New 3 prong Laptop Charger Giving That Tingly/Vibration Feeling. Is It Still OK To Use It?

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I was using a 2 prong adapter (40W) and power cord that came with my Asus Eee Pc for years, but I didn't get this really low 'tingly' feeling when touching any part of the netbook. HOWEVER, I recently purchased a 3 prong adapter (40W) and cable and when I use that, I get that tingly/vibration feeling when I surface through the touchpad and around it.

So........ What's going on here ? Isn't it supposed to work the other way around ???????

Should I just continue using it or exchange it ?? Is it an issue with the adapter or just a low quality product??? Will it harm any part of the netbook in any possible way???? TOTALLY CONFUSED!!!

P.S. The adapter does not even have a brand name but the local dealer did give me a 1 year warranty.

Jash

Posted 2016-11-26T02:43:17.603

Reputation: 1

Switch-mode power supplies have a leakage tolerance, which is what you're feeling. Cheaper ones have smaller capacitors to smooth it out. It's not dangerous. – Tetsujin – 2016-11-26T07:54:24.197

Answers

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Tingly could mean anything from vibration through to electric current being present on the body of the laptop. The latter obviously being potentially very dangerous. So suggest you get it checked out by a pro and report back with more specific info.

AlwaysLearning

Posted 2016-11-26T02:43:17.603

Reputation: 1 169

-1

If other earthed devices in your premises do not give you that tingling electrocution feeling have the new adaptor replaced under warranty as it is likely faulty. It sounds like one of the outputs from the new power adaptor is not properly isolated from your mains power. If this is the case, yes it could damage your netbook with this stray electrical current.

If your other earthed devices in the house also give you that feeling, have your household earth checked out by an electrician. Again this can also damage your equipment if not repaired, and also prove potentially fatal for you or anyone else in the house.

In either case that tingly electrical feel is dangerous, particularly if it suffers an avalanche breakdown and suddenly becomes worse while you are touching it, it could kill you or anyone else who touches it.

If it is just a vibration from a fan, you should have someone clean out the dust from inside the netbook and replace the dying fan.

BeowulfNode42

Posted 2016-11-26T02:43:17.603

Reputation: 1 629

Wrong. These devices are never earthed, they are double insulated. The tingling is a within-tolerance leakage from the switch-mode transformer. It is harmless. – Tetsujin – 2016-11-26T07:52:51.313

@Tetsujin Except if the power supply is faulty and the double insulation is not working, and at least one of the outputs is even slightly coupled to one of the inputs. This is how it can be dangerous. Have you watched how fast some of those isolation transformers are made? Especially the ones done on a hand crank. Or worse the ones done on an unattended machine that is slightly off. A few scratches in the wrong places can lead to all sorts of trouble. – BeowulfNode42 – 2016-11-26T09:56:20.827

@Tetsujin the fact that the power supply has a 3 prong connector means that the earth wire is going in to the power supply. What, if anything it is connected to inside is anyone's guess until someone opens it up to look. But manufacturers normally don't use bigger parts than they have to, so they save money and use smaller cheaper parts. – BeowulfNode42 – 2016-11-26T09:58:54.610

@Tetsujin it could even be that the stray electrical coupling due to a manufacturing fault is between the earth wire and one of the DC power rails. Due to the way 3 phase 3 wire power stations and 3 phase 4 wire distribution down the street operates this can lead to some unsettling voltages in the earth wire, particularly if the household earth is broken or not installed properly. – BeowulfNode42 – 2016-11-26T10:02:32.297

too many errors in your arguments to reply to, sorry. My downvote remains. – Tetsujin – 2016-11-26T10:04:00.427

No worries @Tetsujin what's your address I'll just send you a power supply with a double insulated sticker on it that I've accidentally modified to have the mains AC wired directly to the output. You've obviously never been involved in any sort of quality control in manufacturing. – BeowulfNode42 – 2016-11-26T10:07:57.747

Actually this reminds me of the time (several years ago) I saw a brand new, fresh from the boat from China, had not even been sold yet, mp4 player melt the usb cable plastic insulation even before it was plugged in to the AC adaptor to charge. Faulty stuff happens. – BeowulfNode42 – 2016-11-26T10:13:30.933

@Tetsujin the fact you admit the transformer could be leaking mains power through to the outputs puts the lie to your statement of "it is harmless". Even if the "within tolerance" part is currently true it is at the upper limit, due to the ability of someone to actually feel it. Any more breakdown of the already partially faulty parts can result in fatal amounts of power being sent through to the netbook. The netbook is not equipped with enough insulation to handle mains power voltages. Mains AC voltage levels being present in the netbook is the only reason they can feel it with their fingers. – BeowulfNode42 – 2016-11-27T02:23:42.790

Read http://superuser.com/a/1103702/272824 & http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/216959/what-does-the-y-capacitor-in-a-smps-do then come back if you have any relevant questions.

– Tetsujin – 2016-11-27T08:54:59.653

@Tetsujin except the OP is feeling the tingle sensation with a 3 prong (ie earthed) psu and all of those pages are talking about a 2 prong unearthed psu. Then there is the fact that none of my 2 or 3 prong devices feel like that. – BeowulfNode42 – 2016-11-28T05:29:49.783

Just because it has the 3rd pin doesn't mean it's earthed, & unless the OP spent triple the money, its still going to be a switch mode device. Look up UK plugs, without the 3rd pin the plug won't open, yet the device can be double insulated. – Tetsujin – 2016-11-28T08:57:59.973

Asked: 2016-11-26T02:43:17.603

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Active: 2016-11-26T04:46:12.320