Zenbook Trackpad Problem Related to Electrical Issues (UX31A)

I recent purchased the UX31A-DH51 from Best Buy but have noticed I have the same issue my friend had with his Zenbook. I had previously assumed this was the jumpy trackpad issue people had been referring to in the forums and that updating to the correct drivers would alleviate the issue. After having the computer for a few days I believe the issue may be related to a physical hardware problem.


The issue:
Occassionally when using the trackpad the mouse cursor will shake slightly or, if two finger scrolling, the scroll bar may shake up and down. Sometimes this is much more noticeable and the cursor will actually jump around, maybe an inch each time, and click things randomly.

Isolating issue:
I am able to repeatedly reproduce this issue by connecting the computer to the charger, placing it on a wooden desk, and using only 1 finger and holding it on the trackpad. Ensuring that my palm, nor my other hand, is making any contact with the chassis.

If I hold down my finger on the trackpad and pick up the laptop with the other hand, the jumpyness stops. If just lay my hand on the computer and use the trackpad that way, it's reduced. If I place it on my lap, it is also reduced (even through clothing).

Something is definitely wrong with my laptop outside of any trackpad driver issue. There is clearly some sort of grounding that I'm doing and there must be a short inside the case where a component is touching the chasis (hypothesis). I know my computer came slighly warped so I'm thinking that may have something to do with it. However, my friend, with the only other Zenbook I;ve seen in person, had the exact same issues and more besides (All finicky electrical seeming issues). After searching online I do see a lot of trackpad issue posts and a number of power related issues where the computer fails to turn on randomly.

This leads me to believe there is an inherent flaw in the construction of these laptops but I'm posting here to see if anyone else can provide insight or if they're able to reproduce anything by following those instructions.

I've also taken a video to try and demonstrate the issue I'm having. I posted it on youtube but the quality is quite bad as it was taken in a room with poor lighting and on my cellphone. Try to fullscreen and put it on 720p to get a bit clearer picture of the actual mouse cursor movement. You can listen as well as the cursor ended up opening a window then causing a bunch of dings to go off when it was clicking outside the window. Gives you a sense of how many times it's clicking.

Asus Zenbook Trackpad Problem - YouTube

Please let me know if anyone finds anything similar

EDIT: Returned the laptop and bought another, exact same issue on another brand new Zenbook. Another video here: http://youtu.be/sGDUm-nDGVc

 

I have a Zenbook UX51VZ, and unfortunately(?) I have not had the same issue, but somewhat similar. Is the power adapter supplied a 2-pin or a 3-pin (with grounding in the wall socket)? My original adapter broke and I bought a 3rd party power adapter from ebay. When I have it plugged in, I can definitely feel a small amount of current going through the backside of the screen. Turns out it is probably caused by the 3rd party adapter (the issue only arises when I have it plugged in, and it did not have the problem on the original 3-pin adapter) because it is 2-pin only and has no grounding.


So, is your power adapter grounded?

 

A lot of people seem to be reporting electrical-related problems, due to the material used for the chassis and case by case basis' internal issues with grounding.

If you're using a grounded plug and adapter, you might want to contact Asus.

 

It was a 2 pin connecter without ground (like this one: http://techreport.com/r.x/asus-zenbook-ux31/acadapter.jpg)

Although from a bit of the reading I've done online it seems that laptops aren't supposed to be grounded as they have to operate in conditions where they wouldn't be plugged in and charging. So I believe even if the power adapter has a ground, it's only grounding the adapter and not the actual laptop (I'm no expert, but seems to be the consensus).


With that said, I've returned my previous Zenbook within the 14 day time limit from Best Buy and they ordered another one for me online. When this one arrives I'll try to test out and see if there any electrical issues.

I don't have much hope for the computer, and even if it doesn't show issues right away I almost don't feel comfortable with it knowing how many people are posting about random electrical issues. I've only got a 1 year warranty and I was buying Asus as I knew they had a statistically lower chance of failing.. clearly that is not the case with this model

 

I believe the grounding wire does in fact provide a path from the chassis to the ground. But if your laptop is plugged in, your neutral prong is already a path from *live* to ground (and the "live" prong is where surges come from).

 

Well I received my new Zenbook today and unfortunately it has the same issues.

No one else is honestly not able to reproduce this?

This one is not warped at all, so it wasn't related to that. Doesn't seem to be related to drivers either as it was happening right from the get go before any Asus updates went through and happened after I updated them as well.

This makes me sad.

Sit on a couch, plug in your computer, lay it on your table, and put just on single finger on the trackpad and hold it there. No shaking at all?

How can it be possible that the only 3 I've seen in person all do this and they were all brand new (and all slightly different models of UX31A).

 

Took a video of the new one too. Exact same issue

Have a look, bit better quality than the first
Asus Zenbook Trackpad Electrical Issue - YouTube

 

Well I've got even more bad news. I just took my laptop out to the kitchen and laid it on the counter top and it goes crazy out there not even plugged in. So while I can get to happen every time while plugging it in, I can also get it to happen depending on where it's laid and what I'm standing on.

So it's not even possible that it's related to poor grounding in my house or poor grounding in the adapter, the laptop itself is definitely faulty. And for anyone that owns one, that fact that I've seen 3 in a row with this issue is bad news, these are poorly constructed. I cannot believe that I've seen this on three of them.

Maybe theyre manufactured in a different facility for Canada or for Best Buy locations in Canada. I'm going to be returning this one as well and not getting another. Infact, I don't know how I even feel about Asus products anymore. Most of the posts online in other forums regarding grounding issues with laptops seem to be Asus laptops.

I feel like calling Asus and asking about it but I know that I'm returning it regardless and I don't want a replacement, I just want to know how many have reported this problem. But I doubt the customer service agent I'd talk to would even provide me any information like that and just advise sending it in for repair.


EDIT: Well I decided to call Asus Canada support and as I suspected, apparently I was the first to report this issue. I explained it best I could and was told that they would make note of it and send it to the appropriate representative. I asked if they could contact me if they determined what was the cause.

I'd like to point out that my friend also created a case, with these issues, over a month ago so it has clearly been reported before. Fail Asus

 

You have explained very well. It does sound like a short or the like. Sad thye don't seem to care more. I have bought 3Asus and everyone has had an issue. From melting the keyboard to two GPU's failing. I have never bothered to call them but I am just lucky. I hope my current last?

 

I have a UX31A and I can reliably reproduce this issue by plugging into my non-OEM charger, but it does not happen with my American OEM charger (nor does it happen when it's not plugged in). The surface doesn't seem to matter. I will see if I can figure out more about the issue - it may have to do with an unstable wave pattern in my lousy home electricity (I live in Papua New Guinea).

 

I have the same problem and only when using a non - oem charger. I'm afraid it might damage my Zenbook so I'm not using it again. Just shelled out $68 for the oem adp-45w for fear of causing permanent damage. At what % does your charger light change from amber to green?

I've also noticed that if connected to external monitor if you close lid the track pad runs amok and the cursor jumps around wildly on the screen. I have to leave the lid slightly open to allow use of external monitor with lid sort of closed.

 

Bump

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk 2

 

I also face the same problems with my UX32L and its driving me nuts.
Its a productivity killer and a source of irritation and anger when not hitting (as in i clicked somewhere else than i intended) your intended "target" on a computerscreen because your mousecursor moved somewhat when you left-clicked on your trackpad because that involved moving your finger a bit and the ZenBook-trackpad has motionsensortech all over its buttons. I have never seen buttons covered in motionsensortech controlling the mousecursor just as forcefully as the bigger rectangluar of the trackpad which is accepted as defacto standard for mousing on a laptop.

Why this sudden need to change ASUS !"#!"#?

So i think we must do the best of the the situation and come up with a fix that makes the laptop usable again.
Here are mine.

1) Maybe it is possible to disable 1-1,5 CM of motionsensoring where the buttons are via a software-patch disabling the motionsensoring in that area.
2) Maybe lay a fine coat of some plastic over the 1-1,5 CM where the buttons are located so the motionsensory on the frontrow of the trackpad gets disabled.

Any other sugestions people ? Thanks.