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tehgerbil

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#317612 30-Oct-2024 11:45
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TL;DR: Clickbait title, but 100% accurate as Switch mode power supplies (cellphone chargers, laptop chargers etc) leak AC voltage at very low amps.

 

Not even our electricians knew about this so thought I'd enlighten you all too.

 


Backstory: After putting up with getting constantly shocked at work for years when using my Mac and brushing against any loose USB cables I pulled out the multimeter to investigate.
To my surprise I measured a (fluctuating) ~110V AC with one probe on the laptop chassis and the other on the tip of a USB cable from a seperate charger. 

 

I tested many different adaptors all over the building, and discovered it's AC to DC adaptors that don't utilise an earth connection (so 2 pronged plug) have an AC potential from the charging adaptor.
It's undetectable when using 2 x earthed adaptors, low voltage with 1 earthed, one not and highest with 2 unearthed adaptors (think Macbook 95W USBC white brick).

Black usbc cable on left is from a Lenovo usbc docking monitor the other is from a 5V Samsung usb charger.
There is an 81 volt AC differential between the two connectors.

 

 

Called up the electricians who originally misidentified the culprit as faulty power distribution boards but after more testing and a few phone call they realised it's by design. 

 

As I'm never one to just leave something as 'it is what it is' I kept digging and came across a few articles online, but this one stuck out as the most eloquently written and explains it perfectly at least to myself as a layman.

 

 

https://enclydion.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-laptop-bit-me-shocking-truth.html

 

 

 

Anyway, there's no point to this post except to make people aware and (unlike me) you can avoid an electricians callout fee if you keep being electrocuted by chargers in your office.


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elpenguino
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  #3303128 30-Oct-2024 12:16
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I did not know that. With so many un-earthed devices like laptops around now, this situation must be quite common (yet I've never got a tickle as described, FWIW).





Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21




MadEngineer
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  #3303170 30-Oct-2024 13:31
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Imagine you were a bit silly and you stuck one leg of a capacitor into a wall socket, turned it on and grabbed hold of the other leg

You’d call that silly yet that’s exactly what you’re doing every time you touch the contacts on the dc side of such a power supply.

Think about that next time you’re using wired headphones with your phone on charge.




You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

Brunzy
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  #3303183 30-Oct-2024 14:03
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That has been the case for many years, Sky Decoders and many other appliances,
The aerial socket etc is at half mains above true earth, and generally, the power supply chassis is at a different potential to the rest of the appliance chassis.



wazzageek
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  #3303184 30-Oct-2024 14:04
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Hmmm - that explains those tingles I get when touching my phone during charging.  Handy to know the cause.  I don't get it so much as I've embraced wireless charging now ...


MadEngineer
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  #3303198 30-Oct-2024 14:38
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I had a usb-c charger that did this with a metal-cased laptop. It was super weird however - instead of a tingle sensation, brushing a finger over it gave the sensation like it was ever so slightly rubbery and my finger would almost bounce over it like when you run a finger on a wine glass to make it squeal. Disconnect the charger and the metal would feel as expected.




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Eva888
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  #3303265 30-Oct-2024 15:44
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Years back when in bed, electric blanket switched off but plugged in, I would touch the wall which was solid wood and got that fuzzy zzzz feel on backs of my fingers. It was the strangest sensation and we couldn’t figure out why for months, until one day it stopped. Found the cause and connected the dots when the electric blanket plug was pulled out of the wall. 


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