Latitude d620 - Shocking!

Hey, Just a quick question.

I've got a friends d620 and I've noticed it keeps giving me shocks every time I touch any part of it (which I think is kind of funny, given thats it all plastic).

Just wondering has this happened to anybody else? I know with Dells there are often some problems with static and 2 pronged adapters, but this laptop has a three pronged - so that can't be it.

It's still under full warranty - So is this something that dell can fix? or is it even worth the bother given it's nearly three years old and aging poorly?

Thanks.

 

Well, if it is still under warranty, it couldn't hurt to send it in to have Dell look at it. Probably there is some improper buildup of static charge or grounding on the machine that is causing the problem.

 

You should check if the earth (ground) pin of the mains socket is properly grounded. Sometimes there is shoddy wiring and it isn't actually grounded, in which case all the current leakages from connected equipment have nowhere to go.

The best way to test is to put one of the screwdrivers which includes a neon bulb onto the earth socket.

[But if you are getting shocks when using the computer in different locations then ignore this suggestion.]

John

 

Might just be static electricity. If you have carpet at your place, that would do it. Take it outside and repeat the exercise and see if you still get shocked. When I was back home in the States, my E4200 shocked the heck outta me. Hasn't done it since.

 

My D830 used to shock me all the time too. Never had that problem with my other Dells or Thinkpads.

 

Thanks for the replies.

It seems to shock me regardless of the location (I've used it at home and elsewhere - still gave me shocks).

I thought the transformer might have given out and that would be what's causing it, but it still gives me shocks even when it's on battery.

As regards sending in to Dell for them to have a look at, I don't think that would work as the person who owns it, couldn't be without it for a week or two.

 

See if your adapter is a two-prong or three-prong model. If it's a two-prong model, swapping it with a three-prong model will probably do the trick here. Some M1330 and M1530 had this same problem, which was apparently solved by swapping the adapters.

 

Was it connected to any other peripherals such as a printer when you tested it on battery? I can't think of any way for the computer to give you shocks if nothing is connected to the mains (with the possible exception of power leaking from the inverter for the display backlight).

John

 

I don't think it was. Every I time I touched it, I seemed to get a shock, as did the rest of my family (wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things )
Funnily enough the person who owns it doesn't notice them half as much - not very well grounded or something?