Electrical buzzing on MacBook Pro case when plugged in

I was touching the case to my new M4 MacBook Pro when I started to feel a vibration on my fingertips when I moved my fingers or palms over any part of the metallic case. I first I thought I was setting up resonant standing waves on the case from the friction of rubbing.


However, I finally figured out it only happens when the laptop is plugged in and my feet are grounded to the floor. Lift my feet off the floor and it stop. Unplug it and it stops. I figure it must be high frequency noise as I'm wearing socks so I'm only capacitively coupled to the floor...no DC current. Next, I should hook up a scope to measure it. I did use the multimeter and got 1V AC between the case and wall plug ground. I get 3V when I also touch the case with my feet on the floor and 4V when I lift my feet off the ground. It happens with both the apple supplied and third party chargers so I think it is from the electronics in the MacBook itself. However, If I flex the MagSafe plug down so its not charging but the ground is still connected I still get the effect, I only really feel it when I'm moving my fingers with a light touch. I think when I'm not moving I'm making a better ground the voltage must drop. Has anyone else notice this weird effect?



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MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.2

Posted on Dec 19, 2024 10:25 PM

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Posted on Dec 20, 2024 8:00 PM

Figured out what was "wrong". The EMI filters leak current onto the case. If you use the 2-prong plug on the charger there is not a ground to remove the leakage current. So you can become the ground. You also act as a capacitor to ground when you touch the case, and this extra capacitance from you add increases the leakage current. The currents are low, from between 5-50 microamps. I also measured voltages up to 46V. This is all at 60 hz. But the weird thing is that you only feel a buzzing sensation when you are moving your fingers on the textured part of the case surface. If you stop or move over the smooth apple logo on the top of the lid you cannot feel it. I also tested this out on two other new MacBooks Pros in the apple store with the same effect. The apple tech also felt the same thing so it's just not me. I tried it on a MacBook Air and got nothing. I see this more as a nuisance if I'm working on my laptop and I feel this constant buzzing on my hands as they rest on the case as I type on the keyboard. The simple solutions are either 1) Use the 3-prong cable to your charger so the case now has a good ground 2) Wear shoes so you are not grounded, assuming your floor is a good ground or 3) Don't work on it while its plugged into a 2-prong charger.

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17 replies

Dec 21, 2024 6:57 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

The standard power adapter does not send ground all the way into the power adapter. The US version, for example, is only a two-prong input. The accessory AC extension cord DOES carry the ground all the way through. It is picked up by the raised chrome lug.


There are a few Power Adapters for entry-level Macs that do not have a replaceable AC input. the work-around in that case would be to replace that power adapter with a larger (higher capacity) one that DOES include replaceable input heads.




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Electrical buzzing on MacBook Pro case when plugged in

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