Dell's 17-inchers packing a jolt?
By Paul Miller 
posted Feb 6th 2007 3:23PM
posted Feb 6th 2007 3:23PM
Dell 9400 owner "ViriiGuy" is a PC repair guy by day, human lightning rod by night. His 17-inch laptop seems just dandy, other than a nasty habit of sending off between 19 and 65 volts of AC out of any screw on the bottom of the laptop. Along with the annoying result of making ViriiGuy "feel like a 9 volt battery" to his wife whenever he's using the laptop, the laptop also fried its own RAM and video card. After getting a replacement 9400 from Dell, along with couple more 9400s he was prepping for clients, VG noticed the exact same shocking dilemma on all three laptops. Reports have also surfaced of similar jolt coming out of a Inspiron 6400, and Dell's 17-inchers are mostly based off the same platform, so other Dell laptops of that size could be at risk as well. The latest word is that VG's own problems were solved by springing for a three-pronged grounded power adapter, but since Dell still hasn't fessed up to the problem, or offered up such adapters for free other than in a few isolated incidents, we thought we'd run this by you Engadget 
Shocking, isn't it?
Inspiron 9400 operator here... and I never noticed a jolt. If it makes a difference, I did not upgrade to the super shiny display. I would have, but work wouldn't pay for it since it's a business laptop.
It's rarely used off my desk, though.
I have an Inspiron 9400, with the Truelife 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) and have *never* experienced such an issue. Not in my house, not on the road, not at my office nor those of my customers... I live in The Netherlands and we have 230v AC, but I went to the US last year and brought the 9400 with me and didn't experience this issue either. My collegue owns a 9300 with the same 17" WUXGA screen and I never heard anything like this from him..
Perhaps this "ViriiGuy" dude needs to take a look at the powersources in his house and make sure everything is grounded properly, so he doesn't get static shocks.
One thing: the 9400 does get a little heated over time, always make sure you place it on a flat surface so there remains an airflow underneath it.
I have a gateway laptop that manages to shock me at the usb ports. pretty regularly when i pick it up.
No i am not putting my fingers into the ports they are metal on the outside.
Not a Dell, but not a good laptop either.
I have a 1505 and have noticed this for a while (though in the beginning I wasn't sure if I was imagining things or not...) Very low level shocks coming from the bottom of the machine if I'm holding it on my stomach or legs. For me it seems to be related to the adapter coming halfway unplugged from the machine--not enough to force the machine to run on its battery, but enough that the plug is loose. If I push it the rest of the way in it seems to stop.
my macbook does that to me when plugged into certain outlets
"so other Dell laptops of that size could be at risk as well."
wow. let's go from 0-60 in no time. way to sensationalize a problem some people have come across. i guess we know why some minor problems get blown out of proportion. you're as bad as network news... "which common household item can kill your kids. tune in at 11."
I wonder who this is more embaressing for - Dell, or the US electronics safety regulatory agencies?
It's quite surprising how we're seeing so many problems, not from what the electricity does when it's at the laptop (which I would have thought the hardest), but simply getting the power there.
That's a good area for some innovative engineer to make a lot of money, if we have any of those standing by...
Had this occur on both x300 and D420
Oh crap. I actually noticed a strange surge on my Inspiron 9300 (17") yesterday, and found it odd as it wasn't the battery unit that beeped or anything, the laptop just sort of dimmed the screen real quick. Atleast it was on the tile floor. I sure hope that's not the problem...
Wow, I didn't belive it until I checked it out. I am reading 16-24 volts on several of the screws on the bottom of 2 of 8 9400s that I just checked. Definately not a laptop that you want to have on your lap... I'll have to see what a grounded adapter does.
Dell Inspiron 9400 and no problems.
Like I said in my other post, I've experience this same phenomenon many times. I have also experienced it in many locations. My house had all the wiring re-done in 2003 and all outlets are properly grounded.
We have ~20 of the 9400's purchased over the last year or so. Dell has changed the specs here and there, but I have yet to hear of any of our folks getting shocked by them. Its been a couple weeks since we got a new one, so I guess something new could be doing it. FWIW they changed to the two prong plug in March of last year (for us anyway).
I knew this feeling from a very old Panasonic laptop.
Oh how I love the prickle... ;)
Happens only when standing bare-footed on the ground.
Btw: try to touch someone else on the cheek while holding the laptop :)
Prickle? Is that when the laptop tickles your pickle?
So he was using an ungrounded electronic device and got shocked? Alert the media.
The point is that Dell should be including grounded adapters, not two-pronged ones.
My two month old Mac Book Pro has a voltage on the outside of the case when it's plugged in but not grounded. It's not 65V, or anything, but it's still annoying. Anyway, I've been searching around a while to see if anyone else has this problem, but to no avail until reading about this similar scenario. I never bring the long grounded cable with me since the power adapter is already too big, so now i just deal with a little shock here and there. Anyone else?
Yep, a little sharp tickle touching the case near the trackpad, when it is plugged but not grounded. My MacBook Pro is a couple of months old, and has it. OK though when the power is grounded.
no problems with my laptop
My MacBook shocks me all the time. I just hold the plug in my mouth for a second while I open the laptop and ZZZZTTTTT!!!! I have no eyebrows.
Maybe those users have higher than normal conductivity.
So don't buy Dell products. My computer came with a proper power adaptor.
Well, I work on Dell laptops a lot, being an IT help-desk employee at a University, and we get all kinds of ridiculous complaints, but have never heard anything about any of them shocking their users. Seems a little ridiculous, and I understand that things work in mysterious ways, but current traveling through those screws in the bottom of the case seems unlikely, based on the internal structure of the laptops. Of course, I don't design 'em- i just replace the internals when they break.
I have a dell 6400 with the better display and YES i do get little shocks every other time i touch it. I thought its ok, but i guess its not...should i call dell and address this problem?
My Inspiron 8400 with the UXGA 15" screen nearly blows my hand off at the wrist every time I go to set it down and touch a screw. Seriously, it hurts.
I have a 3 prong plug, but that doesn't seem to stop much.
Sometimes when I plug in my G4 Powerbook, I can see a little spark between the plug and the socket. It never happens when I use the grounded extension attachment though.
It's winter, the air is dry, and this is called "static electricity". Sheesh.
My laptop shocks me almost every time I put it down. It's an Acer. It's got a 3 pronged plug.
Both of my desktops at work - one Mac, one PC - shock me all the time too.
It's that time of year. Why do people need to freak out at every little thing?
There's a difference between 'that time of year' (I presume you mean static problems), and having a 60+Volt AC current at the chassis of the machine.
Static is a minor problem -- mostly just annoying, and generally consists of a short (microsecond) burst.
This problem sounds like a more continuous voltage discharge. It's also annoying in most cases, but in a worst case (depending on the discharge path), it's capable of causing (or contributing to) a heart attack. Even when it's not threatening someone's life, there seem to have been reported cases of this electric potential problem frying parts of the computer.
(and, yes, static can fry computers too, but engineers have gotten pretty good at protecting the parts most at risk).
So thats what happens when you don't have a grounded power adapter... I've always wondered why my brothers Inspiron 6400 has been the only laptop I've ever seen that just has a simple polarized two prong plug... Conspiracy to kill Dell users?
Dell Inspiron 9300 here, quite frequently when i go to unlock my computer after sitting down at the computer it will shock my left hand :P every time!
I have 9400 and I get shocked every time I touch the thing. Might just be my static environment.
Well if it was a two prong plug problem then I should get shocked by my ThinkPad right? The IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads don't use a grounded power supply.
I am a 9400 user and I have never felt a jolt before. Maybe the occasional static after using my notebook but nothing too serious. However, if there is a widespread problem, Dell should investigate and address this problem ASAP, for the safety of Dell users and Dell's reputation.
This happened to me last year with my 6300. I was on the phone with Dell for no more than 30 seconds (once I talked to a tech) and a replacement was on the way, which turned out to be a 9300.
I get zapped by my PCMCIA slot every once in awhile... Older 600m laptop.
This is an old but still serious issue.
http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=13577828
I have a 9300 and an eMachines laptop that has the same problem, both of which have three prong adapters. Any time any of the non-conductive coating/paint is removed from these laptops, you are going to run into this issue.
This isn't a static electricity issue. The current will continue to flow, and not just spark like ESD.
Dell fanboys, to your battlestations!!!
I have the XPS Gen2 (basically the first E1705). I have never had this problem, but mine came with a higher powered brick that is properly grounded with 3 prongs.
My Clevo M57U (17" WUXGA Glossy, Core Duo) has a grounded adapter but easily transmits voltage from connected devices. I was getting shocks off it one day, measured 84 volts to ground, and started unplugging things until it normalized. Turns out the cable TV (coaxial F-type connector) was doing it. Puzzling, since the cable line is grounded in two places to water pipes.
Sean, if you measure voltage with a high-impedance meter (most are), it's possible to measure voltages that are induced onto a cable by nearby electrical wires. Given that the current that can be generated by this is very low, it's not necessarily a cause for concern.
To test this, just put a ~10K resistor between the things you're measuring. If you still see the voltage, then you might start to worry.
If you get shocked only the first time you touch your laptop (say, after walking around and putting it down), then that's probably static electricity.
If you get shocked every time you touch a certain part of your laptop (and you don't move much between shockings), then that's probably a potentially dangerous design defect.
Hi Carl,
Thanks for your tip. I measured with a Fluke TrueRMS series meter, if that helps. The laptop is not connected to the cable line at the moment so I can't try, but when one part of my body was grounded (for instance to my mix desk chassis) and I touched one of the laptop's screws or the serial port shield etc, there was a very prominant (but not painful) current flow. Very similar to those prank toy shockers. That gave me reason to believe there is a significant flaw somewhere. I will measure again with a resistor in series next time as you suggested and see what happens.
I bought an Inspiron 9400 last August, and had the same issue with random bolts of electricity. I was getting zapped through the side of the case, just where I rest my wrists when typing.
Two support calls and one motherboard later, Dell sent out a 3 prong power adapter, which seems to have solved the issue.
My dishwasher shocks me, if I touch the insides of it while having my other hand in running water... Hurts like hell... Not a Dell dishwasher though...
Funny thing is, that the instructions explicitly stated that a grounded connection was not to be used.
I have 2 e1705 (same base as the 9400) and get jolted by both of them. One of them has already had the network adapter and processor fail. Dell sent a new Motherboard for that one. Will have to call in the other one as well before it goes and see what they do.
ELECTRIC TAPE!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! used almost 1 roll on every dell laptop ive had (1)
My understanding is that laptops use a very high voltage power source for the LCD back-light, and that this can induce a current in other metal components in the vicinity. Happens on my Thinkpad quite often :)
This is most likely a leakage current issue. As part of the UL certification process there is a requirement for a maximum leakage current when the power supply is ungrounded.
The test is performed with all varieties of power outlet mistakes (hot and neutral reversed, only hot or only neutral connected, only one connected and reversed). It sounds like perhaps Dell switched power supplies and "forgot" to re-check with UL. I'm not sure what the leakage specification is for ITE equipment, but 3 mA can give you a pretty good jolt. I think around 8 mA it starts to get lethal.
The screws are probably signal-grounded and if you're touching something that's earth-grounded you provide the path for the return current. This is why getting a three-prong plug solves the issue. It could also be related to your house wiring/operating voltage/operating frequency.