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    Plugging into an outlet with no ground?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by JohnnyFlash, Mar 5, 2009.

  1. JohnnyFlash

    JohnnyFlash Notebook Virtuoso

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    How bad is it?

    One of my classrooms only has non-ground plugs available, so I have no choice. What am I risking here?
     
    JohnnyFlash, Mar 5, 2009
    #1
  2. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

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    Your risking destroying your laptop :)
     
    nizzy1115, Mar 5, 2009
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  3. ahl395

    ahl395 Ahlball

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    ^^^

    yeah, i guess. But its very unlikely anything will happen. ;)
     
    ahl395, Mar 5, 2009
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  4. namaiki

    namaiki "basically rocks" Super Moderator

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    Perhaps when you are listening with headphones you might hear buzzing?
     
    namaiki, Mar 5, 2009
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  5. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    I don't think it is a big problem. I had a Dell Inspiron series laptop which had a 2-wire AC cable. It did not have any ground line in its original adapter.


    --
     
    ramgen, Mar 5, 2009
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  6. Estlander

    Estlander Notebook Consultant

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    You're risking damaging your computer should there be a power surge. Never keep your laptop plugged into an outlet like that during high winds and thundestorms. Other than that, you'll probably be okay.
     
    Estlander, Mar 5, 2009
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  7. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    grounding the power adaptor is not going to make a difference. Most power adaptors only have two prongs anyways, so your system is not grounded. Your items are only grounded when the plug has three wires.
    If you have a power adaptor with three pins sticking out of it, you will need a 3 prong to 2 prong adaptor. No problems will happen to your laptop when plugged into a 2 prong non grounded outlet.

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Mar 5, 2009
    #7
  8. Spyder1911

    Spyder1911 Newbie

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    Doubt it. The ground is to protect you if something were to short out to say, the metal case of a power drill. The case would be connected to ground so that the current would go through it and hopefully not through you.

    The buzz your commonly hear is called 60 cycle hum and is due to improper shielding of electrical components i.e. not using a ferrite filter.

    Again not very likley. The "hot" and "cold" contacts shouldn't be connected to the ground unless something shorted out in the laptop. Not saying that the laptop wouldn't get fried by the lightining, just that it would most likley get fried w/ or w/o the ground.
     
    Spyder1911, Mar 5, 2009
    #8
  9. JohnnyFlash

    JohnnyFlash Notebook Virtuoso

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    I'm in Asia, so the two and three prong plugs look and fit the same.

    But I'd rather risk any of these things, I'm going to ask the school put one in from me. I'll by the power bar and just have them run it in I guess. I don't here until next week, so lots of time. Thanks for the input.
     
    JohnnyFlash, Mar 5, 2009
    #9
  10. J&SinKTO

    J&SinKTO Notebook Deity

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    I live in Asia too - been using a 2 prong plug (Korean style - 220V) on 3 different laptops for over 4+ years - no issues with power, batteries or anything.
     
    J&SinKTO, Mar 6, 2009
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  11. Althernai

    Althernai Notebook Virtuoso

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    Check that your laptop actually has a "ground" before you start worrying. I have the same situation (whoever built these 15-20 year old French houses clearly didn't anticipate the coming of computers) and I was pretty worried about it, but then I checked my laptop and it turns out it only has 2 prongs anyway. The adapter likes to have a ground for some reason, but it has worked just fine without it for half a year or so.
     
    Althernai, Mar 6, 2009
    #11
  12. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    No problem unless your notebook is one of those that produces floating voltage and has exposed metal parts. In that case you may get a tingling in the fingers (but it's not dangerous).

    If there is a power surge then I don't think grounding will help unless you have a surge suppressor at the wall socket.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Mar 6, 2009
    #12
  13. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    My laptop is never "grounded"...

    My old Medion only has a "non ground" plug...
    And my adapter in the UK doesn't support it on my Vaio...

    2,5 years and no problems so far in the UK...
    Where lights flicker as the power supply isn't stable...
     
    DetlevCM, Mar 6, 2009
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  14. agusman

    agusman when the going gets weird

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    I use my XPS at home with no grounding and I only get that barely felt "tingling" thing, no other problem.

    just be careful if you connect it to some other device (such as a TV or other laptop) that isn't grounded either, as they might ground each other, or something like that (some guy posted that his laptop fried through an S-video cable some days ago, due to ungrounded TV and laptop)
     
    agusman, Mar 6, 2009
    #14
  15. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    If I'm just doing some thinking...
    I believe my grandmother's plasma TV isn't grounded...

    It had a cable supplied to connect via VGA...

    But then:
    Most appliances in Germany aren't grounded... in the UK just about everything is...
    ???
     
    DetlevCM, Mar 6, 2009
    #15
  16. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    It might depend what type of mains cable you have , if you have an figure 8 plug going into your power adapter then it`s not grounded as it only has 2 wires.

    But if you have an cloverleaf plug it has 3 wires so it might be grounded.

    Get a good surge protector!
     
    Tinderbox (UK), Mar 6, 2009
    #16