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I owned multiple Macbooks that built a positive static charge when they were on, instilling a Pavlovian fear of being shocked into anyone that used it. Those we

I owned multiple Macbooks that built a positive static charge when they were on, instilling a Pavlovian fear of being shocked into anyone that used it. Those were fun.

therein 1y ago
They still do. My m1, m1max and m4max Macbook Pros all build a positive static charge. It isn't even something that renders it "returnable" because I observed it on every single Macbook in the last 4-5 years so I just assume that's just how Macbook Pros are now.
- jacobolus 1y ago
  This hasn't changed in at least 2 decades: I was getting zapped by Apple metal laptops circa 2004. But I have never encountered this problem when using a grounded plug. It was also a lot worse for me when plugged into outlets in an old house in Mexico, especially when my bare feet were touching the terracotta floor tiles; it's not really an issue in a recently re-wired house in California with a wood floor, using the same laptops, power strips, etc. If you are having this issue and you currently plug a 2-pronged plug into a grounded outlet, try using Apple's 3-pronged plug instead, and I expect it would go away. If you don't have grounded outlets, then that's a bit more complicated to solve.
  - therein 1y ago
    That's what confuses me, I am using the cable with three prongs, it is grounded. I am beginning to suspect some other appliance I am plugging into it that is responsible of the build-up of charge, but then why is it not finding its way to the ground... something doesn't add up but has been my experience consistently.
    - jacobolus 1y ago
      Perhaps the outlet isn't properly grounded?
- trallnag 1y ago
  Is there any laptop with a metal body out there that does not have this issue? I've had two RedmiBook by Xiaomi and both has that vibrating electric feeling to them when plugged in.
  - Liftyee 1y ago
    It's an artifact of the charger. This comment explains it well: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45686427 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45686427
drum55 1y ago
That’s nothing to do with static electricity, it’s capacitive coupling through the safety capacitors in the power supply. The chassis sits at 90vac or so as a result, it’s not a safety issue it’s FCC compliance for emitted noise.
- ash_091 1y ago
  Is this generally true for laptops / phones? I've often wondered why I can tell by touch whether a device is charging or not from the slight "vibration" sensation I get when gently touching the case.
  - hex4def6 1y ago
    For ungrounded / 2-prong outlet devices, yeah. It's often noticeable if you have a point contact of metal against your skin; sharp edge / screw / speaker grill, etc. Once you have decent coupling between your body and the laptop, you won't feel the tingle / zap. They're called Y-caps if you want to delve deeper into them and their use in power supplies.
  - knifie_spoonie 1y ago
    I get that too. I was wondering if it was just me.
swiftcoder 1y ago
If you use the 3-prong version of the power adapter to connect to a grounded outlet, this problem goes away. Of course, Apple doesn't actually sell a 3-prong plug for their charger in Europe... so us lucky folks in the EU have to get a 3rd party one off the internet
- jen20 1y ago
  Yes, they do. [1] for Italian outlets, [2] for many of the others. I'm sure I don't need to continue. [1]: https://www.apple.com/it/shop/product/mw2n3ci/a/prolunga-per-alimentatore?fnode=4ba86bc4693978780bb9dd0ea07046cc31778b69b51bd3275f1effd3c17b22a7368e89419e1c906d3dad5e1368ab9104718ed4ccee5b63ea30c9ba019f136c0c00e7424387d9f88d50c36f051315f364496f3efa20749c88d8830dd9c61ace32 https://www.apple.com/it/shop/product/mw2n3ci/a/prolunga-per... [2]: https://www.apple.com/fr/shop/product/mw2n3z/a/câble-d’extension-pour-adaptateur-secteur?fnode=f0f7e965117efe3d2059cd2edc3f93d6e3963a77159af16130698b9b85ac407bb6216391e18bc612e6cebd3a99bf9e9ca50a62ec0988d4ec12409f7aee2c2515748ffbb594d5319e02589eaec499ac651eeccaaeaea5b5d2417a3f29e1a7a108 https://www.apple.com/fr/shop/product/mw2n3z/a/câble-d’exten...
  - theodric 1y ago
    I suspect what they meant is that there isn't an official Schuko nub that slides onto the brick and lets you hang it directly from the socket rather than carrying an extra meter of cable around. There is a BS1363 one, and those are only legit feasible in a grounded configuration (although I guess you could use a plastic ground spade to lift the child protection slider inside the socket if you were a particularly unpleasant engineer). Nice for those of us in British-adjacent countries.
  - swiftcoder 1y ago
    I'm talking about the non-corded variants. Carrying an extra metre of cable around just to get the grounding prong is not great. As another poster mentioned, it's particularly annoying because Apple does ship the UK adapter in 3-pin grounded form
    - 1y ago

I owned multiple Macbooks that built a positive static charge when they were on, instilling a Pavlovian fear of being shocked into anyone that used it. Those were fun.

therein 1y ago

They still do. My m1, m1max and m4max Macbook Pros all build a positive static charge. It isn't even something that renders it "returnable" because I observed it on every single Macbook in the last 4-5 years so I just assume that's just how Macbook Pros are now.

jacobolus 1y ago
This hasn't changed in at least 2 decades: I was getting zapped by Apple metal laptops circa 2004. But I have never encountered this problem when using a grounded plug. It was also a lot worse for me when plugged into outlets in an old house in Mexico, especially when my bare feet were touching the terracotta floor tiles; it's not really an issue in a recently re-wired house in California with a wood floor, using the same laptops, power strips, etc. If you are having this issue and you currently plug a 2-pronged plug into a grounded outlet, try using Apple's 3-pronged plug instead, and I expect it would go away. If you don't have grounded outlets, then that's a bit more complicated to solve.
- therein 1y ago
  That's what confuses me, I am using the cable with three prongs, it is grounded. I am beginning to suspect some other appliance I am plugging into it that is responsible of the build-up of charge, but then why is it not finding its way to the ground... something doesn't add up but has been my experience consistently.
  - jacobolus 1y ago
    Perhaps the outlet isn't properly grounded?
trallnag 1y ago
Is there any laptop with a metal body out there that does not have this issue? I've had two RedmiBook by Xiaomi and both has that vibrating electric feeling to them when plugged in.
- Liftyee 1y ago
  It's an artifact of the charger. This comment explains it well: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45686427 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45686427

drum55 1y ago

That’s nothing to do with static electricity, it’s capacitive coupling through the safety capacitors in the power supply. The chassis sits at 90vac or so as a result, it’s not a safety issue it’s FCC compliance for emitted noise.

ash_091 1y ago
Is this generally true for laptops / phones? I've often wondered why I can tell by touch whether a device is charging or not from the slight "vibration" sensation I get when gently touching the case.
- hex4def6 1y ago
  For ungrounded / 2-prong outlet devices, yeah. It's often noticeable if you have a point contact of metal against your skin; sharp edge / screw / speaker grill, etc. Once you have decent coupling between your body and the laptop, you won't feel the tingle / zap. They're called Y-caps if you want to delve deeper into them and their use in power supplies.
- knifie_spoonie 1y ago
  I get that too. I was wondering if it was just me.

swiftcoder 1y ago

If you use the 3-prong version of the power adapter to connect to a grounded outlet, this problem goes away. Of course, Apple doesn't actually sell a 3-prong plug for their charger in Europe... so us lucky folks in the EU have to get a 3rd party one off the internet

jen20 1y ago
Yes, they do. [1] for Italian outlets, [2] for many of the others. I'm sure I don't need to continue. [1]: https://www.apple.com/it/shop/product/mw2n3ci/a/prolunga-per-alimentatore?fnode=4ba86bc4693978780bb9dd0ea07046cc31778b69b51bd3275f1effd3c17b22a7368e89419e1c906d3dad5e1368ab9104718ed4ccee5b63ea30c9ba019f136c0c00e7424387d9f88d50c36f051315f364496f3efa20749c88d8830dd9c61ace32 https://www.apple.com/it/shop/product/mw2n3ci/a/prolunga-per... [2]: https://www.apple.com/fr/shop/product/mw2n3z/a/câble-d’extension-pour-adaptateur-secteur?fnode=f0f7e965117efe3d2059cd2edc3f93d6e3963a77159af16130698b9b85ac407bb6216391e18bc612e6cebd3a99bf9e9ca50a62ec0988d4ec12409f7aee2c2515748ffbb594d5319e02589eaec499ac651eeccaaeaea5b5d2417a3f29e1a7a108 https://www.apple.com/fr/shop/product/mw2n3z/a/câble-d’exten...
- theodric 1y ago
  I suspect what they meant is that there isn't an official Schuko nub that slides onto the brick and lets you hang it directly from the socket rather than carrying an extra meter of cable around. There is a BS1363 one, and those are only legit feasible in a grounded configuration (although I guess you could use a plastic ground spade to lift the child protection slider inside the socket if you were a particularly unpleasant engineer). Nice for those of us in British-adjacent countries.
- swiftcoder 1y ago
  I'm talking about the non-corded variants. Carrying an extra metre of cable around just to get the grounding prong is not great. As another poster mentioned, it's particularly annoying because Apple does ship the UK adapter in 3-pin grounded form
  - 1y ago