1

I recently found out that my MacBookPro11,4 is "leaking electricity" somewhere. At first it seemed like a minor tingle. Then i tried to see if it gets worse if i touched a good conductor (a radiator) and the laptop at the same time. It got a lot worse. From tingle to a continuous surge that for some could be quite unbearable.

How "normal" is this ? How dangerous is this to people? How damaging is this to the laptop itself? What exactly causes this? Is fixing this covered by standard warranty?

IconDaemon
  • 19,234
Rainer Plumer
  • 111
  • https://superuser.com/questions/1331984/why-does-my-macbook-give-a-slight-tingling-sensation-when-it-is-charging-and-wha – Nimesh Neema Nov 28 '18 at 16:42
  • Are you connecting the power supply to the wall using the 2 prongs on the supply itself, or are you using the grounded (3-prong) cable? – IconDaemon Nov 28 '18 at 17:01
  • @IconDaemon Im using 3 prong cable but it is not grounded. It shouldnt matter though since grounding the electricity leak should be a fail safe if something goes wrong, not something that is expected from a high end laptop. After all, laptops are meant to be carried along and connected into all kinds of extension cords/wall sockets and kept in your lap. The shock it gives is quite strong( not just a tingle ) – Rainer Plumer Nov 28 '18 at 17:41
  • the highest Voltage on your Mac is 12 Volts (like car battery), you can safely touch that without noticing anything. Human body does not detect (conduct) voltages below 30 volts. However, electrostatic charge is something else, and you could feel that, depending what chair and floor you have allowing electrostatic charge build up. – Ruskes Nov 28 '18 at 17:45
  • @Buscar웃 I read that mac adapter gives out around 20v depending on the model. It is not electrostatic charge since the charge is not continuous. It shocks and then its gone. If i touch the laptop with one hand and the radiator with another hand - i feel continuous current going through my body. I find it tolerable but it is close to being painful. It is strong enough to make my muscles twitch.(reminds me the strong setting on one of those electric muscle trainers ) – Rainer Plumer Nov 28 '18 at 17:59
  • if you are correct, then get a volt meter and measure it. Also if you are correct, unplug the Mac and see if you feel it then. – Ruskes Nov 28 '18 at 18:06
  • Do you have anything connected to the laptop besides the charger? - It sounds like you have a difference in electrical potential due to external equipment that is powered by another phase or grounded to a different ground or similar. – jksoegaard Nov 28 '18 at 19:18
  • @jksoegaard I dont have anything else connected to the laptop other than the charger. – Rainer Plumer Nov 30 '18 at 01:30
  • I thought i should add a little comment: It looks like the shock is coming from the aluminium piece at the end of the charger and not the laptop itself. If i touch the metal casing of that magnetic bit - ill get a continuous current running through me. – Rainer Plumer Dec 13 '18 at 16:06

0 Answers0