Electric Shock from headphone jacks at front of Acer Laptop

[HeyJude]

Hello, hoping someone can help me. I have an acer laptop about 6 months old, yesterday for the first time I used headphones which plug into the front of the computer, now after unplugging them I am recieving an electric shock from the socket. Please Help, it hurts!

[Geoff]

Sounds like it was badly grounded.

[Andrew_C]

Was this a "proper" mains electrical shock, a tingle or a static shock? If the first; you need to get the power supply tested urgently, the second will be less urgent, and the third possibly just one-of-those-things.

[bossman]

Geoff: LMAO at your comment, had vision of HeyJude dropping said laptop with headphones in and getting a shock.

 

It's been a very heavy week and iv'e bin under the weather but thanks for that Geoff perked me up no end.

[HeyJude]

Sorry the "Newbie" should have been more specific, it is not a mains shock, I am still alive and not frothing from the mouth. Also it is not static electricity, it is as suggested a tingle, but it still hurts and makes using the mousepad on the laptop very difficult as my hands sit in front of the jack where the 'shock' is coming from. Any ideas what to do????

[bossman]

Maybe you are one of those electro sensitive people i was watching on telly the other night on Panorama hehe!

[Andrew_C]

There shouldn't be anything in that part of a laptop to do that, (5V & 12V being the norm), there may be more in the display, but I wouldn't expect anything to give you a tingle from the headphone socket. Try measuring it with a multimeter, if more than 12V, take it back. On second thoughts, at 6 months old take it back anyway!

[TechMonkey]

I have to say I get this sometimes off one corner of a tablet I have and the PS2 plug (not used so dangling uselessly) on a wireless keyboard reciever. Nothing major, just annoying can can build up to be slightly painful. Not intensity just if it is in place for a length of time.

[HeyJude]

Thanks everyone for your input, can't take it back, I bought it from the UK whilst living in Zambia and am now living in Mauritius. It's quite weird because until I used the headset I had never had the problem, may have to learn to hold my hands on a different angle.

 

As a newbie it is great to see so many replies so quickly.

 

Thanks

 

Jude

[bishopsgarthstockton]

Maybe you are one of those electro sensitive people i was watching on telly the other night on Panorama hehe!

 

roflmao

[Geoff]

Just put some electricians tape over the hole?

[webman]

Just put some electricians tape over the hole?

 

Then he wouldn't be able to use headphones... bit of a compromise though 8)

[Geoff]

Well you could punch a hole in the tape for the headphone jack?

[HeyJude]

Please don't laugh but it looks like I am going to need a lot of tape, I am now getting zapped from the Disk Drive, the USB ports and the power inlet port. I live in a third world country so gettig someone to look at it is a nightmare. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggh, ouch, *&%$

[bishopsgarthstockton]

all jokes aside. disconnect the power and battery and open the thing up. the must be a lose connection in there.

 

If you dont fix it, you could be the first person to be murdered by a laptop

[Andrew_C]

NOT the laptop. I really think you need to get the PSU checked over by someone who knows what they're doing. Can you measure the voltage from the ground of the laptop to true earth? Outside of the connectors (printer etc) to a waterpipe or metal socket. It should be near to 0 (checked mine, 0.05V DC)

 

The PSU connector should give 0V and about 20V relative to earth, this shouldn't be enough to tingle.

[_Bob_]

Why not just invest in a pair of rubber gloves?

 

[Joedetic]

Check whether you are getting the issue when the PSU is plugged in, when the laptop is fully charged, when it's not fully charged, when the battery is draining etc.

 

This might help you locate the problem. I must say i get that quite a lot when i'm plugging in USB/firewire hard drives. I think it's to do with the common ground that is used when designing devices and often there's small faults in PSU devices that most people dont notice but sometimes it causes a current to flow through that common grounding.

[HeyJude]

Still alive this morning, and yes you are right it is quite serious, I finally discovered it was the power socket I was using, have now plugged into another one and no more getting zapped, just hope there is not damage to the laptop. Thanks for the help.