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Vibration (tingling) sensation on the Mac Book Pro

Does any one else get the vibration/tingling sensation on their Mac Book Pro?
It almost feels like an electric current but I also get it when using battery power.
Also, I can press my finger on the underneath of the aluminium casing & it will pop in & out... is that normal?

Mac Book Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on Apr 29, 2010 4:42 PM

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Posted on Apr 29, 2010 5:42 PM

G'Day JoJo and a warm welcome to the forums. How are those Falcons going these days? 😉

The "tingling" you mention has been an issue on both Mac notebooks and other brands for quite a few years. I first ran into it on an early model PB12, and I've seen it occurring even with iBooks, when a metal component has been touched.

THe problem can almost invariably be overcome on any notebook computer by using an earthed power adaptor. In the case of the MBP this means using the 3 pin power cord, rather than the two pin "duck-head" plug adaptor. It first happened to me, though, while working in a donga in outback Queensland where it turned out that the building wiring itself was faulty, lacking an earth, so if you do find it continues after switching to the "3 pin" power cord it is probably time to call in the local "sparky".


You will find a long thread on the matter here and discussion of the same issue in a variety of notebook brands here.

As far as the bottom case goes, I've seen a few reports of this here. In a couple of situations , at least, it has been reported as being fixed by taking the computer to an Apple Authorised Repair centre or Apple Store, where the bottom has been removed and a stay of some kind adjusted or clicked back into position.

Cheers

Rod
16 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Apr 29, 2010 5:42 PM in response to jojozep73

G'Day JoJo and a warm welcome to the forums. How are those Falcons going these days? 😉

The "tingling" you mention has been an issue on both Mac notebooks and other brands for quite a few years. I first ran into it on an early model PB12, and I've seen it occurring even with iBooks, when a metal component has been touched.

THe problem can almost invariably be overcome on any notebook computer by using an earthed power adaptor. In the case of the MBP this means using the 3 pin power cord, rather than the two pin "duck-head" plug adaptor. It first happened to me, though, while working in a donga in outback Queensland where it turned out that the building wiring itself was faulty, lacking an earth, so if you do find it continues after switching to the "3 pin" power cord it is probably time to call in the local "sparky".


You will find a long thread on the matter here and discussion of the same issue in a variety of notebook brands here.

As far as the bottom case goes, I've seen a few reports of this here. In a couple of situations , at least, it has been reported as being fixed by taking the computer to an Apple Authorised Repair centre or Apple Store, where the bottom has been removed and a stay of some kind adjusted or clicked back into position.

Cheers

Rod

Apr 29, 2010 6:40 PM in response to jojozep73

If you are running on battery, without the charge plugged in - and there is no accessory plugged into the USB port - there is no way you could get an electrical shock - there is no high voltage in an LED backlight computer.

If you have an accessory (printer for example) plugged into the USB port - and the ungrounded accessory is turned on - you can experience the tingling sensation while your computer is powered by the battery.

Apr 30, 2010 1:11 AM in response to carl wolf

Hi Carl,

I am getting that tingling sensation on both plug in & battery power.
I can be sitting on my lounge with my Mac on my lap, nothing is plugged into the usb ports, no discs inserted, the only thing connected is a 'bluetooth' mouse & it's still happening!

I'm not worried about an electric shock but the feeling that goes through my body is awful... it almost makes me feel jittery.

Cheers, jojozep73

May 4, 2010 10:50 AM in response to jojozep73

Hi all,
Just wanted to add my experience on this. I had an i5 2.4Ghz Macbook Pro with a 500GB 7200rpm drive installed and experienced the vibration/tingling sensation that you're describing; it occurred whether I was plugged in or on battery power. I took it to an Apple Store and they declared it DOA since none of the other similar machines at the store (ones with 5400rpm drives) had the vibration. I have since exchanged the computer for one with a 5400rpm drive and I'm happy to say that, so far, the vibration has not returned. That said, I do notice a pretty significant difference in the "snappiness" of the computer. The 7200rpm was definitely faster but the vibration was just too darn annoying.

May 12, 2010 5:03 AM in response to jojozep73

Im not sure if this what the rest of you are talking about. But the tingly feeling you get when you run your finger along your palm rest (for example) has nothing to do with power but is merely the friction between your skin and the engineered aluminum surface being overcome. you'll feel it on any engineered aluminum block! on titanium blocks its worse..

Vibration (tingling) sensation on the Mac Book Pro

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