Sony SZ 110 - 120 (brushed metal finish) Electric shock / tingle on palmrest ?

Same problem here, I have a Vaio SZ120P. Seems to me that the tingle is stronger near the touchpad... but I can live with that.

 

I thought I was feeling odd sensations. Now after finding the forums I realized I'm not the only one. I have a new SZ360. Plugged in I can feel it under my left palm.

I'll try the 3-prong Targus brick.

 

But Targus has tip for SZ-3XX?

 

i recently purchased a sony sz330p from compusa. after i got home, i didnt burn a recovery cd (i should never overestimate sony's support for drivers) and proceeded to run a dban disk wipe and fresh install of xp pro

i've followed the order listed on sony's site and here as well for installing drivers and such (i did run into the system hang issue on shutdown but installed hotfix) but after i installed all of my personal applications i noticed that the bluetooth module while lit up is not working. After attempting to run toshiba stack install again i noticed that it gets to 100 percent and the setup never completes, or never gives me an installation success message at the end. ive ran widcomm installation with custom drivers and i've tried the toshiba stack from the european site which was mentioned in a thread here somewhere also. After doing this, and reformatting and trying it all again, my bluetooth stays lit up but nothing recognizes it (i dont have bluetooth in control panel and the run command for bluetooth doesnt work either) im running a slipstreamed sp2 winxp cd and i've applied all windows updates. I think i've read in here that some others have ran into this issue and they needed the recovery cd, so i ordered one, but im wondering if anyone has found a way to get bluetooth working without the **** recovery cd. can anyone assist me further? Please dont ask me if i have it enabled

 

Sigh..I just purchased the SZ360 tonight, so happy, it's everything I wanted.. Camera, Bluetooth and Finger Print scanner.. and while search for accessories, I found out the shocking news.. and after testing it.. no doubt I have the same issues too. So my questions are what if Sony or us spray those no conductive paint at the under side of the case? would that solves the problem? or the easier way is to buy VGP-AC19V12 like the other poster suggested? or even some converter to convert it to 3 prons? I love the notebook and I don't want to return it.. but I need to get that solved or else I guess I have no choice but to return it..

Can someone test the 3 pron solutions and see if it works? if not would it work if we spray paint the underside case?

 

Also guys, how do I order the VGN19V12 AC adapter from the US? cuz I don't see no store carries them and I don't think Sony UK will ship it to here either, and I have no one that lives there.. so what's the best solutions? btw, I don't see no Targus plug that will work with our SZ series notebook... debating if I should return my notebook..

Last question, does anyone know other brand of notebook, Fuji, toshiba, or HP that has very similar specs like sony sz360? I need fingerprint scanner and camera + 2gb ram and a good video card.

 

Here is some information I really suggest people that are affected with this problem to report to CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) Here is the link: http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html also I was reading some onther web pages, a ex-employee of sony says, it takes news media coverage to get sony to do something, so here is the link to CNN News Feedback: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/ where you can post a news tip for CNN to report. I am sorry, I would love to post over those places, but my grammer and poor spelling will hinder the effort to get them to recognize about the issues.. so people, please help everybody out here to get SONY to replace the AC adapter if that is the cause..

 

Good luck trying to find a fix for the electric shock problem. A true 3-prong power supply may resolve this issue, but it is very difficult to find (see other posts here). Also, how can you justify spending a couple hundred dollars more for a laptop that already costs three thousand dollars?

SONY has been fully aware of this problem for a long time and has refused to fix it. Your recourse is to refuse buying their defective product. That's exactly what I did -- I promptly returned my defective SZ360 and no longer have to worry about getting a 3-prong power supply, painting the palmrest areas with ani-static paint, wearing rubber shoes when using my laptop, etc.

There are other cheaper options than the SZ if you like having current constantly running through your body -- like wrapping an electric fly zapper under your wrists.

 

You know what.. I truly agree with you, however.. I finally found what I am looking for, so it's really hard to part from the notebook, however I can't stop being reminded about the electric shock. So stopped by my local sony store to see if their demo has the same problem or not, and guess what, all their demo has suffered the same problem, so I ask a rep if they can feel it, and sure enough, he said "oh my" he didn't know about it till today and I ask him if they carry the 3 pronged ac adapter and he flatly said "NO". so I am really losted.. I have 15 days to return the notebook, so I guess I will search nice and hard for a solution for a day or two, and if I can't find it then I will return it within my 15 days and get my full refund.. I really can't believe sony refuse to fix a such simply problem by providing use a 3 pronged plug that the UK has been using for so long.. sigh.. I have long learned to hate them, however I kept buying their stuff...

 

There is no concrete evidence that a 3 prong power supply will resolve this problem. Just like you, I also struggled with returning it and wanted to keep it because the **** thing is so fast and sexy! But then I came to my senses and couldn't objectively justify keeping a defective product. There are other laptops in the same price range or slightly higher that are as good (if not better) than the SZ360.

As for me, I'm going to play the waiting game and see if the newer line will have this issue resolved. Advantageously, the newer models will come equipped with Vista pre-installed. It will be a nightmare and waste of many hours trying to configure the current model to run Vista. I rather let Sony iron out the bugs (or at least some of them) before I commit myself again...

 

You are right, however so far I couldn't find one that has the same spec if not better on any of the notebooks (Hate DELL, so DELL is out of the question). So Sony is the only one that's sexy and fast enough for me.. Windows Vista is good, I am getting that coupon anyways.. so I guess it's ok for me.. I just can't imagine every system at Fry's and Sony outlet all suffer the same issues.. anyways..I just got my Kensington AC Adapter and I am order the N27 adapter to work with my sony.. so when it arrives I will find out what I should do next.. But thanks for the advice.. I am on the very edge or returning it.. and since I have 14 days, I will use it fully to decide if this notebook is right for me.. Happy Holidays!!

 

hey guys, I have had my sz250p since the summer and a few months ago started to have this problem as well. It was making me physically ill when I used it for any period of time, muscle cramps, headaches, nausea, etc. I sent it off and there was some shielding installed to block the volt bleed and I just got it back and started using it again, problem is it did not fix it. Same as before, I will be fine before I use the sz, sick after, its freaking crazy. Has anyone had any luck dealing with sony on this issue? they sent me the 3-prong, not luck there, now shielding a no go, any ideas or suggestions? I would rather not have a $2500 paperweight. thanks

 

If you are an American, you have the option to sue and win tens of millions of dollars, provided that what you've said is true.

 

while I think Sony very much deserves a multimillion dollar class action judgment in a product liability case I hardly want to be the one who deals with the litigation against a massive international company...I just want a computer that doesnt make me sick when I try and work on it. I am having a difficult time getting a good reading off the palm rest, when I sent it off I was told they were getting over 1.2v before, i was reading high on some tries and less on others. Now after getting it back I am reading ~.777v - ~.900v AC when its plugged in and nothing for DC but after unplugging it i am getting a OL for the mV DC with it coming in around ~.50 - ~.60 v DC when it is unplugged. I have no idea why its doing this or jacking me up the way it is.

 

I am suprised that sony sent you a 3 pronged adapter and it did not work. most people said it would.. Now I am worried.. as most people suggest using a docking station would solves the problem and I bought a docking station and guess what, I still have the same problem, and I just bought a kensington 120w ac adapter and that ac adapter was defective from the start (no wonder there are so many refurbs out there), so either I get it exchanged tomorrow, or I will just return it for a refund and try the iGO since it has 3 pronged plug, but so far I have not have a very good luck with the notebook.. so might just return it.

 

The Targus APM12US 3-pronged adapter solves the electroshock issue for North American SZ models. I've been using it for the past 5 months without any problems. The cheapest place you can buy it is on ebay.

 

Try plugging the cord into a surge protector as they come with the "grounded" function...

 

Which power tip do you use for your SZ?

 

But I couldn't find any plug for the Sony SZ model.

 

i am using that 120w as well at home, it makes the problem much worse. The 3 prong lessens it but does not solve it. Also it doesent help when I am running on battery

 

I've never been able to tell if my SZ360P has this problem or not --- I've read about it here so much that I always *think* it has the electrical current issue (note: the recurring use of 'electric shock' to describe this problem is definitely a bit of a misnomer, me thinks ), but can't be sure if I'm just imagining it, or what.

In any case, it doesn't bother me that much. Gives the ol' lappy some personality, right?

 

I think the three prong will work well, only if the earthing has been installed correctly. There shouldn't be any form of current leakage issues.

This thread may help if you need to test the electrical points..

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=90502

 

the tech I am working with is telling me current lvls like I am getting are normal and are even present in the air at those lvls...is this true? are you guys getting and readings off yours, those of you that dont have a problem. and what lvls would be normal?...even if it is "normal" it makes me ill, I am ok today only because I am only touching the keys.

 

Here is my question, since our notebook are technically have no ground, if we are carrying static, it's winter time.. and we touch our metal palm rest area, what happends? Will we kill the componets inside the notebook? I like some one knowledgable about EE answer this question as I am really worried as the winter is approaching..

 

The adapter comes with a bunch of tips for various notebook models. The included S12 tip fits and powers my SZ and recharges the battery just fine.

 

Well, I checked the metal parts of my SZ360 P/C with the test light. And I found out that not only on fingerprint reader but also on the ports like iLink, usb, monitor out etc. there's electric leakage, while no light turned on the palmrest. maybe because the surface is too wide.

The same parts of my other notebook computer with grounded adaptor has no electricity btw.

 

This tops the most ridiculous things I heard this week, and I've been watching a lot of Comdey Network over the past few days.

If what the tech says is true, then electronic designers would not be able to test the operability of their circuits due to erroneous readings from this current supposedly floating through the ether. Why doesn't sony just solve this problem instead of making bogus excuses?

 

A large enough discharge can potentially damage the electronic components. Many off-shelf electronic components (particularly IC chips) are sensitive to the static voltage and must be handled with anti-static protection otherwise the chip gets fried.

The reason why the static discharge (say created by your wool socks rubbing against the carpet) generally does not damage your laptop is that it is not strong enough. Most of it gets dissipated through the metal housing, etc. before it can seriously damage the internal electronics of your machine. However, if you where to directly touch the printed circuit board, then you may actually cause damage.

 

Thanks for the reply, I know the leakage is not from the static, however since SZ series notebook basically has no ground but metal case, I was just wondering if we can fry the chips if we had static charge and got discharged because we were trying to handle the notebook. I would feel much safer if SONY would replace our ac adapter with a grounded version, that way I wouldn't have to worry about the leakage and the static when touching the notebook..

btw, I am sure this is not the first time sony uses metal as part of the case, so does the older notebook from sony suffers the same leakage issues?

 

I had an older Sony with no 3rd ground plug... Never felt electrical shock till owning this sz360p. I'm guessing the metal casing has a lot to do with it having static charge.

 

Thanks for your answer. And what model of SZ do you use? BTW the picture of S12 powertip you sent is of IGO. Are those tips of IGO and Targus the same?

 

SZ150 and the tips are the same.

 

I know this is a long time bump, but I just wanted to say while this was an occasional problem, I haven't felt this in almost a year... so maybe it just goes away?

 

PROBLEM FIXED

My SZ360p/c also has this problem. The electricity leak was even worse when I plug the laptop to 220V outlet. I was in Hong Kong and I tested the SZ that were in computer stores over there as well (about 6 of them). I was able to feel the electricity on almost all of them (except for 1).

I called sony about it and they sent me a new power adaptor with grounding. I received it in 2 days and now the problem is fixed.

When I was on the phone with Sony rep, they sounded as if they never heard of the problem. But after I explained what was going on to them, they didn't even bother telling me to bring the laptop in for diagnosis. They just sent me a new P/S. So it seems like they are aware of the problem, just wouldn't admit it.

 

Check out this link to the USCPSC regarding laptop issues including electric shock. The USCPSC has more that 660 incidents, more than 90 with human health effects.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cgi-bin/prod.aspx

 

My brother has a Vaio VGNCR35 the other day and everytime he types, he gets "shocks" on his wrists, bad thing is it's in Indonesia and don't know if they'll be able to get a replacement power supply for him.

 

i have a new SZ75 and i get the shock on the palmrest. Does anyway know whether it still affects the SZ series? I tried both the new (smaller) brick and the large brick from my old SZ. painful shocks for both

 

Does the power adapter have 3 pins? or just 2? the 3 pin version has 1 pin for grounding

strange that a new one would not have a 3pin power adapter

 

Both of them are 3 pin adapters. Both give palmrest electric shocks

 

strange, what country are you in?

 

does this happen with the sz600/700 models also?

 

i am in australia. and yes, i have a sz7XX series model.

 

2 A Fire Inside

I`m from Europe and have the same problem with SZ770NC (bought in USA). 2-pin power adapter.