# Strange vibrating feeling when touching electronic devices



## Warrgarbl (Oct 17, 2013)

Hello everyone,

there is something that has been bugging me a lot lately, and I fail to find an answer for what may cause it.

As the poorly worded thread title sais, sometimes, when I touch the surface of some electronical devices, such as certain MSI notebooks or my girlfriends iPad, and swipe over it with very VERY little pressure I have such a strange vibrating feeling coming off the device. It's not like the vibration you'd feel from a spinning HDD, and as soon as I hold my hands still I feel nothing. It is hard to describe just how it feels, but I would describe it as some kind of electrical vibration.

It seems like it mostly has to do with power supplies. As soon as I disconnect the power supply or change the orientation of the plug it usually vanishes. Heck, when my girlfriend holds her iPad and the power supply is plugged in in a certain orientation I can even feel her skin vibrate. When we plug the power supply in the other way or unplug it it is gone. She feels it too and it creeps her out.

I have absolutely no idea what causes this, and my coworkers are no help. Two of them feel nothing whilst one of them feels it very slightly.

Could anyone shed some light on what the hell this is?

Then again, maybe I am just oversensitive and / or should put on a tinfoil hat


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## RCoon (Oct 17, 2013)

Uh, grounding? What's the earthing like in Swiss houses?


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## Warrgarbl (Oct 17, 2013)

I have no idea. Well, here's a swiss power plug though:







The middle prong is for grounding. Oh, and everything that has to do with electricity is pretty much lost on me. I'm a PC guy, not an electrician.


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## Aquinus (Oct 17, 2013)

Warrgarbl said:


> I can even feel her skin vibrate. When we plug the power supply in the other way or unplug it it is gone. She feels it too and it creeps her out.



Are you sure that it is the device? Does this only happen to you? A doctor might be a better person to ask.


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## THE_EGG (Oct 17, 2013)

You're not oversensitive (unless I'm oversensitive too D: ). I find this too when I work on my taichi that has a metal housing and lightly move my finger over the shell. Weird stuff. I've only noticed it occurring on certain occasions and not all the time. Australian power delivery is renowned for being a bit up-down though and not constant which is a bit worrying but I guess it can contribute to it (only guessing and this would only apply to me). That being said it also happens on battery power.

Keen to hear an answer


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## zsolt_93 (Oct 17, 2013)

I have experienced this too, on my mom's laptop that has a metal surface. She has experienced it too. Although, from what i know the grounding in our house is poor and in some sockets inexistent with it being built ~60 years ago in a country where safety wasn't really the priority.


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## Iceni (Oct 17, 2013)

Have you changed your shoes or started to wear wool jumpers, or changed your hairbrush? You could be holding a slight static charge and it's that your feeling.

Try grounding yourself, Touch something earthed in the house like a radiator pipe, or one of your taps. And see if it goes away.


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## Mathragh (Oct 17, 2013)

I've felt something familiar on occasion. I suppose it could have something to do with the 50/60Hz frequency of AC. Your fingertips are extremely sensitive to very small changes in a surface, and I can imagine that it could result in you picking up either very small resonations, or very small changes in static charge in the surface of the metal as a result of AC current. 


I'm not saying this is the case for sure, but its the best explanation I can think of . It would at least also explain why you don't feel it when its not connected to the net, since then it'll only run off of AC current, which doesn't produce the low frequency oscillations you sense as "vibrations".

Edit: As some of you also report it happening when there's no AC connection, I suppose it could also be a sort of regularized static discharge that only happens when you move because of the fact that contact between the skin and metal then isn't that good, and static charge can build up a little bit and then at a certain point discharge again.


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## de.das.dude (Oct 17, 2013)

its not grounding. just the same thing when u swipe over wet glass and make squeaks. youre doing it slowly so the vibrations are not audible but are felt.

lol. you trippin balls yo


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## micropage7 (Oct 17, 2013)

maybe like when your pc connected but not turn on, you may feel trembling than when your pc on
i guess its normal since some people could feel more than the other


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## GSquadron (Oct 17, 2013)

When an earthquake happens only 2 or 3 people can feel it in a 100 people bases
This means that you have good feeling man 
This is a good sign, not kidding, it is your ability to feel conductivity
I feel that when touching my pc case at some parts but that releases a lot of energy


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## RCoon (Oct 17, 2013)

Aleksander said:


> When an earthquake happens only 2 or 3 people can feel it in a 100 people bases
> This means that you have good feeling man



I think you might be autism.


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## Kaynar (Oct 17, 2013)

THE_EGG said:


> You're not oversensitive (unless I'm oversensitive too D: ). I find this too when I work on my taichi that has a metal housing and lightly move my finger over the shell. Weird stuff. I've only noticed it occurring on certain occasions and not all the time. Australian power delivery is renowned for being a bit up-down though and not constant which is a bit worrying but I guess it can contribute to it (only guessing and this would only apply to me). That being said it also happens on battery power.
> 
> Keen to hear an answer



Exactly the same for me when I move my finger over my Lenovo Y500 laptop (anywhere on the back of the screen or around the trackpad. I'm not sure why is that, but its the first time I ever noticed something like that. It has been like this since the first day of the purchase, but even  when the laptop is powered off and without battery.

Damn we need an expect to give us a scientific explanation!

Although I'm pretty sure this only happens on specifically formatted aluminium surfaces and is a result of friction of this surface with the skin in the similar way you feel electricity when brushing a wool cloth on you.


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## RCoon (Oct 17, 2013)

"_I've come across this with all sorts of devices. There was a discussion on some newsgroup or other, where we concluded that:

The un-earthed power supply design was causing the conductive case to float to half of mains voltage. This bit's easily verifiable with a meter.

Some sort of nerve or muscular effect as a result of moving fingers over a surface with an AC voltage applied makes it feel 'rough' or 'sticky'._"

Low ampage voltage leak from an AC current. It only happens when you move your skin across the surface, if you keep it still, the effect is less noticable. Even the old Apple power books had this weird sensation, and the representitatives knew about it, but said the ampage is so low its perfectly safe.


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## de.das.dude (Oct 17, 2013)

ahh the best way to test is using that with an led. old one lead in ur hand and touch it to the computer. should glow. happens with the ethernet cables. i am guessing the grounding on your PSU or case is horrible.


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## Frick (Oct 17, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> happens with the ethernet cables.



Which is the way it should be.

But yeah sounds like grounding to me.


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## Red_Machine (Oct 17, 2013)

I get it with a lot of my electronic devices, too.  I figured that it's just because it has electrical current coursing through it at the time, so you can feel it on the metal parts of the chassis.


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## de.das.dude (Oct 18, 2013)

Frick said:


> Which is the way it should be.
> 
> But yeah sounds like grounding to me.



yes i checked in normal mode as well. led still glows. lol.


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## BiggieShady (Oct 18, 2013)

Frick said:


> But yeah sounds like grounding to me.



Most likely. Happened to me once, I had a grounded outlet that only looked like a grounded outlet. It wasn't *actually* grounded. The whole case was under low current. I switched couple of PSUs back then thinking it's a bad PSU problem, instead of testing the outlet right away. The solution, of course, was moving to a better apartment


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## CheezusCrust (Oct 18, 2013)

I've had the same issue with my Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus (Haswell), went away when I swapped out the standard power plug with one that has 3 pins.


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## itsakjt (Oct 18, 2013)

Even I felt this a lot of times. Let me come clear.
1) I felt it while using Apple devices on stores e.g. Mac books, iPhones and some Samsung and Asus Notebooks. Those were disconnected. That type of vibration is not electrical and can only be felt especially with very good quality products like the above ones.

2)The common one is grounding issues. A few years ago(5-6 years), my house didn't have earthing. At that time, when I touched my computer metal case, it felt like vibrating. Another thing. The vibration intensity is more when touched with one finger. When I used say 2,3 or 4 fingers, the vibration reduced and finally went away. I guess it has something to do with the current flowing. Obviously when using just one finger, more current was passed through that finger. But when multiple fingers were used, the current was distributed and reduced such that I couldn't feel anything at all or very little.


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## Swamp Monster (Oct 18, 2013)

RCoon said:


> The un-earthed power supply design was causing the conductive case to float to half of mains voltage. This bit's easily verifiable with a meter.



^^ This. 
Most Switching mode power supplies are made this way. You get half of mains voltage on device metal chassis if it is not grounded. But this is only leak current of some components so very small current, in most cases not hazardous. Some feel it less and some more, because when you touch that metal chassis then leakage current flows through you to lower electrical potential point - ground. The strength of effect you feel depends on contact electrical resistance + your body resistance + other material resistance that is in current's path to ground.
If your electrical appliances are properly grounded, then all leakage currents will flow directly to ground and there will not be any potential difference between you and device chassis = no voltage on chassis. You can measure voltage on chassis with voltage meter/multimeter on AC voltage mode. If you measure between yourself and chassis and you will see voltage level that your body will see if you touch that chassis.


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## Frag_Maniac (Oct 18, 2013)

Un-earthed main, but I would actually check the source. Meaning see how well your actual main power panel is grounded if you live in a house. If you're unsure, have an electrician inspect it. It's more crucial in Europe and  the UK, where they operate on higher voltage and Hz.


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## Stanford (Mar 5, 2015)

Warrgarbl said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> there is something that has been bugging me a lot lately, and I fail to find an answer for what may cause it.
> 
> ...




This is odd to me...I cant believe that no one has explained this yet.  I have a new MSI laptop and it feels as if my laptop is vibrating.


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## 95Viper (Mar 5, 2015)

You should have started your own new thread...

Maybe, fans, hard drive, or cd/dvd (if you have them) are a little out of balance.
You did not leave a cd/dvd in the drive, did you?

If you think it is electrical; or, the problem bothers you -->   take it back, get it serviced, RMA it, sell it, or open it and fix it (if you are skilled enough).

Welcome to TPU.


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## BumbleBee (Mar 5, 2015)

poor Chuck!


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## Jetster (Mar 5, 2015)

That's is exactly what I was thinking


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## OneMoar (Mar 5, 2015)

you have touched god


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## dom99 (Mar 5, 2015)

I've had this loads of times from different devices like sony Walkmans (old school) and iPods, laptops etc.

No idea what it is though, something electrical, only seemed to happen when plugged into the wall charging and when you move your finger accross a metal bit


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## yesyesloud (Mar 5, 2015)

welcome to the early stage of foil hat awakening


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## ChevyOwner (Mar 6, 2015)

If the device has a metal case it is probably a ground issue, and something is causing there to be power where it should not be.



Spoiler



*Don't try this it will probably end very badly.*
Don't do what I did when I was younger, and stupider. I was working on an outside light that was close to the ground, and stupidly I thought it was good enough to simply turn off the switch. For some reason the switch was wired wrong, and switched neutral not hot. Lets just say it could have ended far worse then my arm being sore for a few weeks.

I learned my lesson there the hard way.


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## P4-630 (Mar 6, 2015)

Warrgarbl said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> there is something that has been bugging me a lot lately, and I fail to find an answer for what may cause it.
> 
> ...



I'm experiencing the same, with both my Asus laptops which have an aluminum palm rest area, no problems on my acer netbook since it's all plastic.
I must say that I have my laptops plugged in a wall socket with no grounding.


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## Wondering doggys (Oct 2, 2016)

This happens on my mom's Sony tv where the Ariel socket is, touching the metal makes my finger vibrates and the TV uses a British plug


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## dorsetknob (Oct 2, 2016)

can you use a multi meter ?
Set to 250v range
connect one probe to earth
connect other probe to the metal that makes you tingle
Any Reading above zero and you need to consult an Electrician


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## P4-630 (Oct 2, 2016)

I dont have this anymore since I plug my laptops in a grounded wall socket now.


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## Ameba_143 (Nov 3, 2016)

Have the same sensation and also blamed grounding, up until i touched the metal pot on my induction hob and had the same feeling. Induction hob was turned off and a plate itself is not conductive...
It's this strange feeling when you move smoothly your hand over a metal casing. For me it works for metal parts of laptop (only when connected to adapter, nothing on battery), metal ventilation hood (not grounded) but nothing with fridge (it's grounded).
Any idea how can I measure this? Nobody believes me


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## nomdeplume (Nov 3, 2016)

The world is full of people who could pick up the local radio station on their braces among all sorts of electronic weirdness nobody else believed.  The explanation is simple enough in technical terms but proving it beyond doubt is immeasurably tough.  If for instance that outlet is running off a vacuum tube... hard fix easy explanation why your computer shouldn't be plugged in there.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 3, 2016)

Off topic BS has been removed. This is not romper room folks, help or move along! Public warning to everyone!


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## scevism (Nov 4, 2016)

When I gently glide my fingers over the surface of my gf MacBook Air (either the outside shell, or the inside part next to the trackpad) I detect a subtle but very noticeable sensation, that feels like a very light vibration, or a "buzz". Fuck knows what it is maybe im x-men type freak.


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## nomdeplume (Nov 4, 2016)

If I went across the border into Canada they have state funded billboards reminding you of the hazards of using a cell phone.  Not driving while using a cell phone, using a cell phone.  Back in the US advertising for new phones, hot spots, data carrier solutions, etc has become inescapable.    The phenomenon surrounding stray electricity and broadcast signals isn't as new as it taboo.   No idea about the EU in this regard.


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## backwoods (Nov 4, 2016)

Frag Maniac said:


> Un-earthed main, but I would actually check the source. Meaning see how well your actual main power panel is grounded if you live in a house. If you're unsure, have an electrician inspect it. It's more crucial in Europe and  the UK, where they operate on higher voltage and Hz.



I would say your correct, because Europe and the UK have a different grid system where high voltage runs to every outlet in a home (I've been in some place's where you can feel the voltage in the air, just always remember electrical current want's to go though the lest path of resistance to ground and you might be the path it want's for a ground and with high voltage that's not enjoyable at all. like you said have an qualified electrician inspect your service.


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## Cvrk (Nov 4, 2016)

scevism said:


> When I gently glide my fingers over the surface of my gf MacBook Air (either the outside shell, or the inside part next to the trackpad) I detect a subtle but very noticeable sensation, that feels like a very light vibration, or a "buzz". Fuck knows what it is maybe im x-men type freak.


Your probably not gonna do this...and i don't even know if it has much relevance with the topic...but: go outisde barefoot make sure your standing on earth surface (a yard whatever) not concrete, run around or just move like this for 5 minutes, enjoy the sun or whatever, now do the same thing with the finger gliding.

This what is the most powerful type of grounding there is. It's healthy to do this at least once two times a year. For me ,it's like a therapy. When springs comes or in the summer, i always do it. A full day in spring on the grass barefoot is amazing


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## Vayra86 (Nov 4, 2016)

nomdeplume said:


> The world is full of people who could pick up the local radio station on their braces among all sorts of electronic weirdness nobody else believed.  The explanation is simple enough in technical terms but proving it beyond doubt is immeasurably tough.  If for instance that outlet is running off a vacuum tube... hard fix easy explanation why your computer shouldn't be plugged in there.



Isn't that just the differences (and the change) in polarity that we are experiencing? I believe its similar to this thing we call ESD and wear wristbands for, or touch a grounded object, while working on computer components. There's also an electrical charge running through our bodies, could the phase be of influence?

Also, my first thought on reading topic title was 'Toypowerup v2' in disguise. Just saying.


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## Caring1 (Nov 4, 2016)

scevism said:


> When I gently glide my fingers over the surface of my gf MacBook Air (either the outside shell, or the inside part next to the trackpad) I detect a subtle but very noticeable sensation, that feels like a very light vibration, or a "buzz". Fuck knows what it is maybe im x-men type freak.


I have this issue with an aluminium bodied HP laptop, the palm rest area gives me a buzzing, tingly feeling. I have pulled it apart and there is no way it is shorting inside on the body. The power sockets are also grounded here and that is the only device doing this.


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## nomdeplume (Nov 4, 2016)

@Vayra86 Hearts and brains are the most complex electronic devices on earth.  The electricity they run on is far different from that which is generated and transferred into your home.  Static shocks are effectively the disruptive leveling force when the two meet in a way that requires balancing the differences.  When dealing with force the smaller or more delicate part of the equation takes the brunt of damage, ie hard drive.  Instead, say you were to hold a bare live wire in one hand and that same hard drive in the other.  Whatever power your body doesn't absorb would flow to the hard drive.  That is the difference between a shock wave and current.

The reverse of that last example is what's happening.  The tingling is due to the wave like pattern it is traveling in or pulsing.  The topic I was dancing around is radiation.  Cell phones and computers give off amounts of radiation you can absorb through proximity.  When you act as a direct grounded physical link it also becomes conduction. 

Bananas are a widely available and consumed source of radiation, potassium.  Trees give off a certain amount of radiation.  There are many other natural and beneficial sources of both radiation and conduction.  Laptops and cell phones are not beneficial sources of either.


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## Phaewryn (Nov 10, 2016)

I'd test it by taking it to another location, like a public cafe, or go to a relatives house in another city. If it still happens there, it's probably you're extra sensitive to vibration. If it only happens at home, it's probably a bad ground in your home. I lived in a house once that if you accidentally leaned on the stove while touching the microwave, you got a full 110 pop through your body. Not fun. I wouldn't trust putting any electronic devices into a house with a ground that bad. You can buy power strips that indicate if your ground is good or not, that's the easiest solution, plus they have some minor surge protection built is usually (typically not nearly enough, but they are not expensive). Buy one, put it inline, see if it indicates a faulty ground or not. APC's power strips typically indicate home grounding faults, look for "Building Wiring Fault Indicator" in their models. It's an led that indicates either that your building's grounding is good or bad. If it's bad, try it in other outlets in the home, if they are all bad, you can check to see if it's laziness at the outlet or the whole house's ground being bad by taking apart an outlet. Remove the outlet cover, and see if the outlet has a ground wire run to it. Sometimes people get lazy and just don't bother connecting one at the outlet, and it's an easy fix. If there's no ground wire at the outlet to be connected, you'll need to hire an electrician to come re-wire the outlet, and possibly, if that doesn't fix it, add a grounding rod to your home's circuit box.


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## Papahyooie (Nov 10, 2016)

I used to do heating and air work, and we used to feel this in the ductwork and boxes of the furnaces on houses that had bad grounding. Check and make sure your outlet is grounded, then check and make sure your house is properly grounded. 

Then again, we sometimes worked with live 110 on our bodies if we couldn't be arsed to crawl out of the attic to turn off the correct, but improperly labeled breakers... So ymmv...


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## nomdeplume (Nov 10, 2016)

Attics are fun but the real surprises happen in crawl spaces.  Petrified animals arcing between the wire their teeth are embedded in and a poorly angled nail that missed the stud but caught their tail bone when it launched skyward.  All right under the steel rocker recliner nobody uses because it's oddly uncomfortable.  Really a laughable subject if you aren't being tortured by some unknown force.


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## Papahyooie (Nov 10, 2016)

nomdeplume said:


> Attics are fun but the real surprises happen in crawl spaces.  Petrified animals arcing between the wire their teeth are embedded in and a poorly angled nail that missed the stud but caught their tail bone when it launched skyward.  All right under the steel rocker recliner nobody uses because it's oddly uncomfortable.  Really a laughable subject if you aren't being tortured by some unknown force.



Oh dear god, don't remind me, you're giving me flashbacks... I one time rolled over and laid in a raccoon.... Yes, I did say "in".... lol


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