Has anyone else been shocked by their aluminum case?

I've got a weird question: Has anyone else been shocked by the case of their notebook?

I almost don't want to use the word "shocked" because it isn't like the "Pop!" of a static electricity shock, but a low level sensation of feeling electrical current flowing through the case of the machine. Here's how I discovered it:

Last night I had my laptop powered off, with the power cord still plugged in. I closed the lid and ran my finger down the aluminum lid from the back of the machine to the front of the machine and I felt a strange, almost textured feeling that I hadn't felt before.

I did it a few more times and realized that what I was feeling was a very low level electrical current. I then unplugged the machine, and the current was gone. I even had my wife replicate my test, and she felt it right away.

In the interest of science, I actually connected a volt meter to the lid and I was able to occasionally get readings as high as 118 volts on the MSI logo in the center of the lid, so I'm pretty sure I'm not imagining it.

Has anyone else experienced this with their notebook, or do I just have a defective unit? My unit is an MSI X460DX with an aluminum lid.

 

It happens with any ungrounded device.

If you use a plug with 2 metal pins, its not grounded. It really depends on where you live and if the wall sockets support ground pins.

Example of grounded plugs:



So yeah if your socket supports it, get a 3 pin wire for your adapter.

You may want to read more about grounding.

 

The power adapter comes with a 3-pin prong.

 

Mine is already using a three-prong plug. Maybe it could be my circuits at home, but I've felt it at work also, so that's probably not it either.

There was a 20 page thread about a similar situation here a few years back. It doesn't look like a definitive solution was ever found. Apparently it's not completely "normal'" because not all models seem to have the issue.

 

Where do you live?(If you don't mind)

 

Is your laptop plugged into a power strip? Cause that would most likely be why. Happens all of the time when I'm working on the HP elite books at work. Doesn't happen with my gt60, but that's plugged directly into the wall.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

Could be a faulty charger (or even the lead cable from the wall to the brick), the most obvious possibility.

 

I live in the US.

I was plugged into a power strip at work, but not here at home. I'll have to try plugging directly into the wall when I get to work on Monday. Thanks for the idea.

I tried the power cord from my ASUS, and I get the same thing.

 

Unless the aluminum enclosure pieces are grounded as well, it's true what your
seeing can happen as well. It would not surprise me that metal parts of the enclosure may not all be fully grounded.

If you have access to a digital multi-meter, you could check to be sure the ground plug has continuity out to the notebook connection. To check the enclosure you would need access to the insides to find good bare metal spots to check the continuity to PCB ground.

 

I know this is an old thread, but I can't find any other help on the internet. We bought an MSI gaming laptop in June 2014 and it is emitting low voltage when touched and plugged in. Of course we didn't buy any kind of warranty. Did anyone on this thread find a solution to this problem? Please help. We spent a fortune on this laptop and I'm afraid to use it. Today while my son was using it, I rubbed my fingers across his neck and felt the electricity! So I'm freaked out that he's been using it for six months with this going on!

 

Electrical Shock Safety | HP® Support
Laptops are run with about 19V max adapters, which no way is dangerous to a human in normal conditions (meaning mostly dry).

 

You could always measure the resistance of the ground pin to case using a multimeter.

 

Hi, same here. It is a metal case so it is normal. You need to use a grounded outlet to get rid of this. It is not dangerous though. MacBooks have the same "problem".

 

As others have mentioned, it is important to have proper grounding to avoid static shock. Metal devices, naturally, are more prone to this specially if not properly grounded.

 

Yes, don't want to get shocked all the time if it's painful.