[TheHAN]

Does anyone else have this problem: When the power is plugged to the unit I get small electrical (static) shocks every time I touch the aluminum body - is there a solution to that (ooch! I got one right now) ?

[hyteckit]

Originally posted by TheHAN:
Does anyone else have this problem: When the power is plugged to the unit I get small electrical (static) shocks every time I touch the aluminum body - is there a solution to that (ooch! I got one right now) ?

I have that experience with my 15" powerbook. Solution? Wear gloves.

[TheHAN]

Originally posted by hyteckit:
I have that experience with my 15" powerbook. Solution? Wear gloves.

My god!! I knew mac are gentle to take care of - but gloves? I better have my electric reminders than that...plus, my little kid is playing games on that machine from time to time - what will I tell him?

[daniel999]

Its nothing but just static build up on the surface, its no harm. If you do not want this, try leave the laptop on the desk for a while before you unplug and touch it and let it discharge itself, the shock will be smaller. Or you could connect the laptop to a earth wire

[TheHAN]

Originally posted by daniel999:
Its nothing but just static build up on the surface, its no harm. If you do not want this, try leave the laptop on the desk for a while before you unplug and touch it and let it discharge itself, the shock will be smaller. Or you could connect the laptop to a earth wire

Please tell me about the earth wire is it part of the normal electric system, how do I do that?

[hyteckit]

Originally posted by TheHAN:
Please tell me about the earth wire is it part of the normal electric system, how do I do that?

He means to ground your laptop to discharge the static electricity. I know, that sounds silly. It really depends on the environment you are working in. If your environment is hot and dry, I tend to get shock more from my laptop. I haven't gotten shock lately from my laptop.

[daniel999]

You could connect a wire from the PB to a large uncharged surface, e.g. the heating panel on the wall and it should be able to discharge the static build up on the surface of your PB (I havent got a PB...yet...so I don't know if this works)

[djjava]

Originally posted by TheHAN:
Does anyone else have this problem: When the power is plugged to the unit I get small electrical (static) shocks every time I touch the aluminum body - is there a solution to that (ooch! I got one right now) ?

make sure your hands are completely dry of anything, be it water, or perspiration, this helps those nasty little static shocks.

[pcummins]

Take it to Apple to have it looked at, despite what people say getting zapped every time you touch your laptop is not normal behaviour. My 15" does not zap me at all, and this was one of the ungrounded power supply models.

[Beer Penguin]

The Galaga machine at my local laundromat used to give shocks when you put quarters into the coin slot. Even with this, I still managed to pull a 120k high score.

[Evinyatar]

Now you mention it, I recall getting shocked by a TiBook at a local electronics store. I didn't think much of it at the time, thinking it was probably an issue with the setup there (about 15 portable computers lined up next to eachother, all connected through the same anti-theft system).

[DVD Plaza]

It's normal for the old TiBooks (except the last revision) to give small shocks, but definitely not the 17" - it's grounded.

[TheHAN]

Originally posted by DVD Plaza:
It's normal for the old TiBooks (except the last revision) to give small shocks, but definitely not the 17" - it's grounded.

thanks guys - In Israel you can plug to a two or three (grounded) wall socket - reading your replies I tried to plug in the full grounded version of the power cord - and whalla! it's gone!! I think the 2 wire version is the european style.
Thanks anyway guys

[parsec_kadets]

Grounding will work for you, just use the three prong plug whenever you can. As for static, you may notice that you get zapped more often when you're furnace is running or your AC. What most people fail to realize is that it's not the computer that building up a static charge, but you. Things that will help are setting up a humidifier, not wearing rubber soled shoes, and making sure you don't drag your feet when you walk. Also, I would advise that you discharge yourself before using your computer. Back in my PC days I would sometimes get zapped by my mouse when I first sat down at the computer. The resulting shock to the computer was strong enough to cause it to crash and I would have to reboot. You can discharge yourself just by touching the screw that hold the face place to the light switch when you enter the room. These simple steps will keep you and your PB happy campers for a long time to come.

[Deal]

The computer or the person might be building up the shock.

For you with the 17 that shocks and the 15 that doesn't. That is understandable. Your 17 is anodized (so metal on skin) and your 15 is painted (no metal on skin).

I just heard about somebody getting repeadedly shocked by their 15 (where the paint has worn off only). I will get a grounded AC adapter for them and see if that works.

[TheHAN]

thanks Deal - I am now using only grounded wire (separately suplied w/ the unit) and it works great!

[Drakino]

For the record on this one, this can occur with about any laptop not plugged into a grounded outlet. My first experience with this was with a Gateway Solo 9300 a few years back. I would get this wierd electrical tingle moving my finger over the plastic near the power switch, and to a much more minor extent, anywhere else on the laptop. Pulling the power cord, or moving it to a grounded outlet cured the problem.

Electronics like to be grounded. It is much more healthier for them in the long run, as that buildup of energy can eventually fry something.