Small electrical charge felt when using macbook in thai hotel rooms

[snake24]

I bought my macbook pro in singapore. It uses the 3 pronged thing to plug into the socket while thailand uses 2.

Sg is 220V according to this site.

I don't feel any electrical charge when i use my macbook pro at home.

http://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=222

This is the same for thailand i think or that's the information i got when i looked under the information section when i was staying at the emerald hotel.

From this on the mac forums:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4320137?start=0&tstart=0

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2430990?start=0&tstart=0

It says that you need to the 3 prong plug which i was using when i stayed in thai hotels. I plugged the 3 prong thing into an adapter and then plugged it into the wall socket of the hotel room since all thai electrical outlets only have 2 prongs.

By theory i should not feel any electrical current when the macbook is plugged in.

Has anyone else with a macbook felt an electrical current when using it plugged in in thailand?

[HeijoshinCool]

Bought mine in Surat Thani. Came with both two, and three-prong plugs.

Using a three-prong, in a three-prong socket, though, is useless, if they don't ground the outlet.

Mine, therefore, often has that mild shock over its metal skin.

[Lite Beer]

If the earth connection goes nowhere it will be useless.

It has to actually be earthed.

[Tywais]

If the earth connection goes nowhere it will be useless.

It has to actually be earthed.

What he says ^^. Common problem in Thailand with computer shocks and no grounded outlets.

[RichCor]

Yep.

Happens a lot, especially when the electrical Neutral isn't bonded to Ground nearby, creating a potential for a current differential and you become a nice pathway for the electrical to ground.

Some people find flipping the plug around helps. Others put a towel or pillow under their feet (especially on a tile floor).

It's definitely a potentially hazardous situation. And please don't think using a three-pin to two-pin electrical adapter is a safe option.

[snake24]

If the earth connection goes nowhere it will be useless.

It has to actually be earthed.

If the earth connection goes nowhere it will be useless.

It has to actually be earthed.

What he says ^^. Common problem in Thailand with computer shocks and no grounded outlets.

Ok so the problem lies with the ppl that built the sockets pardon me but how do you ground the outlet?

Other than someone else that mentioned using pillows on the floor is there a way to fix this?

[AYJAYDEE]

If the earth connection goes nowhere it will be useless.

It has to actually be earthed.

If the earth connection goes nowhere it will be useless.

It has to actually be earthed.

What he says ^^. Common problem in Thailand with computer shocks and no grounded outlets.

Ok so the problem lies with the ppl that built the sockets pardon me but how do you ground the outlet?

Other than someone else that mentioned using pillows on the floor is there a way to fix this?

you cant ground the outlet but you can isolate yourself from ground

[klubex99]

Earthing electrics is to do with health and safety..... That is why it is ignored as unnecessary in Thailand.

[AYJAYDEE]

Earthing electrics is to do with health and safety..... That is why it is ignored as unnecessary in Thailand.

its not ignored. the codes require it in our province and i havent seen a house built without 3 wire in years

[cooked]

Come to sunny Isaan, hub of the two pin plug.

[AYJAYDEE]

Come to sunny Isaan, hub of the two pin plug.

3 pin in our amphur

[klubex99]

Earthing electrics is to do with health and safety..... That is why it is ignored as unnecessary in Thailand.

its not ignored. the codes require it in our province and i havent seen a house built without 3 wire in years

I had my house extended last year. I set up the places for the sockets to be added in the kitchen and once first fix was completed, I had to get the electrician to connect all the earths and pointed to the earth rod outside that I bought to put all the added electrics onto their own ground because I could not find any evidence of an existing earth rod. Luckily he had just coiled the earth wire out of the way at each socket.

The house is 5 years old. When I stick a flash drive into my TV I get a small shock from the usb socket. The TV is plugged into one of the existing original electric sockets which are 3 pin, but no earths attached, they are actually snipped off behind the socket. But in the consumer unit, there is an earth wire connected to the earth bus-bar.

Like I said.... the Thais ignore the earth, that is my experience.

Edited October 28, 2013 by klubex99

[AYJAYDEE]

Earthing electrics is to do with health and safety..... That is why it is ignored as unnecessary in Thailand.

its not ignored. the codes require it in our province and i havent seen a house built without 3 wire in years

I had my house extended last year. I set up the places for the sockets to be added in the kitchen and once first fix was completed, I had to get the electrician to connect all the earths and pointed to the earth rod outside that I bought to put all the added electrics onto their own ground because I could not find any evidence of an existing earth rod. Luckily he had just coiled the earth wire out of the way at each socket.

The house is 5 years old. When I stick a flash drive into my TV I get a small shock from the usb socket. The TV is plugged into one of the existing original electric sockets which are 3 pin, but no earths attached, they are actually snipped off behind the socket. But in the consumer unit, there is an earth wire connected to the earth bus-bar.

Like I said.... the Thais ignore the earth, that is my experience.

hire a decent electrician and provide him with an electrical plan. we did

[klubex99]

Earthing electrics is to do with health and safety..... That is why it is ignored as unnecessary in Thailand.

its not ignored. the codes require it in our province and i havent seen a house built without 3 wire in years

I had my house extended last year. I set up the places for the sockets to be added in the kitchen and once first fix was completed, I had to get the electrician to connect all the earths and pointed to the earth rod outside that I bought to put all the added electrics onto their own ground because I could not find any evidence of an existing earth rod. Luckily he had just coiled the earth wire out of the way at each socket.

The house is 5 years old. When I stick a flash drive into my TV I get a small shock from the usb socket. The TV is plugged into one of the existing original electric sockets which are 3 pin, but no earths attached, they are actually snipped off behind the socket. But in the consumer unit, there is an earth wire connected to the earth bus-bar.

Like I said.... the Thais ignore the earth, that is my experience.

hire a decent electrician and provide him with an electrical plan. we did

He was from a proper electrical contractor company.

Everything was marked out and all the socket and switch face backs were screwed in place by me.

I would have done the electrics myself, only i can't fit up through the tiny loft hatch in the ceiling, so left the wiring up to him.

Edited October 28, 2013 by klubex99

[AYJAYDEE]

obviously not proper enough. they employed an unqualified electrician. all the guys in our area that have built in the last 5 years have 3 wire.

[Jasun]

Where are you feeling the charge? On the panel to the right of the mouse?

[cooked]

Earthing electrics is to do with health and safety..... That is why it is ignored as unnecessary in Thailand.

its not ignored. the codes require it in our province and i havent seen a house built without 3 wire in years

Like I said.... the Thais ignore the earth, that is my experience.

Getting metaphysical, aren't we? Beware of earthing individual apparatus, if you do have a problem you may find the surge going through your computer. I was advised to attach an earthing wire to the back of my computer to prevent the small shocks that it keeps giving me. I didn't do this, fortunately.

All the stuff in this house was earthed when we got here... piece of wire attached to a nail embedded in concrete under a roof.

[klubex99]

obviously not proper enough. they employed an unqualified electrician. all the guys in our area that have built in the last 5 years have 3 wire.

Yes, all 3 wire here too. Like I said, they didn't connect the third.

You can tell from the OP that he has problems in Thai hotels also.... doesn't that tell you something?

Or are you saying that Thai hotels are being wired up by unqualified sparkies too?

[AYJAYDEE]

obviously not proper enough. they employed an unqualified electrician. all the guys in our area that have built in the last 5 years have 3 wire.

Yes, all 3 wire here too. Like I said, they didn't connect the third.

You can tell from the OP that he has problems in Thai hotels also.... doesn't that tell you something?

Or are you saying that Thai hotels are being wired up by unqualified sparkies too?

no, im saying that his hotel, like many homes, was built before the codes were changed. new construction is now 3 wire

[manarak]

Some problem over here.

I inquired about the earthing with the condo management, and was told every is earthed.

I upgraded my plugs, and it helped somewhat, but the problem did not competely go away.

[chrisinth]

You can't ground the outlet but you could try grounding the MacBook. Couple of crocodile clips on the ends of a piece of wire (small earthing wire if possible). One end to the MacBook and the other to anything metallic, the more substantial the better.

[yougivemebaby]

I bought my macbook pro in singapore. It uses the 3 pronged thing to plug into the socket while thailand uses 2.

 

Sg is 220V according to this site.

 

I don't feel any electrical charge when i use my macbook pro at home.

 

http://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=222

 

 

This is the same for thailand i think or that's the information i got when i looked under the information section when i was staying at the emerald hotel.

 

From this on the mac forums:

 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4320137?start=0&tstart=0

 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2430990?start=0&tstart=0

 

It says that you need to the 3 prong plug which i was using when i stayed in thai hotels. I plugged the 3 prong thing into an adapter and then plugged it into the wall socket of the hotel room since all thai electrical outlets only have 2 prongs.

 

By theory i should not feel any electrical current when the macbook is plugged in.

 

Has anyone else with a macbook felt an electrical current when using it plugged in in thailand?

 

 

p

Did you change the plug at all ? Maybe buy a universal one?

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