Posted on October 19, 2007 - by Justin Hartman
MacBook Pro is hazardous to your health
This post, unfortunately, is not nearly as thought provoking as dealing with the death of Lucky Dube however I thought this info might help some fellow MacBook Pro (MBR) users.
Ever since I got my MBR I’ve been getting small electric shocks from the body casing of my computer while it’s plugged on the charger. The interesting thing about this though is that this only ever happened at home and when it was on the charger at work I never had an issue.
Thinking that the issue was related to my electrical supply at home I spent a good few months trying to plug the machine into different plugs, adding it to a UPS and even trying to change plugs that came with the machine itself. Alas, I still got shocked.
I posted this on twitter, after being the lucky recipient of a big surge of electricity up my arm, and lucky for me Armand was there to help. It seems that this is a very common problem and the solution is really simple. According to AppleDefects the only real fix is to replace the 2-prong plug with an earthed 3-prong plug which I tried immediately.
I’m pleased to report that since making the “switch” I haven’t experienced another shock again. Seems that while the Titanium casing on the MBR is super cool it can also provide for some shocking experiences.
30 Comments
I'd love to hear yours!
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October 19, 2007
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But JJ I thought you liked those electric jolts to your arm? You once told me that it made you feel “alive” or something…
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October 19, 2007
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DUDE!!!!
Ive been having the same problem EVERY time I plug in to charge. Bloody hell. That’s incredible shit. Go Figure!!
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October 19, 2007
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Dude, nothing like a shock or two to get the mind juices flowing or cooking, however you look at it.
Advice noted, should my Macbook ever decide to play a similar game w/ me.
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October 19, 2007
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Yeah Colin I did say exactly that. But after a couple months of it I really could only take so much
Nic, glad I could provide some insight…
Also very happy to see you here Gino!
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October 19, 2007
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Tell me about it. When I was using a 17″ MacBook Pro I felt like my wrists were being sliced open by a sharp blade – it was seriously uncomfortable.
Strangely, the 13″ MacBook has never done it…
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October 19, 2007
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But JJ I thought you liked those electric jolts to your arm? You once told me that it made you feel “alive” or something…
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October 19, 2007
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DUDE!!!!
Ive been having the same problem EVERY time I plug in to charge. Bloody hell. That's incredible shit. Go Figure!!
Visit My Website
October 19, 2007
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Dude, nothing like a shock or two to get the mind juices flowing or cooking, however you look at it.
Advice noted, should my Macbook ever decide to play a similar game w/ me.
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October 19, 2007
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Yeah Colin I did say exactly that. But after a couple months of it I really could only take so much
Nic, glad I could provide some insight…
Also very happy to see you here Gino!
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October 19, 2007
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Tell me about it. When I was using a 17″ MacBook Pro I felt like my wrists were being sliced open by a sharp blade – it was seriously uncomfortable.
Strangely, the 13″ MacBook has never done it…
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October 24, 2007
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Once again you are a source of enlightenment Mr Hartman. Been trying to figure out what that sharp little pain in my wrist is about for months… Never made the connection. Thanks mate.
The titanium body might be problematic, but it sure does look pretty…
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October 24, 2007
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Once again you are a source of enlightenment Mr Hartman. Been trying to figure out what that sharp little pain in my wrist is about for months… Never made the connection. Thanks mate.
The titanium body might be problematic, but it sure does look pretty…
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October 26, 2007
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Thanks a lot for this tip. I’ve had this problem with my powerbook for quite sometime now. It’s absolutely irritating. I’ve had to purchase an external keyboard to avoid the jolts. However, not being able to touch my computer and feel the usual keyboard under my fingers makes the whole process of using it weird. I am about to try it out. It should help a lot.
Thanks again!
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October 26, 2007
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Thanks a lot for this tip. I've had this problem with my powerbook for quite sometime now. It's absolutely irritating. I've had to purchase an external keyboard to avoid the jolts. However, not being able to touch my computer and feel the usual keyboard under my fingers makes the whole process of using it weird. I am about to try it out. It should help a lot.
Thanks again!
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October 29, 2007
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Now that a few days have passed since you posted this, are you still shock-free with the 3-pronged option? I always plug in with a 3-pronged adapter and/or 3-pronged extension cable, but still get very mild zaps every now and then, so was just wandering if I was the only one for whom this solution doesn’t actually work.
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October 29, 2007
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Hi – sorry for posting another comment immediately without waiting for a response, but I was just thinking (something I perhaps need to do more often before leaving comments): How else would someone in South Africa plug in their power cord without using a 3-pronged adaptor? Also, as far as I know, the 3-pronged plug is, by its very design, an earthed electrical point, meaning any 3-pronged adapter should do the trick (as per the logic of the solution).
I’m very confused? If you could point out what I am missing here, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
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October 29, 2007
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Hi Alex. It’s quite simple really as I’ve figured this out finally. Basically the 3 prong plug is earthed but the 3 prong that ships with the MBP is not unless you’re using a european 2 prong plug.
I have been shock free ever since but bear in mind I cut my 2 prong plug off and replaced it with the 3 prong. This now earths the power supply which it didn’t before cutting it off and replacing.
If you’re just plugging into the 3 prong it won’t actually help. You need to cut it and earth it correctly for this to work.
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October 29, 2007
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Ah. Thanks for taking the time to help a bumbling electrical moron.
Mine came with what I presume is the European 2-prong. Does that mean it does not have an earth wire? …if only I knew how to rewire my power cord. The fact that my big-ass converter thingymabob (that’s the technical term for: “I have no f@&$ing clue what it really is”) is at the terminal point of my cord, makes me think I am not going to be able to do this myself.
Perhaps I should just put up with the minor shocks before I cause something to blow-up, or worse, give myself a real shock that leaves me looking like one of those post-explosion cartoon characters.
Thanks again though.
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October 29, 2007
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Alex, the round 2 prong plug is a French adapter. In France they have a single rod coming out from the socket which acts as the earth but in SA we don’t have that. If you cut the round 2 prong plug off the cord you will see 3 wires and you just wire them to the 3 prong. Issue solved
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October 29, 2007
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Now that a few days have passed since you posted this, are you still shock-free with the 3-pronged option? I always plug in with a 3-pronged adapter and/or 3-pronged extension cable, but still get very mild zaps every now and then, so was just wandering if I was the only one for whom this solution doesn't actually work.
Visit My Website
October 29, 2007
Permalink
Hi – sorry for posting another comment immediately without waiting for a response, but I was just thinking (something I perhaps need to do more often before leaving comments): How else would someone in South Africa plug in their power cord without using a 3-pronged adaptor? Also, as far as I know, the 3-pronged plug is, by its very design, an earthed electrical point, meaning any 3-pronged adapter should do the trick (as per the logic of the solution).
I'm very confused? If you could point out what I am missing here, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
Visit My Website
October 29, 2007
Permalink
Hi Alex. It's quite simple really as I've figured this out finally. Basically the 3 prong plug is earthed but the 3 prong that ships with the MBP is not unless you're using a european 2 prong plug.
I have been shock free ever since but bear in mind I cut my 2 prong plug off and replaced it with the 3 prong. This now earths the power supply which it didn't before cutting it off and replacing.
If you're just plugging into the 3 prong it won't actually help. You need to cut it and earth it correctly for this to work.
Visit My Website
October 29, 2007
Permalink
Ah. Thanks for taking the time to help a bumbling electrical moron.
Mine came with what I presume is the European 2-prong. Does that mean it does not have an earth wire? …if only I knew how to rewire my power cord. The fact that my big-ass converter thingymabob (that's the technical term for: “I have no f@&$ing clue what it really is”) is at the terminal point of my cord, makes me think I am not going to be able to do this myself.
Perhaps I should just put up with the minor shocks before I cause something to blow-up, or worse, give myself a real shock that leaves me looking like one of those post-explosion cartoon characters.
Thanks again though.
Visit My Website
October 29, 2007
Permalink
Alex, the round 2 prong plug is a French adapter. In France they have a single rod coming out from the socket which acts as the earth but in SA we don't have that. If you cut the round 2 prong plug off the cord you will see 3 wires and you just wire them to the 3 prong. Issue solved
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October 30, 2007
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Thanks!
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October 30, 2007
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Thanks!
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December 21, 2007
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Thanks Dude
The vibrating, electric MAc has been bust and put to bed…..
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December 21, 2007
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Thanks Dude
The vibrating, electric MAc has been bust and put to bed…..
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February 13, 2008
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just wear rubber shoes and you won’t get shocked either… peace dudes, I’m being shocked by my mac as i write now…
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February 13, 2008
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just wear rubber shoes and you won't get shocked either… peace dudes, I'm being shocked by my mac as i write now…