm grounded at 60 Amp service

 

[Shorties]

Sorry to bump but did anyone ever get to the bottom of this?

I'm on a 3rd gen iPad now and it is vibrating like mad when I stroke the back. Perhaps vibrate isn't the right term, but anyone who has experienced the sensation will know exactly what I mean.

A couple of points:

It definitely seems a UK thing, so must be something to do with our amp/voltage/watts (nearly 10 years since a physics lesson) My mate has an iPad 2 and he speaks of the same thing. We've both been into an Apple store and noticed it.

It's when the peripheral is on charge.

It happens when resting on lap or on something. Held up it doesn't seem to happen.

All the water/finger friction malarkey is not what it is. Like I said apologies if it's been solved but this is definitely a regional issue when the device is charging.

I'm not arsed about it but would be interesting to know the explanation.

No it's not just a UK thing, I've experienced it on my new US iPad as well as my 2007 MacBook pro a ton. It's not always there, but when it is, it seems to be completely unrelated to it charging. Im pretty confident that it is indeed a friction thing, I'm pretty sure it has to do with the aluminum surface at a microscopic level, causing an uneven friction which when you run across it with your finger or hand. It feels like an occilation because you are experiencing a rapidly changing amounts of friction between you and the aluminum. I use to have a toy rubbery ball that was made of a very pourous jelly like substance when I was a kind (about 10-15 years ago I really wish I could remember what the product was, or what the brand was), that felt the exact same way when you ran your finger over it in the wrong direction, I believe the same physics are at play in this phenomenon.

Maybe it's more noticeable when it's charging because the warmth from charging the battery causes microscopic expansions in the aluminum, altering the feel of the surface.

 

[Old Smuggler]

feel it too

 

[Yr Blues]

As a singer that uses mikes all the time, I know that feel. I'm always nervous when I'm around electronics. I felt it when I was playing with the iPads at the Apple Store this week.

 

[antmac]

I don't have much to add other than it happens on my ipad1 as well. I see there's a lot of posts all over the net about this vibrating/tingling sensation. Glad to see I'm not alone in this.

It definetly only happens if my iPad is charging, if I take it off charge then the tingling stops. I've also noticed that it happens if I rub my finger on the actual charger connection (ie the bit that goes inside the ipad) as well.

This might be my imagination but i feel like i get a dull pain in my hand if i keep it touching the case for a few seconds as well, anyone else get this?

 

[Timoke6]

I've noticed this on my MacBook Pro too - I think it must be something to do with the aluminium Apple uses.

I've felt this same thing on my Asus n53sv laptop, and it'd be unlikely that apple and asus use the same aluminium. But feel free to correct me if i'm wrong!

I think it has to do something with friction, because my laptop only does it when it's clean. And i've felt it while charging, and when it was on the battery, both in on and off position...

 

[Dinth1906]

Its NOT a friction - ive tested it and it does occur only when iPad is connected to charger. Conditions - charger is earthed, me not (wooden floor).
It happens only when "stroking" iPad, same as we dont see blinking of impulse led displays when they are still, but we see them when there are moving.
Im electrician and i would say that is fault of glue in transformator or whatever you call that in english, but doubt if there is one in iPad, but maybe some coils ?

 

[PrayForDeath]

I believe you. I have felt similar vibrations before on my MBP, but I think they were just the way the aluminum felt to my fingers.

Yea exactly, I wouldnt call it vibration. Its just the result of moving your fingers over a slightly rough texture.

 

[Dinth1906]

Yea exactly, I wouldnt call it vibration. Its just the result of moving your fingers over a slightly rough texture.

Ive just wrote it post before. ITS NOT RESULT of moving your fingers over a slightly rough texture. It would be strange if texture would only be slightly rought when connected to charger, but perfectly smooth when disconnected, isnt it?

 

[NewtonApple]

Not uncommon. I think it is a grounding thing as I have felt this on my MBPro. I am will to bet it is a 60hz. It will not do it if your finger is not moving but only when it moves gently on one of the aluminum surfaces.

I bet if you had a volt meter and touch one terminal to the aluminum and the other to a ground it would show current moving.

 

[thelead]

Happened on my iPad 1 and 3. Very subtle though.