M1330/M1530 "shocking" users

Article about how the M1330 and M1530 is shocking/tingling some users:

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49295100,00.htm

This is apparently a side effect of the conductive brushed metal casing and the lack of a grounded three-prong plug.

Searching the forums for "shock prong", I it sounds like this has been an issue with Macbooks, Sonys, HPs, and Dells... at least.

I haven't noticed the problem on my M1530.
Isn't there a concern with screwing up some peripheral device with electrostatic discharge?

 

It is actually related to the electrical outlet. How many laptops do you know of that have 3 prong plugs. Your electrical outlet needs to not be grounded properly for this to happen. That is why most people don't experience this. If you are getting shocked plug it in to a different outlet in another house or your job and you'll see that the tingling goes away. If you get tingling you better fix your electrical outlet becuase it is not wired properly.

 

All I can say is "yikes".

 

Uhhh..my 600m has 3 prongs...same with my girlfriends inspiron....

 

My m1330 has a 3prong plug.

 

I think he meant to answer his rhetorical question that most do, which is why you don't usually hear about this "shocking" issue.

 

The only shock I got from mine so far is just how good my M1330 is!

 

^^^I second that- well said

 

I have an ancient Inspiron 7000 from 1999 that I still use.
I gets shocks from it when it is running only on battery power.

I'm wondering how a 3 pronged plug is going to help when the thing isn't plugged in.

 

I still got "shocked" when touching the metal palmrest when it was on battery power too. A three pronged plug won't help in that situation. With my sucky screen, wacky touchpad, and the electrical shocks, I returned my 1530 back to Dell.

 

Actually, when I went to a Dell dealer yesterday to check out my coming D630, I also had the chance to touch the M1330. When moving my fingers up and down across the metal palmrest, it did felt tingly but not like a shock.

 

Yeh i get that aswell on the M1530 palm rest, it only happens when the laptop is charging but never when i use the laptop off the battery.

 

I felt that tingling while trying out a Sony SZ at Best Buy. I thought it was the hard drive vibrating or something. It felt more like a vibration than an electrical shock. I can see how it would be annoying though.

 

I've had like a slight high vibrating feeling that's it. Thought it was the cooler under my 1330

 

My M1330 used to give me low level shocks infrequently but it gave me a hand-numbbing shock today when touching the right mouse button. My thumb still feels numb. I may have to contact Dell support.

 

I live in Japan and here for some weird reason there is no ground. In my apartment I only have one outlet that is grounded and its for the washing machine. We do get grounded cables though, they look like this but since there are no outlets that support them they are pretty much useless. The M1330 with its aluminium palmrest (why didnt they just use plastic!?) and its serious design fault make perfect conditions to get shocked here anytime you touch one. Ive had 2 M1330, both I sent back to Dell and they claimed they exchanged the AC adapter and the palmrest on both and it still didnt help.
I did lots of experimenting too and actually found out that, the "shocking feeling" depends on many things. This may sound weird but Im not making anything up. You may want to check your environment, like the humididty, the flooring, if you are wearing shoes or not, and the most important of all(!) if your skin is dry or not.
I found out that in a dry environment and with dry skin its much easier to feel the voltage on the palmrest. To test this, just use some hand lotion and then touch the pamrest again. Weird stuff, I thought it would be the other way around but maybe oily (?) skin leads the extra voltage from the palmrest away easier. (And makes you act as earth)
And I spend hours with Dell on the phone. I wanted them to admit that the M1330 has a design fault but they didnt. Instead they kept telling me "Another guy called in for the same reason and he went down to the local compuer store to touch the palmrest on one there to compare. He found out that the computers in the stores also have the "shocking" feeling on the palmrest so this is how the M1330 is designed". Dell fools!