115vac felt on my macbook pro case during charging

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Level 1

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115vac felt on my macbook pro case during charging

During charging of my new Macbook pro , a " tingle " is felt on the Macbook pro case. I am using a 3 prong power strip that has a ground led installed on the device and is "showing green" when plugged into the wall socket so I know the power strip is working properly. The power adapter for the Macbook pro is " two prong " device and has a " floating Ground " My XPS dell had the same problem and dell sent me a " 3 prong " power adapter which fixed the problem.

Please advise if Apple sells a " 3 prong adapter " to correct this issue.

-- Joe M

macbook pro, Mac OS X (10.6.3), 350hhd 4gb ram

Posted on Jul 23, 2010 4:42 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Neville Mayfield

Level 4

1,305 points

Jul 23, 2010 6:26 AM in response to nctsmacjoe

In the Australian issue the adaptor with a mains cord is 3 prong while the adaptor which joins directly to the 'white box' is 2-prong. In either case there should be no tingle on the case and I would have it checked out by an authorised service centre.

Neville

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Answer 2

carl wolf

Level 6

14,625 points

Jul 26, 2010 12:41 AM in response to nctsmacjoe

Apple has a 3-prong AC input power cord that connects to the power adapter, in place of the two-prong "duckhead".

The tingle is caused by the power adapter placing one-half of the line voltage onto the chassis ground. Although annoying, the tingle is not a safety issue - the current is well within international safety standards,

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Answer 3

nctsmacjoe Author

Level 1

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Jul 31, 2010 3:23 AM in response to carl wolf

Carl Wolf,
So, the tingle will not effect or cause damage to the Macbook? That is my main concern.

-- Joe

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Answer 4

Jul 31, 2010 11:51 PM in response to nctsmacjoe

No damage. When opening the computer to change memory cards it is recommended that you touch anything metal on the case to discharge any static on your body. Obviously Apple wouldn't recommend this if it was at all likely to cause damage. However, extraneous charges on the actual chips, circuitry, etc can cause damage. These are all insulated from the chassis itself and things such as HD casing.

Neville

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